Joshua
The Reward
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:13-14 NIV
Memory Verse:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1-2 NIV
Main Takeaway: Salvation is only the beginning. The real battle starts now!
Introduction:
When I was an undergraduate student at ECU, I knew I wanted to go to dental school. I worked really hard in my studies and tried to make the best grades possible just so I could get into the school I wanted to. After four tough years of late-night studying, I found out that I got in! It was such an awesome feeling and a relief honestly. However, I also knew that this was only the beginning of another long tough journey. Even after graduating, the journey is still not over. I’m still having to fight battles and learn more everyday to continue to grow my practice as well as myself. Has it been worth it? Absolutely! But it definitely hasn’t been easy. It’s a constant work in progress every single day.
Maybe you have a similar story. Maybe it’s not school related, but I’m sure you have a story where you worked really hard for something and look forward to a reward at the end (buying a house, marriage, career, etc.). Once you received the reward you found out that it was only the beginning and a long journey awaited. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not meaning to talk negatively about the hard work after the reward. I’m simply implying that life is always about moving forward, and it takes effort to better yourself, your career, your marriage, or whatever it is you’re working toward.
In our continued journey with the Israelites, we find them faced with a similar circumstance. God is bringing them into the promised land after forty years of wandering in the desert. He miraculously dried up the Jordan river and allowed them to cross over into the new land. However, as soon as they cross, they see the great fortified city of Jericho and know this isn’t going to be easy. There are people occupying the promised land, and they are going to have to fight for it to make it their own. But they also know that they have God on their side, and they can accomplish anything with Him. Crossing the Jordan and entering the promised land is only the beginning for the Israelites. The reward of the land is in their midst, but it’s just the start of their story as a nation.
Background and Context:
After crossing the Jordan river, the Israelites set up camp just outside the great fortified city of Jericho. This city has towering walls that make it seem like there is no way to enter to take the city, but that’s just what the Israelites are going to have to do in order to start their conquest of promised land. At this point, Moses their leader for over forty years has passed away, and the Israelite’s new leader is Moses’s right-hand man, Joshua. He was a great man of God and was charged with leading the conquest of the promised land.
While the Israelites camped outside the city of Jericho wondering how they were going to get in, Joshua has in interesting encounter with a man outside the camp. Joshua 5:13-15 records this encounter. While Joshua was outside the city, he looks up and seems a man standing before him. This wasn’t just any man as we shall see, but this man was also ready for a battle. He was standing with a drawn sword. You don’t have a drawn sword unless you are about to fight. Startled, Joshua goes up to him and asks, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The response of this man is an interesting one. The man says in verse 14, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Joshua gives the man two options to answer his question. He doesn’t choose either of them. He simply announces that He is the commander of the Lord’s army. At this, Joshua falls on his face and begins to worship.
Let’s pause here for a second. I told you earlier that this was no ordinary man. Could it be an angel? Or is this someone greater? Let’s look at a few details to determine who this is. This being does not rebuke Joshua for falling on his face and worshipping. In other parts of scripture, if someone bows in the presence of an angel, they immediately tell them to stand. So, since the man allowed the worship, we can assume this was no angel. Joshua then calls the being my Lord. The being then tells Joshua to take off his sandals, for the place where he is standing is holy ground. If you remember the story of Moses and the burning bush, this phrasing should sound familiar to you. In that story, God Himself is present in a burning bush, and therefore that ground is holy. With all that being said, most scholars believe that this being depicts a Christophany—a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. This being was not a man, not an angel, but the commander of the Lord’s army, Jesus Christ. How powerful and cool is that! Joshua is face to face with the preincarnate Jesus!
It’s important to recognize this being as the Lord because of His response. When Joshua asks the question, “Are you for us for our enemies” the Lord does not choose either option but clarifies who He is, and judging by His appearance, is about to go to battle. In other words, the Lord is essentially saying, “I am the captain of the Lord’s heavenly army. I am about to go to war. I am not for either side, but my question to you is, are you on my side?” What an interesting question. This interaction with Joshua and the Lord sets the stage for what the Israelites had to decide next. As they camped outside of Jericho, the Israelites had a decision to make. They had to decide were they on the side of God or someone else? Their success and safety in the promised land depended on how they responded to this question. God was going ahead of them. He was standing with a drawn sword ready to take on the inhabitants. It was up to the Israelites if they were going to join Him. They had to be sure that their full trust was in God, and if so, the victory was theirs.
If you read through the book of Joshua, you will see that the Israelites decided they were truly on God’s side as they did conquer the land. They did conquer Jericho with a really cool and miraculous story. After many other battles, the land was theirs and for a season there was peace in the land. The journey and battle for the long-awaited promised land had finally ended. They rested for a time, but throughout the history of Israel, they had to fight and fight to stay alive. So, for their entire history, they had to constantly ask the question of whose side they were on.
