Are You For Us Or Against Us

To man there is nothing as unreasonable in the world as the walk that is set before us in the Word of God ... the walk of faith.  There is likewise nothing that exposes us to the hatred of the prince of this world as this walk of faith.  Joshua was so exposed when God instructed him to cross the Jordan River and take the Land of Promise by conquest.

That land was the land of giants and fortified cities.

The Book of Joshua begins with God reminding Joshua of the promises He gave Moses ... that every place the sole of his foot shall tread, God has given to him.  "As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not fail you, nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous ... to observe to do according to all the law ... let it not depart out of thy mouth ... turn not from it to the right or the left and you shall prosper wherever you go."

So Joshua and all the people that will become the nation of Israel cross the river into Canaan believing God will give them the promised land.  But the kingdom must be taken by force. 

Joshua is preparing for battle, and is out in the plains by Jericho, the first city to be taken ... perhaps scouting the walled city, when all of a sudden, unannounced and out of nowhere this awesome looking warrior appears with sword in hand, ready for battle, standing close by in Joshua's path.  By just looking at this man, Joshua can tell that he is a formidable warrior; but Joshua can't tell whether he is one of his men or one of the adversaries.

The whole history of Joshua shows him to have been a man of undaunted courage; a man not intimidated or discouraged in the face of danger.  An ordinary man, seeing this intimidating warrior with a sword drawn might have headed back to his own camp.   

But Joshua approaches this warrior and asks ... "Are you for us or against us?"  That's an either/or proposition.  Another way to ask this question would be ... "Who are you fighting for, them or us?" 

But this warrior doesn't answer Joshua's question directly, but says ... "No." 

Wait a minute.  No?  It's got to be one or the other.  Instead this warrior declares who he is ... "I am captain of the host of the Lord, and I am now come."  This man says he is the captain of the host.  The word "host" as used here means ... a massive army organized for war.  This man was not alone ... although if He was, it wouldn't matter; for this was no ordinary man. 

This was not a mere man, and although this same man has been called "the Angel of the Lord" in scripture, he was not a created angel appearing as a man.  This was the person of the Son of God, the eternal Word, before He was born of Mary.  After Jesus is born of Mary ... the Angel of the Lord, or the Captain of the Lord's host ... is never seen again in scripture.

By saying "no" to Joshua, the question is no longer, "whether I am for you," but whether you Joshua, "are for Me."  With His sword drawn in His hand He was showing Joshua that He is ready for the defense and salvation of His people and will be the one who leads them into battle.

Joshua then fell on his face in worship, and called this warrior ... my Lord.

I've said it before, and I will say it again ... the battle is real ... yet today.  Do you know why?  Because there are still giants in the land.

In 1st Timothy 6:12, the apostle Paul says to ... "Fight the good fight of faith."

As I stated in the beginning ... nothing exposes us to the hatred of Satan, the prince of this world as the believer's walk of faith. 

Jesus said in Matthew 11:12 that "the kingdom of heaven ... is taken by force."

A believer's life is in a state of constant warfare against not only Satan ... but the things of this life; temptations to sin, false teachers, false doctrines, and physical afflictions such as sickness and disease.

This same warrior that went to war with Joshua, will also fight our battles with us today.  And some battles ... because they are too big for us ... He must fight them for us, not just with us.

So ... I'm going to believe that the same God, who cannot change, who spoke the following promise to Joshua, will make the same promise to you and me today.

Joshua 1:9 ... "Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with you wherever you go."

The question ... "Are you for us or against us?" ... is no longer in question.  Jesus answered that question 2,000 years ago.

God is for us.