Joshua: Jesus is the Commander of the Lord's Army
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Preaching Christ Through the Bible |
JOSHUA: JESUS IS THE COMMANDER OF THE LORD’S ARMY
Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)
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.
In the Lord’s work, it is always God who chooses the right successors. Yet, this is not an excuse for great leaders to neglect the responsibility of investing their lives in potential mentoring successors. This mentoring relationship is quite evident in the lives of Moses and Joshua. Although it was definitely God who chose Joshua as the appointed successor to Moses, Moses provided Joshua with all the possible exposures and training to be the next great leader for the nation of Israel.
If you examine their relationship, Moses gave Joshua the privilege of being present during the critical moments of his ministerial life. Here are some examples:
Moses brought Joshua to Mount Sinai to collect the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:13-18).
Moses was with Joshua when he smashed the tablets (Exodus 32:15-19).
Moses also brought Joshua to meet with the Lord inside the Tabernacle (Exodus 33: 7-11).
However, it is also significant to point out that Joshua exemplified remarkable faithfulness in carrying out humble responsibilities towards Moses during the earlier times of this mentoring relationship. Consider this verse as an example:
Exodus 33:11 (ESV)
11 Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Three exciting items in this verse would stand out about Joshua:
“Assistant” - Literally means “aid” or “helper.” He was willing to serve even it would require fulfilling lowly tasks.
“Young man” – He started getting mentored early in life. Many suggest that he was at his most teachable period of life.
“Would not depart from the tent” – This means that he stayed close to Moses, ready and faithful to help whenever he was needed.
These qualities of Joshua should remind us of a familiar principle in leadership and stewardship – “Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in larger ones” (Luke 16:10 GNT).
As we learned last Sunday, Moses was undoubtedly one of the greatest Old Testament prophets that Israel has had. Finding his replacement to lead Israel to conquer the Promised Land was certainly a difficult challenge. But God would not have a problem placing Joshua as the new leader because he has been prepared for this moment.
So, as we move to the Book of Joshua this morning, Moses has passed, and Joshua has taken the baton in preparing a new generation of Israelites to conquer the Promised Land. The forty years of wilderness wandering is over. Now, they are at the plains of Moab, getting ready to move into the land that flows with milk and Honey. In other words, this land that God gave them was so rich that their lives would be so much better compared most especially to their lives in the wilderness.
Within this context, we will study together the representation of Jesus Christ in the Book of Joshua as “The Commander of the Lord’s Army.” For Israel and all of us, this portrayal of Jesus Christ is so important because we need to see Him as our ultimate leader who will bring us into our great future. Let’s specifically look into our primary text and discover how He relates to us today.
I WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONQUER
Before we dive into our main text, let’s first have some information about the Book of Joshua. Perhaps, it would be beneficial for us to know that the title “Joshua” is the Hebrew name of the New Testament name “Jesus.” This name's literal meaning means, “Jehovah saves” or “God is our salvation.” So, it is safe to say that Joshua, who is the author and main character of the book, is also one of the pictures of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. As Joshua is responsible for leading Israel into the Promised Land, Jesus, on the other hand, is the one leading humanity to heaven, the ultimate Promised Land.
The entire book has twenty-four chapters that can be divided into two major sections:
The Conquering of the Promised Land (Chaps. 1-12)
The Distributing of the Promised Land (Chaps. 13-24)
With this outline, our primary text is part of Israel's preparations to enter the Promised Land. From the Plains of Moab, now, they are literally at the border of Canaan. If you have read the Book Joshua, before chapter 5, Joshua in chapter 2 had sent two spies to Jericho, the first major city they had to conquer. And in chapter 3 to the earlier verses in chapter 5, we have the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, where the Lord allowed them to cross on dry grounds, just as they have experienced in the Red Sea. Well, with the Promised Land before, the main question is: “Will they proceed and trust God to help them conquer the Promised Land?” “Or will they just settle living in the wilderness?”
It is worth remembering that the first generation became scared and decided that the Promised Land was not worth fighting for, so they settled living wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. You are probably familiar with the report of the ten spies found in Numbers 13:31-33 (ESV):
31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”
32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.
33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
Israel believed this report, and as a result, they grumbled to God and refused to move forward. Notice how they responded:
Numbers 14:1-4 (ESV):
1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
It is unfortunate that instead of believing the voice of faith that came from the two spies, Joshua and Caleb, the nation of Israel would rather believe the voice of unbelief. The same can be said in our lives today. Again and again, we should never allow negative voices to shape our future. We are always better off placing our faith in the voice coming directly from God. His promises are still dependable, and we should take them to heart as we move forward into a great future. One of the promises is found right at the beginning of the Book of Joshua:
Joshua 1:5-7 (ESV)
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
God has always given His people sufficient assurances as they move forward. But, it is up to them whether or not they would believe His promises.
