Joshua: The posture of prayer
Joshua 5:13-5:15
When we think of the name & the man Joshua, our mind may go back to the song “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling’ down”. Joshua’s place in history was much greater than that one episode. He was the son of noble parents. He was enslaved in Egypt, but was never enslaved inwardly. Once he had tasted freedom he looked forward to crossing into the new land.
Here are some other facts on Joshua: 1. Joshua was Moses’ right hand man. 2. Joshua was a soldier. 3. He was a spy. If you’ll remember 12 spies were sent into the promise land to case it out but only he and Caleb brought back a good report of the land of milk & honey. 4. Josh. 1:5 we read that he was blessed with the presence of God. 5. Josh. 1:8 tells us he was a student of the Word of God. 6. Num. 32:12 says he was obedient to the will of God. But most of all Joshua was a man of prayer. Prayer was important to him and when it comes to the Christian life we all should be men and women of prayer and prayer should be important to us. It’s a vital part of our relationship with God. It’s what helps keep it vibrant. How can you call yourself a Christian if you don’t pray?
SOMEONE HAS SAID IF WE WANT TO BE MUCH FOR GOD, WE MUST BE MUCH WITH GOD. What that means is that if you want to be a servant of God’s and want to be used by him in great and mighty ways then we need to have a strong relationship with Him, but in order for that relationship to become strong one must spend time with God the Father.
Tonight we are going to take a look again at the Battle of Jericho. If you will remember several months ago we looked at this event in a Series I did entitled “C.O.D.” which stood for challenges, opportunities and decisions. So tonight we are going to look at it again but from a different perspective.
This evening we are going to be looking in Joshua 5:13-15. While your turning there let me catch you up to where we will be reading. Most of you know the story but I will give you the TM version. Remember the children of Israel because of disobedience had to wait 40 years before entering into the Promise Land. They had to wait for the Moses generation to die off. The Moses generation of Israelites had all passed and it was now time for the new generation of Israelites to enter into the promise land. So Joshua and the children of Israel had the task of crossing the Jordan River to get into the Promise Land. However, in order for them to cross the Jordan River they were going to have to cross it at flood stage. To make a long story short the Joshua Generation crossed the Jordan River on dry ground. They reach the other side and they build an altar on the other side of the river out of 12 stones to remind them of what God had done and now they are getting ready for the battle of Jericho. Now it is the night before the battle and Joshua has headed out to look at the walls of Jericho. I believe he is out trying to make battle plans. So while Joshua is out looking at the walls he comes in contact with someone.
Now in the Book of Joshua the storming of the walls of Jericho is only one of the many episodes in the life of Joshua, but this episode teaches us volumes about his prayer life, which in turn shows us how our prayer life should be as well as how we are to approach God when it comes to prayer. So tonight we are going to look at Joshua: The Posture of Prayer. Read Joshua 5:13-15.
First off I want us to notice his…
I. Perception (v.13)
The word perception means: the awareness of objects or other data through the senses. When you read this story you can see that Joshua was very aware of what was going on around him. Verse 13 starts out by saying “When Joshua was by Jericho…” When you read this you get the idea that it was very likely that Joshua had gone to Jericho to check things out. He went there to look at the task that was before them so that a battle plan could be laid out. Now I’m sure that while he was there he was contemplating the strength of the place, and probably reflecting on the extreme difficulty of reducing it. I believe that as Joshua stood before the great obstacle of the fortified city of Jericho He came to realize his inability to complete his mission.
At this time I believe Joshua begins to pray for the task that was before him. The reason I believe that is because v. 13 says “…he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.” What was he lifting his eyes up from? I believe that Joshua had his head bow for prayer and when Joshua lifted his head and opens his eyes he sees a man with sword drawn standing in front of him.
The question is who this man was and why was he there? Let’s answer who this man was first. As I’ve said before most conservative scholars suggest this is one of those rare appearances of Jesus Christ. I tend to agree it was an appearance of the Lord Himself rather than an angel. Angels never accept worship. Remember in Rev. 19:10, the Apostle John is so overcome at what he is seeing that he falls at the feet of that angel and begins to worship him. The angel had a fit and said, “Do no do it! Worship God!” This commander, however, accepts Joshua’s worship and then he says the same thing God said to Moses forty years earlier: “Take off your sandals for this is Holy Ground.” So I absolutely believe Joshua was standing before the Lord.
Now this stranger has appeared before in the Scriptures. This stranger was also called the “Angel of the Lord” 1. He appeared to Abraham when he was sacrificing Isaac 2. To Hager when run off by Sarah 3. To the children of Israel through pillars of fire & smoke. 4. To Moses in the burning bush 5. To Jacob at Peniel When he wrestled with Him through the night. So as I said this I believe is the pre incarnate Christ.
