“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man with a drawn sword in his hand. He went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “But as commander of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him “What does the Lord have for His servant?” (Joshua 5:13-14 NIV)
Joshua displays great courage in approaching an armed and engaged man (his sword was drawn). But he asks the wrong question, the question that tends to be our gut instinct when it comes to God: are you for us or against us? We forget that God is God. He is sovereign and as a sovereign entity, He has an agenda. Because He’s a good God, his agenda is good, but it’s really not about us as individuals.
When we find an angel in the middle of our path, perhaps the better question is: am I for you or am I against you? God is going in a good direction, He has a perfect plan moving forward. Are we with Him or not?
The angel states his allegiance to God’s Kingdom above any earthly organization, and Joshua has an immediate and right response. He falls on his face and prepares to receive further instructions from the Commander-in-Chief. What happens next reminds us of the burning bush and Moses’ personal invitation in ministerial leadership.
“The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:15 NIV)
A message from God can transform an ordinary place into a sacred space in a matter of moments. I can recall my own sacred spaces: a white clapboard church in southern Iowa, a lake dock at sunset during summer camp, an overcrowded tabernacle during a late night service, my kitchen desk in the Pinehurst Mesa house. In a minute, God can show up, speak and set our hearts afire again.
Joshua had the right response when heaven invaded earth: how can I be of service? He was available and willing, even though he was eighty or more years old at the time of this divine interaction.
This is a good heart check for us today. Who’s side are we on? Are we with and for God or do we wrestle with a heart that constantly tugs toward our own agenda?
Second question; are we available to participate in the good plans of God? This often requires a complete setting aside of self. It means taking up God’s cause as if it is our own, with all our effort and might. Are we willing to pray as Jesus prayed?
“Not My will but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42 NIV)
Jesus aligned His life with His Father’s will, even when it was tortuous, even when felt devoid of hope of a positive outcome. If Jesus could trust God to death, we can trust Him in life.
Joshua went into battle from there. He let the Lord lead. The battle of Jericho looked different than any enemy engagement before or since. It had to be humbling for a strong warrior like Joshua to submit to such a strange plan of attack: marching silently around a city for six days, then seven times on the seventh day. But we see that Joshua had already surrendered to the commander of the Lord’s army: he was ready and willing to do battle God’s way. What about us?
Lord, we are moved by Joshua’s interaction with Your angel army commander. He aligns himself with You. May we respond in kind; making ourselves wholly available and totally surrender to Your agenda, in heaven and on earth. Amen.