II WE NEED TO MUSTER THE RIGHT RESPONSE
Going, now, to our main text, verse 13 will tell us that Joshua went by himself to look over the city of Jericho. Perhaps, he went there feeling the burden of responsibility on his shoulders as he will be leading the nation of Israel into a very intimidating city. In a way, Jericho stands like a massive barrier between the nation of Israel and their dream of occupying the Promised Land.
When we think about it, there is always a barrier that Satan uses to intimidate us between our great future and us, right? For example, before I decided to go to the Seminary when I was a senior in high school deciding which college degree I wanted to pursue, I did my best to avoid the degrees that would require passing Board Exams. I was afraid that I wouldn’t pass those Board Exams. So, I settled for a Business Administration Degree. How about you? What is your Jericho, the barrier that stands between you and your dream of a great future?
However, in the evening that Joshua was contemplating about their big battle before them, God appeared to him and introduced Himself as “The Commander of the army of the Lord.” With this encounter, there are three facts we need to see:
1. The Identity of the Commander
When Joshua saw him, He looked like a man ready to fight a battle because his sword was drawn in his hand. Many Bible scholars interpret his identity as a “Theophany” or “Christophany.” Theophany is God's pre-appearances in the Old Testament, while Christophany means Christ's pre-appearances in the Old Testament.
If you are familiar with Abraham's story, you will find the same pre-appearance of God as one of the three men who told him about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18). Well, going back to verse 14, the most substantial proof that the Commander was God and not an angel is when Joshua fell on his face and worship. The Commander freely accepted the worship. Angels throughout the Scriptures never accepted worship.
2. The Inquiry to the Commander
Going back to the bottom of verse 13, we find Joshua asking the man he saw with an interesting question, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” The man responded and said, “No; but I am the Commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” In other words, Joshua wanted to know whether or not the man was an ally or an enemy.
Considering the response, some of you might be asking, “Why did God say that He was not on the side of His people?” I love how Pastor Adrian Rogers explained the response coming from the Commander of the Lord’s Army:
“If you want victory in your life, stop trying to get God on your side. Get on God's side . . . God hasn't come to take sides; He's come to take over. And, you will never know faith, you will never know victory, and your Jericho will never fall, until you get on His side.”
In other words, the burden of choosing sides is really on us. If we want to be victorious in life, we have to make sure that we choose to be on God’s side at all times.
3. The Impact of the Commander
The third fact worth emphasizing also is how Joshua responded to the Commander of the Lord’s Army. We read verse 14, “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
We will see two critical responses here – Worship and Surrender. With worship, he fell on his face before God. And with surrender, Joshua addressed him as “Lord” and asked Him what his message to his servant is. Without a doubt, if we want to be on God’s side, we also need to respond to God with worship and surrender. Without them, we will never move into our great future.
III WE NEED TO MANIFEST GREAT FAITH
Lastly, when Joshua asked the question, “What does my lord say to his servant?” Joshua must have prepared his heart to obey God and follow Him even if His commands do not make sense. Why do I say this? Well, when you move to chapter 6, God will give the instructions on how they will conquer Jericho. You wouldn’t believe what God wanted them to do?
Joshua 6:1-5 (ESV)
1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.
2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.
4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
Imagine, with Jericho, the intimidating city, were on high alert and were gearing up for a big war because they heard that the people of Israel that crossed the Jordan River on dry grounds were already on their border. But God’s instruction was to march around the city once for the next six-day with priests as front liners. Then, on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, and after the seventh march, all the people will make a great shout. And this would make the walls crumbling down. Let’s be honest, these instructions were not really easy to obey, right?
This truth reminded me of the discussion we had during our Men’s Bible study last Sunday night. We were talking about this truth about God’s strategy handed to Joshua on how to defeat Jericho. Listen to Dr. Tony Evans wrote about it:
“God will accomplish His purposes, but He will often do it in a manner unlike what you and I or Joshua would have strategized. In fact, sometimes God’s ways can seem downright strange. He has a million ways that He can use to accomplish the same thing. Don’t even try figure Him out because not only will you not be able to to predict Him, but also you will not be able to outwit Him. Just let Him lead . . . Success comes when you master the skill of following God well.” (Dr. Tony Evans, “Kingdom Man,” p. 140)
I believe this reminder is very significant for all of us. It is possible that the biggest stumbling block between our great future and us is our lack of trust towards God that is keeping us to obey Him fully. Here is my challenge to you - if you are willing to trust Him to save you from sin and hell. You must also be willing to trust Him as your Commander, who will lead you to the life of success. Don’t expect Him to take your side. Make sure you align your life to be on His side and obey Him at all times.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana