FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
A surprising visit from Jesus before He was born?
Ok, so here are my answers to last week…maybe we concluded the same thing!
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I didn’t teach on this at FORGE because I simply didn’t have time. Let’s think it through now:
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.
Joshua 5:13-15
Think this through with me-here are some questions I asked when reading this through…
When a man has a drawn sword in his hand, what does that indicate?
It usually means he’s ready to fight! And how cool this is, that just as Joshua was ready to lead his people into battle, God’s messenger says, “My sword is drawn, and I’m going into battle with you! Let’s do this thing!”
This man seemed to just appear before Joshua. Was it a supernatural appearance?
Sometimes you can’t tell if for sure whether the text of the Bible is trying to convey a supernatural appearance. In this case it seems that Joshua was in a pensive mood thinking about the upcoming crossing of the Jordan River and all of a sudden a man is there. Was he so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see the man come up? Maybe. But because of who this man is, it seems to make sense that yes, this is a supernatural and unexpected appearance. God is breaking into Joshua’s life at this point.
Joshua thought this man was a real man and not a scary supernatural figure because he walked up to him. What does this reveal about Joshua? Walking up to a man with an already drawn sword says something about Joshua, but what? Was Joshua armed?
Any man that takes steps toward a man with a drawn sword has my admiration. Joshua was not afraid and that says so much about Joshua. At minimum it says that he was ready to draw his sword if necessary; that he trusted God enough in this situation to take care of him; that he was brave! Joshua, at bare minimum, was a brave man who trusted God. Indeed, bravery comes from God!
When Joshua asks this man if he is for the Israelites or their adversaries, the man responds in a way that indicates what reality in particular?
I think it means that this man is not one of the Israelites nor is he from the enemy. “No” is somewhat deliberately vague, but sets him apart.
When the man revealed his identity to Joshua, Joshua worshipped him. What does this indicate about how Joshua identified this man?
Joshua definitely saw this man as a divine figure. You don’t bow down to worship someone who is merely human.
What does Joshua’s words to this man, “What does my lord say to his servant?” reveal?
Joshua was ready to hear and obey whatever this man had to say, since he believed him to be a Divine figure. One of the most astonishing characteristics we see in these first few chapters of Joshua, is that Joshua, the main character is so ready to immediately obey God! It’s stunning! He gets God’s instruction and immediately implements. I want to be like Joshua in this way!
How do the words in verse 15 echo Exodus 3:5?
Well, the captain of the Lord’s host told Joshua to remove his sandals because the ground that he was standing on was holy, that is, set apart to God. This is exactly what Moses experienced in Ex. 3:5, so this is Joshua’s burning bush experience where he comes face to face with God.
Who could this person be?
Not all conservative Bible scholars or teachers are agreed, but this could very well be a pre-incarnate (meaning before his physical birth) appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Well, the taking on of human flesh is a tip-off. Clearly this is not an attempt to see God the Father.
Why is this encounter crucial for Joshua at this very moment? Look ahead to Joshua 6 for the answer.
So Joshua definitely needs assurances from God that he should lead strongly these 2 million Israelites into the armies of Canaan. God shows up at just the right moment!
Do we have a phenomenal God or what! He took care of the Israelites, and He can take care of us! Let him!
Strength and Courage,
Pete Alwinson
