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?” 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?” 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.
—Joshua 5:13-15
Have you ever faced an enormous task and needed encouragement? Sometimes we all need to be reminded of Truth and to get God’s perspective on the problem. In this passage, Joshua is facing a huge problem- Jericho. As he stands there looking over the situation, he suddenly encounters with a man who has drawn his sword. What would you think? Here is a military man, weapon ready to fight, either for you or against you….
Who was this man? This “Commander of the Army of the Lord?” Many commentators call this a “theophany”, or a glimpse of God! Better yet, an appearance of the preincarnate Christ, who, as the Logos of John 1:1-18, is the one who reveals God.
If this guy was only a man or an angel, he would certainly have refused Joshua’s worshipful response (vs. 14). (Like Paul in Acts 14:8-20 or the angel to John in Revelation 19:10.)
Can you identify with Joshua, studying problems that face us and weigh us down with the burden of responsibility? We may see the things God has called us to do, but we tend to run ahead and get busy, rather than seek God and fall at His feet in worship. Do we go into our daily “battles” remembering principles of His Word that must guide our every thought? Do we take comfort in knowing that He is with us, and the battle belongs to Him?
May we look over the “battles” or problems in our lives, look up and see the Commander of the Lord’s army, remove our sandals, and bow in worship! He is our Sovereign Supreme God!
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 
Reblogged this on My Delight and My Counsellors.
Amen. Glory be to God. Sometimes, we allow our circumstances to weigh us down forgetting the God we serve is greater than every trial that we will ever come our way. Thank you for sharing. God bless you 🙂