Near Jericho

The city of Jericho surrounded itself with tall walls. While Joshua was perplexed about how to capture the fortified city, a man with his sword drawn in his hand suddenly stood before him. There are two other passages in the Bible where a man with a drawn sword appears. (1) In Numbers 22:23, such a man stood before Balaam. (2) In 1 Chronicles 21:16, such a man stood before David. In all cases, the appearance of the man signified the coming judgment of God. Startled Joshua, went to the man, and asked, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” Instead of answering the question, the man said that he came as “captain of the host of the Lord.” Joshua immediately realized that the man he was speaking to was God himself. (1) Joshua’s actions exemplified his fear for the Lord by falling on his face and bowing down, which was an act of worship. (2) He also expressed his fear by saying, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” This man was the pre-incarnated Messiah. Joshua realized this was not a battle of man, but this battle was of the Lord.

Remove your sandals from your feet

The captain of the host of the Lord said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” In Exodus 3:5, Moses received a similar command from the Messiah through the burning bush and realized that the exodus was the Lord’s battle. So likewise, as Joshua stood in sight of Jericho, he encountered the Messiah and learned that the conquest of Canaan was the Lord’s battle. The battle in evangelism is not of man but of the Lord. Therefore, we must worship the Lord and recognize His sovereignty before strategizing. Let us meditate on what it means for us to “take the sandals off.” Let us learn that we shall prioritize worship and prayer before doing anything.