Steven A. Bush - October 22, 2023
Whose Side is God On? His Own!
Joshua 5:13-15 describes a unique encounter: "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” 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." (NKJV) So when Joshua encounters the sword-bearing Captain of the Lord of Host, arguably a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God, and boldly asks Him whether He's for Israel or against them, and the Captain essentially replies, 'Neither!' Joshua, in abject humility, does the only right thing--he falls on his face! That's always the right posture when it comes to fearing and trusting our Lord. God is always for God! But we're not always for God. Let's be clear, if you belong to God, He is indeed for you. But that doesn't mean He will support you in your pursuit of what's against His will and word and ways. Not with swagger but with humility, in all that we face as believers, in the natural and in the spiritual, day in and day out, facing challenges, afflictions, trials, tribulations, disappointments, warfare and painful losses, we hold dear Paul's words found in Romans 8:31: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (ESV)
Scripture References: Joshua 5:13-15, Deuteronomy 29:2-6, Joshua 5:11-12, Romans 8:31-39