In Place-3

IN (My/Your)PLACE-III—Joshua 5:13-15

Set for Restoration—Leadership—Ready to Rumble—Commanding the Battle

Attention:

Just yesterday(Saturday) I was walking our dog by the Carrabelle River at sunset. I was at the intersection of Marine St. & Ave 'B'. The dog & I were on the east side of Marine street. I was looking west across the street & over the water at the beautiful sunset. The orange & pink light was playing off of the puffy clouds—A beautiful reminder of God’s majesty!

Then out of nowhere a car 'flies' up to the mooring of the Rollin' Stone(out shrimping that evening). A man hurriedly gets out of the car with camera in hand & rushes down to the Rollin' Stone dock. I recognized the man as one of the residents of Carrabelle who was a professional photographer. He & his wife have been to our church a few times. I didn't even speak to him for two reasons, 1)I was walking our ever-skittish-around-people dog & 2) I didn’t want to disturb the photographer because he was intent on obtaining the perfect shot of the sunset.

Just behind the photographer’s car a woman walks up to the same area to watch the gorgeous sunset.

The dog & I continued on down Marine St. when just before we reach the end of the boardwalk, another car pulls up to the sidewalk. Four people & two dogs hurriedly exit the car(obviously tourists) with their smartphone cameras pointed toward the sunset.

All of those people knew their place. They knew that if they were going to partake of the sunset, they would have to be fully prepared, & in the right place, at the right time.

We, as God’s people, must know our place in order to accomplish His work.

Need:

You must recognize your place in God’s kingdom & in His battle.

Joshua came face-to-face with the Commander/captain of the hosts of heaven.

God’s people must become aware of their place in the/God’s battle.

How can we take our proper place in the battle?

3 means of securing your/my place in the LORD’s battle.

We’ve found previously that Those securing their place in the LORD’s battle are...

1. Open to His PRESENCE(:13)

2. Open to His CONTROL(:14)

3—Those securing their place in the LORD’s battle are...

Open to His HOLINESS(:15)

Explanation:(:15)Taintedness

:15—“Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

The “Commander”/captain of YHWH’s army told Joshua to remove his sandal(s).

*Joshua readily complied!

“Take your sandal off your foot”—Recognize he is unworthy/tainted with the world/sin.

Joshua was not to pollute this place with the ‘dirt’ of the world & worldliness—represented by the former traffic of his “sandals.” There was no need for Joshua to scout out Jericho, because the LORD would do it in His own way.

The very “place” where Joshua “stood” was “holy.” Removing his sandal(s) signified Joshua’s recognition & acceptance of the “holiness”/separateness/dedication to God of the meeting point with the man.

Mk. 6:11—“And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom & Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

The “place” where Joshua is now “standing” is God’s “place.” Thus the work to be done there is God’s work. Joshua is entering into a continuation of God’s work. It will be a largely military work(Deut. 1:38, 3:28, 31:23; Josh. 1:16-18; Judges 1:1) to which Joshua will be expected to make himself available & with which he will be expected to become engrossed.

“Any place where God reveals himself is hallowed by that revelation”—EBC pg. 276—Donald Madvig—(Cf.-Gen. 28:10-22; Ex. 3:1-6).

Gen. 28:10-22—“Now Jacob went out from Beersheba & went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place & stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place & put it at his head, & he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, & behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, & its top reached to heaven; & there the angels of God were ascending & descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it & said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father & the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you & your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west & the east, to the north & the south; & in you & in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you & will keep you wherever you go, & will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep & said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, & I did not know it.” And he was afraid & said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, & this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, & took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, & poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, & keep me in this way that I am going, & give me bread to eat & clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, & of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”