Application:
Just like with the Israelites, we also have a decision to make. Are we on God’s side or are we on the side of the enemy? Most of us would surely say that we are on God’s side, but it’s often harder than we think. We have to be prepared to fight alongside God just like the Israelites had to be prepared to fight the inhabitants of the promised land.
Crossing over the Jordan and into the promised land was only the beginning of the nation of Israel. They had a long road ahead of them. With us, when we make the decision to follow Jesus, that’s only the beginning of our journey as well. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, we receive salvation of our souls, but at the moment, that decision also thrusts us into a battle that we will always have to fight. This battle is not against physical beings like the Israelites had to face. It is a spiritual battle, against the world and the dark forces that control it. We have to choose every day whose side we are on. We will face a constant battle to stay on God’s side. The world and all its dark forces are going to throw everything at us to try and get us to turn away from God. We have to remain strong in the Lord and remember that all we have to do is say we are on God’s side, and He will fight our battles for us. If the Lord is fighting for us, then the victory is already ours.
Salvation is only the beginning. Once we are saved, we become a threat to the enemy. He will then try everything he can to throw us off course. It is just what happens, but if we always choose God’s side, we can overcome anything. What does it look like to choose God’s side and let him fight the battle? Colossians 3:1-2 maybe gives the first step to this. It says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” To choose God’s side is setting our minds and heart on Him. When our focus is on Him and not the things of this world, we are choosing God over the world. We are saying yes to the things above and no to the darkness in the world. Sure, this seems very simplistic and of course there is more to it than that. But this is a wonderful place to start. So, get ready everyone. The battle will always be raging. Set your heart and mind on the things of God, and let Jesus handle the rest.
.
Questions and Further Exploration:
Do you have a story where you worked really hard to achieve a goal and once you got it realized that there was now going to be an even harder challenge to maintain it?
How do you choose to fight on God’s side? Discuss these with your son or daughter.
What things can get in the way of you choosing God’s side? Life is busy and God can get put on the back burner sometimes. How can we combat this and remember who we are fighting alongside?
Joshua 3:1-17: Crossing the Jordan
Joshua 5:13-15, 6:1-5: Instructions from the Commander of the Lord’s Army
Joshua 6:6-27: The Fall of Jericho
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:13-14 NIV
Memory Verse:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1-2 NIV
Main Takeaway: Salvation is only the beginning. The real battle starts now!
Introduction:
When I was an undergraduate student at ECU, I knew I wanted to go to dental school. I worked really hard in my studies and tried to make the best grades possible just so I could get into the school I wanted to. After four tough years of late-night studying, I found out that I got in! It was such an awesome feeling and a relief honestly. However, I also knew that this was only the beginning of another long tough journey. Even after graduating, the journey is still not over. I’m still having to fight battles and learn more everyday to continue to grow my practice as well as myself. Has it been worth it? Absolutely! But it definitely hasn’t been easy. It’s a constant work in progress every single day.
Maybe you have a similar story. Maybe it’s not school related, but I’m sure you have a story where you worked really hard for something and look forward to a reward at the end (buying a house, marriage, career, etc.). Once you received the reward you found out that it was only the beginning and a long journey awaited. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not meaning to talk negatively about the hard work after the reward. I’m simply implying that life is always about moving forward, and it takes effort to better yourself, your career, your marriage, or whatever it is you’re working toward.
In our continued journey with the Israelites, we find them faced with a similar circumstance. God is bringing them into the promised land after forty years of wandering in the desert. He miraculously dried up the Jordan river and allowed them to cross over into the new land. However, as soon as they cross, they see the great fortified city of Jericho and know this isn’t going to be easy. There are people occupying the promised land, and they are going to have to fight for it to make it their own. But they also know that they have God on their side, and they can accomplish anything with Him. Crossing the Jordan and entering the promised land is only the beginning for the Israelites. The reward of the land is in their midst, but it’s just the start of their story as a nation.
Background and Context:
After crossing the Jordan river, the Israelites set up camp just outside the great fortified city of Jericho. This city has towering walls that make it seem like there is no way to enter to take the city, but that’s just what the Israelites are going to have to do in order to start their conquest of promised land. At this point, Moses their leader for over forty years has passed away, and the Israelite’s new leader is Moses’s right-hand man, Joshua. He was a great man of God and was charged with leading the conquest of the promised land.
