Are You Facing Jericho? – Joshua 5:13-15

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" 14 So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now 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 Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15

Joshua found himself standing before the great wall of Jericho.  I imagine as he was sizing up the city he began to think, “how can we compass this great wall to destroy our enemy?”.  Maybe he was like me when faced with a large obstacle and he began to get nervous, fearing the task would prove too much. After all, that wall was big and strong and it sure wasn’t going anywhere!

As Joshua stood their in deep thought he noticed a man standing with a drawn sword.  He approached the man, perhaps with his hand on his own sword and asked, “are you on our side, or their side?”.  It was with the man’s reply that Joshua realized who he was talking to, “captain of the Lord of host” none other than the pre-incarnate Christ.  As God had come down and appeared before Moses with a burning bush and given him commands, now Joshua was being commissioned with a task by God Himself.  What great trembling and joy it must be to physically stand before the mighty God of the universe.

Now I want you to take note that the Lord did not say to Josh, “yeah, I’m on your side!”.  Instead with the Lord’s response Joshua realized that He did not come down to play on a side and be a team player; the Lord was the Captain and it was His side that Joshua must be on, not vice verse.  The Lord gave Joshua instructions to defeat Jericho; when the orders where carried out the Lord struck down the wall of Jericho to rubble and Joshua and the army of Israel defeated their enemy.

Have you come up against a large, unmovable wall in your life? Are you standing there thinking about how there is no way to overcome this obstacle?  Look to the Lord!  If you are on His side and obediently walking with Him and seeking His will then He will take down that wall.  Don’t get caught up with how God is going to do it, just be obedient to His direction.  Remember Joshua never touched the wall of Jericho; he didn’t strike it at its foundations nor strategically plan out its fall.  No, Joshua simply was obedient and allowed God to tear down the wall.  Great was the fall of that wall and great will be the fall of any obstacle that stands between you and the will of God!  Expect the miraculous!