At mosaic church we have a habit of taking a section of the Bible and teaching straight through it. We are currently in a teaching series through the book of Joshua. The story of Joshua is pretty fantastic. Joshua is the leader of the Israelites that rises up after the death of Moses and is used by God to lead the people across the Jordan river and into the conquest of the Promised Land.
There is an interesting little story sandwiched between God stopping the flow of the Jordan River so the people can walk across on dry ground and the iconic story of the walls of Jericho tumbling down. Joshua has an interaction with a warrior that will set the tone for the rest of the mission he is being sent on by God.
As Joshua is near Jericho, likely scouting out the city before determining how to attack, he sees a man standing in front of him who has a drawn sword in his hand. Understandably, Joshua seems a little shaken, so he asks this man, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
This seems like a reasonable question. Scouting things out and all of a sudden you see a warrior with his sword ready to go. I’m sure Joshua is trying to determine if he is about to get into a little fight himself here.
It is the response of this man that is most intriguing and why this story stands out to me: “Neither,” he replied. “I have now come as commander of the LORD’s army.” (Joshua 5.14)
Neither. Not for Joshua. Not against Joshua. Neither.
Maybe this is shocking to me because we currently live in such a polarized world where there are such strong opinions on every possible dinner conversation topic. Maybe it is shocking because if he is the commander of the LORD’s army it feels like he should be on the side of Joshua. But he still says “neither.” Shocking stories in the Bible often pack some good learning opportunities.
First, Joshua has been called to be the leader of God’s people, including the commander of the army… the army full of God’s people… God’s people’s army… therefore, God’s army. I wonder if Joshua thought, “Wait! That is my job!” But Joshua realizes that there is something greater going on around him at this moment.
Second, Joshua falls on his face and worships this warrior. There is a story in 2 Kings of Elisha being surrounded by the army of the Syrians. Another man with him is terrified of what he sees, but Elisha comforts him and tells him not to fear, “for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed for this man’s eyes to be opened up and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire from the LORD’s army. I wonder if Joshua’s eyes were opened in a similar way to see the majesty of God’s massive army.
Third, what is most striking is the response of the warrior. Neither. Not for you. Not for your enemies. I serve God’s will. The subtle admonition to Joshua was that Joshua should stop putting himself in the middle and follow God’s leading.
This last one should serve as a reminder to all of us that claim to be followers of Jesus that our lives are not our own, but ultimately belong to God and our desires should begin to match His.
I think that we often end up putting ourselves in the middle of the story as well and seek questions like Joshua asking God if he is for us or for our enemies. We can do this with our sports teams, politics, church denominations, and many other topics. We are trying to get God to bend to our will. Trying to get God to fit into our box that we have created.
What would be a good reminder for all of us is to remember that God’s Will is supreme over my will or your will. Instead of trying to get God to bend to our will, it would do us well to seek God’s Kingdom and to submit our lives to His Will instead.
If we can do this, we will find ourselves always in the middle of God’s mission instead of making decisions and taking action and asking God to bless our work. So, what does it look like for you to set aside your agenda, to lay down your plans, and to seek to stop trying to stuff God into a tiny box of your own creation?
Photo by Kelli McClintock on Unsplash
Steve Bensema 
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