Preparations:
I read that in April, 1988 the evening news reported on a photographer who was also a skydiver. He had jumped from a plane along with several other skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and opened their parachutes. As the video was being shown of each member of the crew jumping out and then pulling their rip cord so that their parachute opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute and then the picture went berserk.
The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute. It wasn’t until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was free falling without a chute. Tragically, he was unprepared for the jump.
It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what skill he had. By forgetting the parachute he made a foolish and deadly mistake. Nothing could save him, because his faith was in a parachute, which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on. No one can wear a parachute for you and you expect to be all right. There is another thing that no one can do for us, no one can make the preparations that we need for our relationship with Jesus Christ.
The Hebrews were approaching the coming fight in Jericho. Preparations had to be made as we see in Joshua 5-6. The most important preparation was their partnership with God. That has been true for God’s people on both sides of the book. Paul emphasizes this in affirming Timothy, who was a brother in Christ and GOD’s partner or coworker. Read 1 Thessalonians 3.2 (ESV):
. . . we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,
Our text for today tells us how the Hebrews and by application, we can be victorious in the battles before us. Joshua 5.13-15 (ESV) reads:
13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
At first Joshua does not know who this is. He asks, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” He assumes it is a warrior and wants to know his allegiance.
I wonder if Joshua is trying to be a military recruiting officer here. This group of Hebrews was unskilled and presumably inept, especially in regards to warfare. Maybe Joshua was hoping to find soldiers sympathetic to their cause to help out.
Joshua knew warfare. The generation who would spend forty years in the desert knew warfare. You may remember that in Exodus 17 that Joshua led the Hebrews to defeat the Amalekites. Moses stood on the mountain with raised hands while Joshua and the Hebrews fought in the valley.
That generation died off. The new generation appeared to have no natural skills. Moses repeated the instructions of God for them in the book of Deuteronomy before he died. They had not seen some of the things he described and they needed to know them. Now Joshua is leading the people into Canaan. They are not soldiers, or farmers, or fishermen, they are wanderers.
Yet, as we will see, with the Lord’s direction they will enter the land and defeat the enemies of God despite their ineptitude. God led them and they followed and participated as they went. They did not sit back, eat popcorn and watch the movie. They were deeply engaged.
In our current spiritual war, we may want experienced patriotic spiritual warriors. We may feel inexperienced and inept with no real skills for spiritual battle. We need to be listening to God and following Him into battle. He will lead and He will be the victor but we HAVE to go with Him and engage the enemy.
We know, because we have read the last chapter of the Book, God wins. It is especially proven by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. That tomb, empty of the body of Jesus, as well as His post-resurrection appearances prove God is and will be victorious.
I like the story about a man who was in the Washington, D. C. area on business at the Pentagon. He had gotten caught in an endless traffic loop that kept taking him over the Potomac River and back. Spotting a jogger along the road, he called out, "Which side is the Pentagon on?" Keeping his pace, the jogger answered, "I think they’re on our side."
The really good news is that God IS for us! Romans 8:31-32 (ESV) reads:
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Joshua was asking the commander the wrong question. It’s not a question of whether or not God is on your side. The question is are you on God’s side? It’s not a question of whether or not He will submit to you. The question is will you submit to Him? How does Joshua respond when he hears the answer? In Joshua 5:14 (ESV) Joshua, the commander of Israel’s army submits to the commander of the Lord’s army:
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
During the American War Between the States or Civil War, President Lincoln spoke with a man who expressed the hope that God was on the side of the North in the war. Lincoln replied:
“…we know that the Lord is always on the side of right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and the nation should choose to be on the Lord’s side.”
Joshua declared his place as he challenges the Israelites much later in his life. He reminded them of the choice they had as to whether or not they would serve God. In Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV) he declares:
14 “Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
As we see in this incident Joshua clearly respected the commander of the Lord’s army. This would also indicate his respect for God. This is seen in his worship. Perhaps the commander is a “theophany” which is an earthly appearance of God in some form like when the three visited Abraham. Maybe it is an angel. Whoever this is represents the divine nature of God. We too are supposed to represent God in bearing His image and His name. We are to honor Him.
It is reported that in the late 1860s, Ulysses S. Grant gave a cigar to Horace Norton, philanthropist and founder of Norton College. Because of his respect for the Grant, Norton chose to keep the cigar rather than smoke it. Upon Norton’s death, the cigar passed to his son, and later it was bequeathed to his grandson. It was Norton’s grandson who in 1932 chose to light the cigar ceremoniously during a speech at Norton College’s 70th anniversary celebration. Waxing eloquent, Norton lit the famous cigar and proceeded to extol the many virtues of Grant until...Boom! The renowned cigar exploded! That’s right—over sixty years earlier Grant had passed a loaded cigar along to a good friend to embarrass him in good natured fun. At long last it had made his friend’s grandson look foolish! Yet, Horace Norton’s respect for Grant caused him to treat that gift with honor as a prize to be passed down to his heirs.
Joshua expresses respect and awe in his worship. In the context of these scriptures, they had circumcised the generation of wanderers; they had had Passover (5:10-12); and now that they were eating from the Land, the manna stopped. Yet, Joshua was not disheartened, he worshiped.
Worship is really a good place to begin every day. God is enthroned in the praises of His people according to Psalm 22:3. In bowing to worship, Joshua invites the presence of God and is ready to hear from Him. He is joining God’s side.
Calvin Coolidge said:
"It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow."
David was many things to Israel – a warrior, a king, and a songwriter. He was also a worshiper of God and showed the nation uninhibited and unrestrained worship when he danced before the Lord. In 2 Samuel 6:14 (ESV) we read:
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might.
