When God is for Us

“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?’ 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?’ 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.”—Joshua 5:13-15

God had commanded the nation of Israel, under Joshua’s leadership, to conquer Canaan, the Promised Land. As they were preparing to enter into battle for the first time, Joshua encountered a man who was “standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand.” Not knowing who he was, he asked him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” —which is better understood as, “Are you one of us, or one of the soldiers of our enemies?” To this the man responded “No,” which is more like “Neither,” and his way of showing that Joshua’s question itself is wrong. He is no mere soldier, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” Scholars disagree on the identity of the man—some believe that he is simply an angel of the LORD, while others say that He is a pre-incarnate Christ (i.e., Jesus appearing in human form in the Old Testament). But look at Joshua’s reaction; he “fell on his face to the earth and worshiped” (v. 14). Whether he simply worshiped right where he was or worshiped the man himself is not expressly clear from the context. But what is clear is what the man commands Joshua to do: “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy” (v. 15). It would only be necessary for him to take off his sandals if he were in the presence of Almighty God (cf. Exodus 3:5).

Joshua’s bowing down and worshiping, along with his taking off his sandals, leads me to believe that the figure before him was God Himself (either a pre-incarnate Christ or simply a human manifestation of God). With sword drawn, this heavenly figure reveals God’s zeal for Israel (cf. Numbers 22:23, 31; 1 Chronicles 21:16), and as the commander of God’s army, He has the heavenly host at His disposal (cf. Isaiah 13:4, 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Kings 6:15-17). The battle the Israelites were going into was not just a physical battle, but a heavenly one.

The Scriptures testify to the heavenly battle going on around us that we are not able to see, as was revealed to Daniel and Elisha’s servant (Daniel 10:10-14; 2 Kings 6:15-17). Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, noted that our battle is ultimately not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces around us.  

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”—Ephesians 6:12.

The purpose of the commander’s visit to Joshua reveals God going before him, battling on the nation's behalf. As long as the nation continued to trust and obey God, God Himself would grant them victory. Nothing would be able to stop them.

As beneficiaries of Christ’s atoning work on the cross, we know, through God’s Word, that if God is for us, then “who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). God goes before us into our different trials and tribulations. He is there fighting on our behalf, even sending His angels to serve and help us (cf. Hebrews 1:14). Take courage, my brother or sister! If God is for you, then who can stand against you? If God is for you, then you can echo the words of the Psalmist: “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”—Psalm 118:6.

Take heart! Fight on! Don’t give in! And don’t give up! Fight the good fight! Contend for the faith! Stand against the schemes of man and strategies of Satan by standing in the full armor of God! And never forget, you are not fighting for victory, but from the position of victory that Christ has already won on your behalf! Amen.