“And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?” (Jos 5:14 AV)
Jesus interreacts with His sheep in many ways. He is the Shepard of our soul, the Prince of Peace, and our Intercessor. Jesus is our Friend, our Brother, and our Joint Heir. He is our Savior and Redeemer. Jesus is our LORD and Master. He is the Only Wise Potentate. He is many things and He loves us in many ways. One of those ways is as the Captian of the LORD’s Host! The LORD’s host are the angels and all those who faithfully serve Him. As Captian of the LORD’s Host, Jesus is in control of all that is accomplished. Joshua meets Jesus as he is preparing for battle. The question arises of the LORD’s loyalty not knowing who He is or what He is capable of. Very brave of Joshua. The above verse is the LORD’s response. Jesus comes as the Captain of the LORD’s host. The battle Joshua is about to fight will go forward with the Captian of the LORD’s host in control. What is encouraging to me is the fact of the position and that Jesus Christ holds it. We never truly understand who or what has our back. The Captain of the LORD’s Host has our back.
This reminds me of Elisha who knows just how much God will fight for Israel when his student did not know. As Syria camped against Israel, the king of Israel sent for Elisha to intercede for the nation. Elisha, as confident as the man of God can be, assured the king that God would rescue them. The young man who was with Elisha doubted. They were vastly outnumbered and in a vulnerable place. Elisha asked the LORD to open the eyes of the young man. When the LORD did, on the mountain all around, he saw angels in chariots of fire. It was so vast it looked like the mountains were on fire. Elisha knew just how much God had them in His hand. He knows just how big God is and the assistance He provides every day. The battle is always the LORD’s. Elisha knew this. Those without the eyes of faith did not. When the Captain of the LORD’s host shows up, we cannot lose.
This is the assurance Joshua must accept. He must yield to the truth that no matter how hard he fights, the battle is still the LORD’s. The battle is still in the hands of the Captain of the LORD’s Host. He has always been there. He was always in Israel’s corner. Joshua simply could not see it until He revealed Himself to him. The Captain of the LORD’s Host is always there. He is always willing to wield the sword if we simply learn to get out of the way. We place too much pressure on ourselves to accomplish what the LORD wills or endure through the hard times of life. It goes squarely on our shoulders as though we alone must bear it. Not so. The Captain is waiting for us to hand to Him the battle plan. He is waiting for us to yield our strength to His. He is waiting for us to get out of the way so He can do for us what we desperately need done. Joshua did the smart thing. He bent the knee to the One who holds it all in His hand. He worshipped and yielded. He gave the battle over to the undefeated champion of our souls! It is time for us to do the same.
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