Taking time to worship is critical, especially in times of conflict. When the Israelites had to fight, God had a special place for the tribe of Judah. In Judges 20:18 (ESV), a key question is asked and answered.
The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the Lord said, “Judah shall go up first.”
The name, “Judah,” means “praise.” So, before the Hebrews would march into battle, they worshiped. In fact, they even praised AS they went into battle. Joshua was illustrating this principle.
As we have mentioned in other podcasts, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. We need God to go before us. Worship is a key to setting us firmly on His side. By the way, an important point is to remember that worship is to be two-fold. It is spirit and truth. It’s not enough to outwardly go through the motion of “five acts of worship” if we do not engage the heart.
From worship we go to our walk with God. In this section we again point out the need to circumcise the men before going into the Land. This is a tie back to walking in and keeping the covenant God had made with Abraham.
Abraham’s faith was so strong that God justified him even before his circumcision; but would still require it of him. In Genesis 15 God told Abram of the innumerable descendants he would have. Then in Genesis 15:6 (ESV) we read:
6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
No doubt Abram had faith. God knew that he would be the one to be the patriarch to his people. He knew that Abram would obey God in whatever He told him, whether in circumcision or even years later in the sacrifice of his son on Mount Moriah.
The commander of the Lord’s army told Joshua in Joshua 5:15 (ESV):
15 . . . “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
This is a reminder of God’s encounter with Moses in Exodus 3. Wherever God is, there is “holy ground.” It is also a reminder to Joshua and the people to keep the instructions God gave through Moses, i.e., the Torah.
So in both instances, there was a call to worship God as well as a call to walk with Him. Worshiping God and walking with Him go together.
Joshua would soon learn that there was a mightier army than his who would fight with him in Canaan. It was the army of the Lord, led by this commander. So, the question again is not whether the LORD is on our side but rather, are we on the LORD’s side?
Abraham Lincoln stated the dilemma in his Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865. Whose side was the Lord on in our Civil War, the Blue or the Gray?
Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.
Years later Theodore Roosevelt said:
“No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his body; to risk his well-being; to risk his life in a great cause.”
We have a great cause that is bigger than we. We incorporate the cause of Christ into every facet of life. This is especially evident in our current cultural battles. Evil seems to be winning right now. We are discovering depths of wickedness that we had not realized in the past.
Have you heard, for instance, of children being sold by way of the internet on the websites of some prominent companies? A child’s article of clothing may be listed for $5000. Guess what? It’s not the little boy’s t-shirt they are selling, it is the little boy.
This is war. This is spiritual war. We must be sure we are united with the Lord in order to fight and win. This is not uniformity in that everyone looks and acts exactly the same. This is unity.
Our Founders displayed this kind of unity in the American War for Independence. A couple of familiar episodes remind us of their unity, and both involve prayer.
The first is at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The delegates were having a hard time working out a sufficient Constitution for our new country. They were from different states with differing points of view regarding key issues in developing a government. Some states were large and powerful, some were small and weaker. How would these have equal representation?
You’ll remember that Benjamin Franklin, the elder statesman, suggested praying together and asking God’s assistance. Almost miraculously, after they prayed, things began to work out. The result was an almost inspired blueprint to government called the Constitution.
The second instance goes back to the very first Continental Congress. The delegates decided to open Congress with prayer. They began to squabble. This was not because they didn’t believe in prayer, everything they did in their lives had been bible-based to a large degree. No, it was because of denominational differences. They began arguing over who could lead a prayer for all the different denominations represented there.
Samuel Adams suggested that Jacob Duché, the rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, deliver the opening prayer. He stated that he would be willing to hear anyone’s prayer. They agreed and at 9 AM on September 7, 1774 Duché read Psalm 35 and then prayed a heartfelt and moving prayer. This was an example of religious tolerance and unity for a common cause in spite of theological differences.
In every congregation we can find differences between church members, even theological ones! We have theological differences between denominations. We mustn’t judge the servants of others according to Romans 14:4. We can find common ground and unite for common battles. We actually have more in common than we disagree upon. Why not fight together against our common foe rather than fighting one another?
Later in Joshua 23.9-11 (ESV) Joshua would tell the Hebrews:
9 For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God.
Once again, the spiritual war is God’s. Our job is to follow by faith and do what He sets before us. AND, we are to keep loving Him.
Remember, we fight with the appropriate weapons. Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV):
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
When Hitler and the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, the Polish army fought valiantly against them. However, they efforts were in vain, because they were fighting tanks with horses. Although their efforts were noble, their means were outclassed and they were rapidly defeated.
So, what do we do? He tells us in Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV):
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Many have asked why David picked up five stones to fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17). Maybe it was because Goliath had four brothers. Maybe it was just extra ammo. David very well may have decided to put everything he had into this contest against the giant blasphemer. He did not know if he would need one stone, five stones or even more. Maybe he thought that if he ran out of ammunition he would go after Goliath with his rod and staff, and if necessary his bare hands. He knew God would be in the battle.
Someone wrote,
“First, I was dying to finish high school and start college. And then I was dying to finish college and start working. And then I was dying to get married and have children. And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough for school so I could return to work. And then I was dying to retire. And now…. I’m dying and suddenly I realize I forgot to live.”
Jesus said in John 10:10 (ESV):
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
Whenever we learn to see, respect, and follow Jesus life becomes an adventure and we really live. We engage the evil enemies of our day with the weapons of spiritual warfare. We fight with God to win and keep our freedoms just like the Hebrews and just like our Founders. In a letter to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery"
Whose side are you on? How do you know?
Keep the Light of Victory Burning!