While the Israelites camped outside the city of Jericho wondering how they were going to get in, Joshua has in interesting encounter with a man outside the camp. Joshua 5:13-15 records this encounter. While Joshua was outside the city, he looks up and seems a man standing before him. This wasn’t just any man as we shall see, but this man was also ready for a battle. He was standing with a drawn sword. You don’t have a drawn sword unless you are about to fight. Startled, Joshua goes up to him and asks, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” The response of this man is an interesting one. The man says in verse 14, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Joshua gives the man two options to answer his question. He doesn’t choose either of them. He simply announces that He is the commander of the Lord’s army. At this, Joshua falls on his face and begins to worship.
Let’s pause here for a second. I told you earlier that this was no ordinary man. Could it be an angel? Or is this someone greater? Let’s look at a few details to determine who this is. This being does not rebuke Joshua for falling on his face and worshipping. In other parts of scripture, if someone bows in the presence of an angel, they immediately tell them to stand. So, since the man allowed the worship, we can assume this was no angel. Joshua then calls the being my Lord. The being then tells Joshua to take off his sandals, for the place where he is standing is holy ground. If you remember the story of Moses and the burning bush, this phrasing should sound familiar to you. In that story, God Himself is present in a burning bush, and therefore that ground is holy. With all that being said, most scholars believe that this being depicts a Christophany—a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. This being was not a man, not an angel, but the commander of the Lord’s army, Jesus Christ. How powerful and cool is that! Joshua is face to face with the preincarnate Jesus!
It’s important to recognize this being as the Lord because of His response. When Joshua asks the question, “Are you for us for our enemies” the Lord does not choose either option but clarifies who He is, and judging by His appearance, is about to go to battle. In other words, the Lord is essentially saying, “I am the captain of the Lord’s heavenly army. I am about to go to war. I am not for either side, but my question to you is, are you on my side?” What an interesting question. This interaction with Joshua and the Lord sets the stage for what the Israelites had to decide next. As they camped outside of Jericho, the Israelites had a decision to make. They had to decide were they on the side of God or someone else? Their success and safety in the promised land depended on how they responded to this question. God was going ahead of them. He was standing with a drawn sword ready to take on the inhabitants. It was up to the Israelites if they were going to join Him. They had to be sure that their full trust was in God, and if so, the victory was theirs.
If you read through the book of Joshua, you will see that the Israelites decided they were truly on God’s side as they did conquer the land. They did conquer Jericho with a really cool and miraculous story. After many other battles, the land was theirs and for a season there was peace in the land. The journey and battle for the long-awaited promised land had finally ended. They rested for a time, but throughout the history of Israel, they had to fight and fight to stay alive. So, for their entire history, they had to constantly ask the question of whose side they were on.
Application:
Just like with the Israelites, we also have a decision to make. Are we on God’s side or are we on the side of the enemy? Most of us would surely say that we are on God’s side, but it’s often harder than we think. We have to be prepared to fight alongside God just like the Israelites had to be prepared to fight the inhabitants of the promised land.
Crossing over the Jordan and into the promised land was only the beginning of the nation of Israel. They had a long road ahead of them. With us, when we make the decision to follow Jesus, that’s only the beginning of our journey as well. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, we receive salvation of our souls, but at the moment, that decision also thrusts us into a battle that we will always have to fight. This battle is not against physical beings like the Israelites had to face. It is a spiritual battle, against the world and the dark forces that control it. We have to choose every day whose side we are on. We will face a constant battle to stay on God’s side. The world and all its dark forces are going to throw everything at us to try and get us to turn away from God. We have to remain strong in the Lord and remember that all we have to do is say we are on God’s side, and He will fight our battles for us. If the Lord is fighting for us, then the victory is already ours.
Salvation is only the beginning. Once we are saved, we become a threat to the enemy. He will then try everything he can to throw us off course. It is just what happens, but if we always choose God’s side, we can overcome anything. What does it look like to choose God’s side and let him fight the battle? Colossians 3:1-2 maybe gives the first step to this. It says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” To choose God’s side is setting our minds and heart on Him. When our focus is on Him and not the things of this world, we are choosing God over the world. We are saying yes to the things above and no to the darkness in the world. Sure, this seems very simplistic and of course there is more to it than that. But this is a wonderful place to start. So, get ready everyone. The battle will always be raging. Set your heart and mind on the things of God, and let Jesus handle the rest.
.
Questions and Further Exploration:
Do you have a story where you worked really hard to achieve a goal and once you got it realized that there was now going to be an even harder challenge to maintain it?
How do you choose to fight on God’s side? Discuss these with your son or daughter.
What things can get in the way of you choosing God’s side? Life is busy and God can get put on the back burner sometimes. How can we combat this and remember who we are fighting alongside?
Joshua 3:1-17: Crossing the Jordan
Joshua 5:13-15, 6:1-5: Instructions from the Commander of the Lord’s Army
Joshua 6:6-27: The Fall of Jericho