Gilgal was the first place where Israel camped after crossing the Jordan River and entering the promised land. There Joshua set up twelve stones taken from the riverbed, a memorial so future generations would remember how God made a way for the people.
It was also at Gilgal that the new generation born in the wilderness was circumcised, and that Israel celebrated the first Passover in Canaan. The next day the manna stopped, a sign that the wilderness season had ended.
Centuries later, Gilgal rose to prominence again when Saul was proclaimed king there before the Lord. Yet in that same place, Samuel rebuked Saul for an improper sacrifice and later executed the Amalekite king Agag.
Over time, Gilgal became a center of worship that the prophets Hosea and Amos denounced as a scene of idolatry and empty rituals. The place that began as a memorial to God’s faithfulness ended up as a warning about religion without obedience.
