Be Ready for Battle

God delivered the Israelites across the Jordan to the promised land. God remained true to His promises. God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy. Joshua, who had led the Israelites into the promised land after Moses died, was near Jericho. It was here he saw a man. This man was ready for battle, carrying a sword and, from the sound of it, a worthy opponent. Joshua asked the man if he was for or against the Israelites. Joshua's question was probably not the best to ask; the man answered Joshua, "No, but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come." (Joshua 5:14 ESV). Joshua fell to his face before the man who told Joshua to remove his sandals because Joshua was on holy ground. An echo of the words God spoke to Moses on Sinai. The man was there to lead the Israelites in the battle. The man told Joshua that He had given Jericho over to the Israelites, and the man provided instructions on the march and trumpets that would crumble the wall of Jericho.

Who is that Guy?

Who was this man and archangel? If we look at scripture, there are subtle indications of the man's identity. First, early in verse 6, the man is called "the Lord." Second Joshua saw him as a deity and worshipped him. Third, the man had Joshua remove his sandals because Joshua was on holy ground. and Lastly, the man did not rebuke Joshua for the worship. John Calvin notes that Joshua asking, "What command does my Lord give to His servant?" implies power and authority belonging only to God. Therefore, we can safely say the man's identification was God or, more precisely, a Christophany, an appearance of Christ before his incarnation.

Our Undefeatable God

So, what did the Israelites learn from the encounter with the man? They learned they were not fighting the war; God was fighting it for them. The man at Jericho provided the way for the Israelites to defeat the Canaanites. If we look at Daniel and Goliath, we see a similar message. Daniel did not defeat Goliath on his own. God provided the means for Daniel to defeat what appeared to be an unbeatable foe. We should remember the same thing. When God calls us to fight in his name, God is fighting the battle for us. Our most undefeatable foe is sin and death. When we view this in a Christ-centered hermeneutic it is Christ who defeats our greatest foes. When we have faith in Christ, He has already won that battle for us. Christ defeated sin and overcame death for us. We only need to have faith in Christ, repent our sins, and live Christ-centered lives to reap the spoils of the Battle won by Christ.

May God's blessings be upon you.