So we answered the question of who this man was but why was he there? The Lord was there to encourage him. The Lord was there to let Joshua know “yes this is what I’ve asked you to do and no I am not going to send you into this battle alone. The Lord was there to remind Joshua “Yes, this is humanly impossible but God was going to make it possible because He was in control. He was reassuring Joshua that He would not leave him nor forsake him. Joshua was not alone because God was with him and so He is with us.
So through this passage we see that Joshua was very aware of the fact of who he was standing before. Church when it comes our prayer life each and every time you and I come before the throne of God in prayer we need to be aware of who is standing before us. We need to be aware that we are standing in the presence of Greatness. That we are standing in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We are standing before the Almighty God.
Make yourself aware of the fact of what a great honor and privilege we have to come before God the Father in prayer. Remind yourself what had to take place so that we could approach the throne of God on our own. Remember what Jesus did on the CROSS!!! Be aware of the presence of God!!!
Notice not only his Perception but also his…
II. Position (v.14)
Now when I use the word position I’m not speaking of the position of his body so much as I’m speaking of the attitude he had when he realized who he was standing in front of at that time. In verse 14 we see that Joshua becomes aware of who is before him and when he becomes aware of the Lord’s presence he falls down on his face and worships God. Now that word worshipped used here meant he humbled himself in the reverence of the Lord. He was in awe of who he was standing before.
Church when we enter into the presence of the Lord in our prayer life we need to be aware of God’s presence and we should be compelled to worship Him. We should humble ourselves just like Joshua did because we are standing in the presence of the Almighty God. We are standing in the presence of the Light of the World, the I AM, the way, the truth and the LIFE. We should be in awe of whose presence we are standing before.
My question to you is what type of attitude do you have when you enter into the presence of the Lord. When it comes to your prayer time do you come before the Lord with awe, reverence and respect? Or do you come before Him treating it like a chore? What’s you’re attitude? Is it an attitude of worship or an attitude of “I have to do this because this is what God expects of me.” Do you look forward to your prayer with an attitude of joy or an attitude of dread? When you come to God in worship, do you approach him casually, or do you come as though you were an invited guest before a king? If necessary, adjust your attitude so it is suitable for approaching a holy God.
Now this is where I must stop and say I worry about God’s people not truly worshipping Him. As you all know worship is a big part of my life and prayer is one of those ways of worshipping Him. So many times we just come and we meet with God or with each other but we fail to realize that we are truly in the presence of a Holy, Living and awesome God.
Church every time we enter into a time of prayer we are coming before the throne of God and speaking to a Holy, Living, and awesome God. Imagine what our prayer life could be like if we reminded ourselves everyday of this fact. When we come before God in prayer we need to come before God just like Joshua did with a humble heart. The kind of heart that understands and realizes how unworthy we are to be in His presence. We need to have the kind of heart that understands how much of an honor and a privilege it is to be able to stand before and approach something so Holy, Mighty and Powerful.
Notice not only Joshua’s perception and position but lastly his………
III. Performance (v.15)
These were the same words which the angel, on Mount Sinai, spoke to Moses; and from this it seems likely that it was the same person that appeared in both places: in the first, to encourage Moses to deliver the oppressed Israelites, and bring them to the Promised Land; in the second, He showed up to encourage Joshua in his grueling effort in expelling the ancient inhabitants, and establishing the people in the inheritance that was promised to their fathers.
The reason for Joshua as well as Moses to remove their shoes was an act of reverence, conveying their own unworthiness before God. God is our friend, but he is also our sovereign Lord. To approach him lightheartedly shows a lack of respect and sincerity.
When I say performance I’m speaking of Joshua’s obedience. When God asked Joshua to remove his sandals Joshua, out of respect, was obedient and did exactly what God asked him to do. Although Joshua was Israel’s leader, he was still subordinate to God, the absolute Leader. So Joshua still had to take orders from God and he gladly did without complaining or questioning. It doesn’t matter who you are or how much power you have if you are a child of God and God speaks to you better listen and obey. Church, when we pray and God speaks to us we must be ready to obey and we must do it gladly without complaining.
For Joshua, humility lead to reverence & reverence lead to obedience, which is exactly the model we need to follow when it comes to our own prayer life. The reason there is so little obedience to Christ among Christians today is that there is so little love for Him. If we truly and completely loved Him we would be willing to do what ever God asked without complaining or questioning.
In closing, awe and respect are the responses due to our holy God. How can we show respect for God? By our attitudes and actions. We should recognize God’s power, authority, and deep love, and our actions must model our attitudes before others. Respect for God is just as important today as it was in Joshua’s day, even though removing shoes is no longer our cultural way of showing it.
Joshua is a good example for us Christians of complete obedience. How do we measure up? Most of us want to obey God. But don’t fully; we just don’t want to go all the way. Some believe that partial obedience is total disobedience. If Joshua was here tonight he would tell you and I that there is only one type of obedience and that is total obedience.
