Scripture focus: Joshua 5:13-15
Disclaimer: Please forgive any typographical, grammatical, and/or content errors in the following notes. They are not meant to be an exact transcription, but rather a helpful guide for those who appreciate the written word along with the spoken word. If you have any questions on what was taught, feel free to reach out on our ‘Contact Us’ page.
Through Abrahan, Isaac, and Jacob we have seen God’s promise that the Israelites would have a land. After 40 years of wandering with Moses in charge there is a transition of leadership to Joshua. They prepare thoroughly and are brought over the Jordan River mirroring the crossing of the Red Sea. All of this in view of the city of Jericho. The text tells us that the enemies were melting in fear. You’d think that after this amazing victory, the Lord would do the sound military strategy and take the city by surprise. However, He renews the covenant of circumcision and they celebrate Passover to remember the Lord’s deliverance pointing forward to Jesus Christ and his sacrifice.
The text
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’s eyes
“…[Joshua] lifted up his eyes…” In Hebrew this means to lift up under a great weight with the implication of a heavy burden. The bible teaches that the eyes are windows to the soul. Joshua is carrying a great burden on his soul. There’s an implication that Joshua has no idea how he’s going to accomplish the next task. Let me be very clear—this implication isn’t stated in the text, I’m reading into this in Joshua’s shoes. But the Hebrew implies this weightiness upon Joshua for the next task of the conquest of the city of Jericho. If you look at the architecture and history, Jericho was the Fort Knox of its time, impenetrable, could not be defeated—let alone by a people who had no siege weapons, no training, and now no food because the Lord took away the manna.
Joshua knew that the Lord had promised to give the land to them. In Joshua 1:2-6, God repeats His promise to give the land: “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 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. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”
Despite this repetition of promise, there is still a weightiness and to discover why it’s sometimes helpful to try and put ourselves in the position of men and women of scripture. You can’t help but feel the weightiness of responsibility – whether it’s as a mother or father, husband or wife, caretaker, employee or boss, or perhaps someone has put expectation upon you that you need to live up to, maybe you have made a goal that you want to achieve (athletically, academically, financially). We as a culture have been trained to live under constant pressure and in the worldly sense as Americans we achieve at a very high level. This can be a double-edged sword because many of us feel crushed by the pressure and weight in whatever means it manifests. We bear so many burdens throughout our lives that perhaps even now you may be feeling overwhelmed, unprepared, inadequate, incompetant or like there’s never enough time, you’re just one short. From the text here, when this happens it can be said that our eyes have been lowered. Like Peter in the storm they are focused on ourselves and the circumstances around us and our plan, strategy, preference, or ability to make it through the circumstance we’re in. I think this is a mercy because the Lord loves us. We would become so focused on ourselves if we saw how it worked successfully. The whole concept of “self”-everything is anti-thetical to scripture. We all know this! Psalm 66:10-12 says, “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.” The psalmist realizes he needs to be Christ-cetered not self-centered.
So why do we get to this place of eyes downcast and soul burdened? Let’s look to our text. This wasn’t a typical angelic encounter where people fall prostate in fear immediately. To Joshua this was just a guy in the way with his sword drawn. Remember, the Lord had already told him there was no man who would stand against him so we see a pretty confident approach by Joshua. He asks, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” We might think God would answer, “I’m for you, Joshua, after all I just brought you and the people over the Jordan and renewed My covenant with you.” However, God answers in the Hebrew, “neither.” He not for any of us! This may seem confusing because of Romans 8:31 which says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Who then is God for? God is for Himself! We are either for Him and with Him or against Him and apart from Him. This is how it works. God does not define Himself by our agenda, plans, or purposes. The responsibility seems to be on our shoulders, meaning we can say, “I’m going to take Jericho. God, are you for me or against me with this thing? You’re with me, right?” NO. God says (not literally), “I’m going to take Jericho. And either you’re going to be with me or I’m going to do it through someone else who has the faith, trust, and obedience to just follow my lead.”
It’s interesting, because this isn’t necessarily a sinful thing in Joshua. It just shows how easily and subtly how we can forget who is in charge, who is in control, and who do we belong to, who we are submitted to. Joshua is trying to do what the Lord had told him to do. This is something that the Lord had directed. He knew the plan, what the Lord said, they had already spied the city and saw the fear. Then Joshua see the wall – the really high wall. Just like we come up against walls, start to doubt, and inwardly ask, “God, you’re for me, right?” The whole point of the sermon today is for us to recognize when we’re “pulling a Joshua,” when we’re trying to get God to go along with our plans and purposes rather than just being on His side and going wherever He leads us.
Here’s the beautiful thing, after the Lord announces who he is we see Joshua respond with a heart that is submitted to his King. The words he spoke are key, “What does the lord say to his servant?” It’s a response that recognizes, “That’s right. You don’t belong to me. I belong to you, God. What would you have me do?” This is the key to the whole text for us to recognize. We see this and we know this in our heads! If someone came up to you and asked, “Does the Lord serve you or do you serve God,” I should hope that everyone would reply, “I serve God.” This is where our hearts deceive ourselves and subtly get us to forget who is the Lord, especially with weights upon our shoulders and burdens.
Well-intentioned brothers and sisters-in-the-Lord will tell you to cast your cares on the Lord. The casting is our responsibility. We remind ourselves who we serve (it’s not our agendas). We remind ourselves who’s in control of the outcome (the Lord). If I really believe this, then I have no right to feel that burden, because as soon as I do I am putting myself on the throne of responsibility. If you are someone who is a burden-bearer, you are probably a high-achieving person and most likely an idol-worshipper, because you like to worship yourself. We all have our areas we have pride where we think we “got this.” We can either try to fight in our own strength or cast our cares on the Lord – laying down on our face and acknowledge our servanthood. Our only responsibility is to humbly and obediently serve the Lord. The outcome of that obedience is the Lord’s responsibility. He defines it.
Let me be clear—this doesn’t mean we sit back or roll over and do nothing. God doesn’t say, “Sit back and do nothing.” God is preparing Joshua for war! Scripture is clear in Colossians 3: “Whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might. Work heartily as for the Lord and not for men [read: not for the approval of others and not for the approval and plans of your own making] knowing that from the Lord you will receive your inheritance. You are serving the Lord Jesus Christ.” It all comes back to the perspective of who do we serve? Who is in control? Not just in control of giving the order – that’s easy – who’s in control of determining the outcome? – that’s the one we don’t like because we like to influence the outcome – we like to win, we like to have victory as we define it. By God’s grace as we mature in our faith, in our walk, into deeper degrees of responsibility. Did the Lord say to be successful with little and we will be successful with much? No, he said be faithful with little, then the Lord will bless us with more responsibility. It is the Lord who defines success. Our reward is not the success of our hands, but our Master saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” It’s when we forget who our master is that we get into hot water and move ourselves onto the throne of responsibility for the outcome. Don’t be surprised when you feel the weight of that and become overwhelmed – and that’s a mercy in your life – the Lord loves you too much to allow you to sit on that throne. He’s going to allow the overwhelming so you are broken and coming to him as a servant and not the general of the Lord’s army – there’s only one of those. Be moved by repentance and confession if you do have pride and are on the throne – get on your face and allow the Lord to be the Commander he is.