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When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” Joshua 5:13 NLT
You won’t find the title of today’s reading in scripture. But the famed Bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662-1714) applied the aphorism to Israel’s leader Joshua.
Just ahead of Israel’s conquest of Jericho, Joshua saw an unknown man holding a sword and immediately challenged him: “Are you friend or foe?”
The man’s response was “neither.” He was no enemy, but he was also much more than a friend. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army,” he told Joshua (Joshua 5:14), who immediately fell to the ground in reverence. “Joshua was in his post as a general,” Matthew Henry observed, “when God came and made himself known as Generalissimo.” Joshua quickly requested orders, and the Lord shared plans for defeating Jericho, the first obstacle in the Promised Land.
God is always near, always ready to help you do any job He commands us to do. But we have to take the first step. Even the faith and courage for that first step come from God, so when His Spirit prompts you, obey. You’ll have all of God’s army in support.
Prayer: Lord of heaven’s armies, what would You have me do? Give me Your direction, courage, and power.
You won’t find the title of today’s reading in scripture. But the famed Bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662-1714) applied the aphorism to Israel’s leader Joshua.
Just ahead of Israel’s conquest of Jericho, Joshua saw an unknown man holding a sword and immediately challenged him: “Are you friend or foe?”
The man’s response was “neither.” He was no enemy, but he was also much more than a friend. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army,” he told Joshua (Joshua 5:14), who immediately fell to the ground in reverence. “Joshua was in his post as a general,” Matthew Henry observed, “when God came and made himself known as Generalissimo.” Joshua quickly requested orders, and the Lord shared plans for defeating Jericho, the first obstacle in the Promised Land.
God is always near, always ready to help you do any job He commands us to do. But we have to take the first step. Even the faith and courage for that first step come from God, so when His Spirit prompts you, obey. You’ll have all of God’s army in support.
Prayer: Lord of heaven’s armies, what would You have me do? Give me Your direction, courage, and power.