Captain of the Lord’s Army

By Peter Crause

Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went up to him, and said to him, Are you for us, or for our adversaries?

And he said, Neither; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshipped, and said to him, What does my lord say to his servant?

And the captain of the LORD'S host said to Joshua, Loose your shoe from off your foot; for the place whereupon you stand is holy. And Joshua did so.

Israel had just entered the Promised Land after their forty years of wilderness wanderings. The generation that had left Egypt had all died in the wilderness. This new generation had not been circumcised, so the Lord instructed Joshua to perform this. This was an outward visible sign of their covenant with God. They obeyed and entered the land to possess it. The conditions of the Lord’s covenant with His people were now in place.

As children of God we have had a “circumcision” of the heart – something hard and stony has been cut away and a loving heart of flesh has been put in its place. We too are now in a covenant relationship with God. What happened next to Israel and the revelation given to young Joshua the leader who replaced Moses will also be our experience.

Joshua knew there was much to do to conquer and subdue the land before the people could be fruitful and enjoy the land flowing with Milk and Honey. He was commander-in-chief of the army and knew the great task that lay ahead. I’m sure as a man he was fearful and probably prayed for guidance from the Lord.

How many times have we in our spiritual lives sensed our utter inability to do battle against sin, Satan and self? How often have we despaired of ever pleasing the Lord? How often have we wept in secret because of our deep rooted sinful tendencies? How often have we prayed for strength to be over-comers and enjoy the fat of the land as we see promised in the Word of God? How often have we felt inadequate to be witnesses of Jesus Christ to a dark sinful society? How often have we felt the utter lack of faith when confronted with the needs we see in people around us? The desire to perform and please the Lord was there, but the power to do it seemed a million miles away. We’ve prayed without ceasing; studied the scriptures, been part of what God is doing or think He is doing – yet sensed a deep sense of un-fulfillment. What is wrong?? Where have we missed it? Is this all there is? Maybe you’ve prayed as I have; “Lord is this the best you can do with me?”

Joshua felt the same sense of inability to do what he knew was required of him. Don’t elevate the man above what we all are and face. Every saint of God throughout history has had like passions as we.

Joshua was about to have his heart’s cry answered in a way he never expected. The scripture says Joshua saw a man with a drawn sword. His first impression was – hallelujah, God has sent reinforcements. The more soldiers we have the greater will be our ability to win. Just to be sure, he asked on whose side this MAN was. “Are you for us or against us?” Joshua was still thinking as a carnal man. The response from this MAN surprised him “out of his socks!”

The response from this one could never have been anticipated. A free paraphrase of the response would be something like this: “I never came to take sides, I came to take over!” This one was CAPTAIN of the Lord’s hosts – not an ally. Joshua knew instinctively who this “MAN” was – he fell on his face before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and asked what the CAPTAIN wanted him to do. He was standing on holy ground – like Moses he was told to remove his shoes – a symbol of his walk before the Lord.

Dear ones today, realize of a certainty that Jesus – the CAPTAIN of the armies of God has not come to take sides in our battles. He has not come to take sides in our church to exclusion of others. He has not come to bless our plans and our endeavors – even those for His Kingdom. He has not come to sanction what we do. He has come to take over! He alone is Jehovah-Roi – the Lord our Shepherd. He alone has the right to lead us and direct us. We must let Him direct our paths and lead us into battle – for the battle is not ours but the Lord’s.

Until we yield to the Captain and Lord of our lives, our efforts for His Kingdom – however lofty and noble will not prosper, but leave us weary and frustrated. In conclusion the following scripture should always be uppermost in our minds:

Psa 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain.

Jesus said he would build His church – let us follow what our CAPTAIN is doing and success is sure.