Spiritual Preparation

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Lord, be with me today, with Your grace and truth, Your mercy and justice. Come, show Your rule over me.

Read Joshua 5:13–15

^[13] Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” ^[14] “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” ^[15] The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Meditate

“Woe to me… I am a man of unclean lips… And my eyes have seen the King, the Lord almighty” (Isa. 6:5).

Think Further

An enormous task awaits you. It is what everyone has been looking

forward to for decades… centuries even. Now, getting it right, all depends on you—doesn’t it?

The “enemy” and the tasks facing you are overwhelming in their scale and potential for disaster.

“God help me!” might well have been Joshua’s prayer. Here is God’s answer. And, maybe, it is

for us too as we plan for others in our care.

Encounter with the Lord (in the guise of his angelic representative) is the starting point (13). This

war would not depend on Joshua and his troops, but on the Lord and his army. The game-plan

was God’s, not his servants’. Seeing the military man with sword drawn, Joshua’s first reaction

is understandable: “Whose side are you on?” (13). The words of the heavenly captain jolt Joshua

back to awareness of what his earthly leadership is all about. God is not for the Israelites or their

enemies (14). The angel of the Lord has not come as an ally. The heavenly host are working out

God’s purposes. The question is, “Will we join in on his side?”

Now Joshua realizes that he is standing before the Lord, hearing his voice. As others have done

in similar cases, appropriately, he falls in worship to the ground. His second question seems to

look for practical solutions (14). But the answer is unexpected. Again, we hear echoes of

Jehovah’s meeting with Moses (Exod. 3), as the commander tells Joshua to take off his sandals

in recognition of the holiness of this meeting. Right worship is the preparation God requires of

Joshua for his holy war. Before anything else, worshipful obedience must also be our preparation

for anything we propose to do in God’s name.

An enormous task awaits you. It is what everyone has been looking forward to for decades… centuries even. Now, getting it right, all depends on you—doesn’t it? The “enemy” and the tasks facing you are overwhelming in their scale and potential for disaster. “God help me!” might well have been Joshua’s prayer. Here is God’s answer. And, maybe, it is for us too as we plan for others in our care. Encounter with the Lord (in the guise of his angelic representative) is the starting point (13). This
war would not depend on Joshua and his troops, but on the Lord and his army. The game-plan was God’s, not his servants’. Seeing the military man with sword drawn, Joshua’s first reaction is understandable: “Whose side are you on?” (13). The words of the heavenly captain jolt Joshua back to awareness of what his earthly leadership is all about. God is not for the Israelites or their enemies (14). The angel of the Lord has not come as an ally. The heavenly host are working out God’s purposes. The question is, “Will we join in on his side?” Now Joshua realizes that he is standing before the Lord, hearing his voice. As others have done in similar cases, appropriately, he falls in worship to the ground. His second question seems to
look for practical solutions (14). But the answer is unexpected. Again, we hear echoes of Jehovah’s meeting with Moses (Exod. 3), as the commander tells Joshua to take off his sandals in recognition of the holiness of this meeting. Right worship is the preparation God requires of Joshua for his holy war. Before anything else, worshipful obedience must also be our preparation for anything we propose to do in God’s name.

Apply

Recall a time when, before the Lord, you faced a game-changing situation. Did you wrestle with God (cf. Jacob), argue with God (cf. Moses), or worship and submit to God (cf. Joshua)? What was your response and why?

Closing prayer

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ and I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isa. 6:8).

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