Joshua 5:13–15 (ESV) — 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.
Note: Usually, a
theophany, an appearance of God in human form in the OT, is called the Angel of
the Lord, where the term Angel is literally messenger. A theophany should not
surprise us, since Jesus is essentially a theophany, fully God and fully man. Most
theologians agree that each theophany is the second person of the trinity
(Jesus). This individual calls himself the commander of the Army of the Lord,
which could be one of the arch-angels, but since they all report to God, it
could also be God, that is Jesus. Finally, the taking off of the sandals is a
reference to God's encounter with Moses at the burning bush and indicative of
the presence of God. God in a warrior's outfit is a reference to Jacob when he
wrestled with God all night (after wrestling with God and man for the previous
20 years of his life). Now it is Joshua's turn to meet God and to receive
instructions. These are important moments, but believers have these encounters
too, and far too often they are not remembered (in the sense of acting upon
them). The whole course of Joshua's life and the nation is dependent upon his
obedience, and then the people's obedience. God will give Israel the land, but
it could be another generation who experience the rest, and not this
generation. That is why obedience is so pivotal. When a work of God is laid
before us, we must respond affirmatively or the opportunity could be lost.
Lord, help us to be sensitive to these encounters and obedient to your
commands.
No comments:
Post a Comment