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Applying the Bible · Thursday · 8 min

Aligning with God's Authority

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) When Joshua encountered the man standing before him with a drawn sword, he asked what seemed like a reasonable question: “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” But the answer he received was unexpected… “No.” Because Joshua asked the wrong question. Before Joshua could categorize the man as ally or enemy, his perspective was corrected. The man revealed Himself as the commander of the LORD’s army. In Hebrew, this word signifies the highest military rank: a general. Joshua immediately understood that he was not standing before someone under his authority, and that led Joshua to fall facedown and worship. Joshua’s response matters, because it tells us an important truth. In other moments throughout Scripture, when people attempted to worship angels, they were stopped and redirected. But here, worship was received. The commander then instructed Joshua to remove his sandals, declaring the ground holy, which mirrored God’s encounter with Moses in the burning bush. This was not a messenger. This was the LORD. God was reframing Joshua’s understanding before the battle ever began. Joshua may have initially viewed himself as the leader over God’s people, asking whether God was aligned with Israel’s cause. But this encounter clarified the truth: God was not there to take sides; He was there to be obeyed. Victory would not come from God backing Joshua’s plans. Victory would come from Joshua’s full submission to God’s authority. This challenges us as well. Do we approach God assuming He is on our side, ready to support our goals and agendas? Or do we humbly align ourselves with His will, recognizing His sovereign authority? God is for His children. But when it comes to battles, our posture must always be one of surrender. True victory begins when we stop asking God to follow our lead and instead commit to faithfully following His.

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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)

When Joshua encountered the man standing before him with a drawn sword, he asked what seemed like a reasonable question: “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” But the answer he received was unexpected… “No.”  Because Joshua asked the wrong question.

Before Joshua could categorize the man as ally or enemy, his perspective was corrected. The man revealed Himself as the commander of the LORD’s army. In Hebrew, this word signifies the highest military rank: a general. Joshua immediately understood that he was not standing before someone under his authority, and that led Joshua to fall facedown and worship.

Joshua’s response matters, because it tells us an important truth. In other moments throughout Scripture, when people attempted to worship angels, they were stopped and redirected. But here, worship was received. The commander then instructed Joshua to remove his sandals, declaring the ground holy, which mirrored God’s encounter with Moses in the burning bush. This was not a messenger. This was the LORD.

God was reframing Joshua’s understanding before the battle ever began. Joshua may have initially viewed himself as the leader over God’s people, asking whether God was aligned with Israel’s cause. But this encounter clarified the truth: God was not there to take sides; He was there to be obeyed.

Victory would not come from God backing Joshua’s plans. Victory would come from Joshua’s full submission to God’s authority.

This challenges us as well. Do we approach God assuming He is on our side, ready to support our goals and agendas? Or do we humbly align ourselves with His will, recognizing His sovereign authority?

God is for His children. But when it comes to battles, our posture must always be one of surrender. True victory begins when we stop asking God to follow our lead and instead commit to faithfully following His.

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