The Fall of Jericho – Joshua 5:13 – 6:27

“Are you for us or for our enemies?”

I like to imagine that Joshua immediately knows that there’s something special about this man.  Maybe he’s a little bigger than most… perhaps he looks a little stronger then any of the Hebrews.  He’s probably a bit better equipped, with a sword that glints in the sun with an edge that is much sharper than any of the Hebrew swords.  Maybe there’s a heavenly radiance around this fighting warrior.

And so Joshua asks his question, hoping beyond all hope that this man is on their side!

And to our surprise (and Joshua’s!), he replies by saying, “Neither.”

It’s pretty peculiar, because God is clearly on the side of the Hebrews.  He’s about to tell them how to defeat the city of Jericho.  And yet, the Angel of the Lord wants to make it quite clear that Joshua has asked the wrong question.  The question should never be whether or not God is on our side… but whether we are on God’s side.

Our tendency is to get involved in a situation or struggle and then ask God to be on our side.  Or we get busy doing a ministry and then ask God to bless it.

When we do this, we get it backwards.  We ought to first discern God’s side… we ought to first discover what God is blessing.  And then, we do whatever it takes to get on God’s side and to be involved in what He is blessing.