Joshua and the Israelites are about to cross the Jordan river into the Promised Land, but the city of Jericho stands in their way on the opposite bank of the river. Scripture records an encounter Joshua had at this moment in history.
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?”
Joshua 5:13
I guess we should think this was a natural thing to do. Joshua was about to take God’s people across the Jordan and into the land promised to them, so he wanted to know if this Man with a sword drawn was going to stand with or against them.
The Man’s response was interesting. It is one we should consider. He said to Joshua, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
Joshua had queried the Man the way many of us would have. He asked two questions. Are you for us? Or are you against us? The Man answered both questions with one word: “No.” No, I am not for you, and no, I’m not against you. Joshua asked the wrong questions. The question he should have asked is, “Who are you?”
Sometimes we make assumptions about the people and things in our lives. We ask if they are here for this thing or that thing when we should be asking, “Who are you?” And often we ask questions when we probably should start by saying, “This is who I am.” This Man’s response to Joshua almost demanded that Joshua tell Him who he was. In a way this Man was saying to Joshua, now that you know who I am, tell Me, where do you stand? Are you for Me or against Me? Joshua had things all backwards. Are you on My side or are you for My adversaries?
So, the questions for you and me now are these. Where do we stand? On whose side are we? When we are on the Lord’s side, we will learn to wait for Him to lead the way for us. The Israelites walked around Jericho for seven days; when we are on the Lord’s side, we will learn to walk in the places He tells us. The Israelites didn’t talk while they walked around Jericho until the end of the last day; when we are on the Lord’s side, we will learn to walk around our adversaries while we keep our mouths shut. Often, we talk more than we should, and often, we walk less than we should.
The people of Jericho saw the Israelites walk around their city daily for that week. They had time to realize these were God’s people even though the people said nothing. They had time to see God’s ways by observing the ways of God’s people. Perhaps some had time to change their ways because they saw the ways of the Israelites. Your quiet walk can be a powerful example. When we are on the Lord’s side, people will see our ways, and that more than anything will be the reason they may change their ways.
So, ask yourself today, where do I stand? If it is for the Lord, then we might learn from Joshua and the people. Let’s learn to walk quietly before our adversaries. This way we won’t confuse them with our walk that doesn’t match our talk. Stand up and walk quietly if you are on the Lord’s side. Live a Delivered Life. Love you.
Live Delivered 