Commander of the Lord’s Army

Commander of the Lord’s Army

Joshua 5:13 – Now it happened that while Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and much to his amazement, he saw a man standing in front of him, holding a drawn sword in his hand! Joshua approached him and asked him, “Are you one of us, or are you with our enemies?”

verse 14 – “Neither,” he answered. “I have come as commander of the LORD’s army.” Joshua immediately fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, saying to him, “Lord, what do you have for your servant by way of command? 15 – The commander of the LORD’s army replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you’re standing is holy.” So Joshua did so.

I’ve been trying to picture this scene in my mind. Jesus, dressed for war, with sword drawn, appeared before Joshua. Joshua, initially clueless as to Jesus’ identity, asked for an ID. Joshua could not tell if Jesus was an Israelite or an enemy. Was Jesus one of them? No. Was Jesus an enemy? No. Jesus was commander of the greatest fighting force of all – the Lord’s army.

Praise the Lord, Jesus, the heavenly commander, and His army exists! Even with all our technological advancements for modern warfare, our earthly armies are nothing compared to the Lord’s army. I would love to see the times in history when special forces from the Lord’s army have intervened to fulfill Bible prophecy and keep the forces of the Devil and humanity in check.

We are not to flatter ourselves that Jesus, the commander of the Lord’s army is on our side, but to be humbled that Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would come to us as He did to Moses and to Joshua and elevate us to His side!

Joshua was to see the Lord’s army in action – but first he worshipped the commander, Jesus Christ. I believe, we too, will soon see the Lord’s army in action as this world’s history draws to a close and as we await Jesus’ soon return. But first let us worship our Lord Jesus today. Let us worship Him with our full attention, seeking His Word which says – “I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous – I’ve overcome the world!” – John 16:33.