‘Are you for us or our enemies?’ Joshua 5:13

Joseph Steinberg  |  Features  |  a Jewish Christian perspective
Date posted:  1 May 2024
Share Add       
‘Are you for us or our   enemies?’ Joshua 5:13

photo: iStock

Joshua entered the boundaries of Jericho at the start of Israel’s move into Canaan after the Exodus and 40 years of desert wanderings. There seems to have been a misunderstanding about the nature of what God was seeking to do – using Israel to eradicate sin from the land and establish a kingdom of righteous true-God worshippers.

It is no accident then that Joshua meets a man with a sword drawn in his hand. ‘Are you for us or our enemies?’ The man exclaims ‘No!’ He is for neither and reveals that he is none other than the ‘Commander of the LORD’s army’. Joshua, realising that he was standing before the Lord God, fell face down to the ground in reverence.

What was the Lord’s message to Joshua? ‘Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy.’

Share
< Previous article| Features| Next article >
Read more articles by Joseph Steinberg >>
World
‘This will sear Jews and Arabs for years to come...’

‘This will sear Jews and Arabs for years to come...’

Isaiah 40:1 ‘Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.’ When I was eight years old, I remember sitting in front …

Features
Let my people know

Let my people know

When the Israelites were held as slaves in Egypt, God commanded Pharaoh, via Moses, to ‘Let my people go’ (Ex. …

About en

Our vision, values and history.

Read more

Looking for a job?

Browse all our current job adverts

Search