Sword Drawn Sorta Commander

Nov. 17

Read: Joshua 5:13-15

(2 of 3)

Sword Drawn Sorta Commander

“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.” (v.13)

What sort of “commander” is the Lord exactly? It is interesting to think that he chose to manifest himself to Joshua this way. Now Joshua was thinking the way that a general or military leader would think. He was leading the warriors of Israel and knew that there was a fight ahead of them. So when Joshua met his “superior officer”… when he came face to face with the one that he “takes orders from”… it was quite important for him to see the character of the one that he was fighting for.

The Lord is the sort of commander who comes with a “drawn sword in his hand”. He was standing at the edge of the battle field ready to march in with the rest of the men. The Lord is not the sort of commander who has never touched a sword … or who never leaves the “safety” of the post and simply sends his orders through proxies. The Lord IS the sort of commander who walks onto the battlefield, draws his sword, and speaks to his soldiers face to face. He is no coward. He is willing to meet his soldiers as the stand at the very precipice of battle.

I think the fact that his sword is drawn is important as well. It is not as if this was a ceremonial sword… or something that just went with the commander outfit. No, it was drawn, out of its sheath, in the commanders hand. This was no toy. This was not just for “show”. The Lord was and is ready to do battle for his people. This is the sort of God that we serve… this is the character of our commanding officer.

When we face a battle in this world, it would be easy to think that the Lord stays at a safe distance from the fight and just sends encouraging messages… THE TRUTH IS that the Lord shows up with drawn sword in hand ready to do battle against the powers and principalities that war against him and his people. This is the Lord who fights for us. This is the Lord we fight beside. He is not afraid of battle. He is stronger and greater than any enemy, foe, or opposition. He is ready to “do work”. When you feel trapped between the chaos of the river and the fortified position of the enemy, lift up your eyes and look for your “commander”… look for the Lord with his sword drawn and ready to do battle. He fights for his people. We need not be afraid. Just like the Lord says in the opening chapter of Joshua: “Be strong and courageous” for he is with us. Love you guys. - JDP