The Commander of the Lord's Army

Father, as we now take time to open Your Word, I ask that You would open our hearts. Lord, as we've sung that song and we await the day when the gates will fling open, we sing of Your praises. Our hearts tremble as we think of how awesome You are, how great You are. Thank You for gathering us together as a family. I ask that now, as we look into Your Word, You would speak to us.

There are those here tonight who are hurting, and they need a touch from You. There are those here this week who are sick, and they need to be healed. Even tonight, I thank You for the testimony of one here who was healed last week as we prayed for her. We thank You for that. We thank You that You are the God who works, as Philippians chapter 2, verse 13 says. You are working in us to will and to do for Your good pleasure. God, work in us tonight, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can be seated and open your Bibles to Joshua chapter 5. We have seen over the last several weeks how the Lord brought His people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. As we looked at last week, with an outstretched arm and a mighty hand, God delivered His people from oppression, from sin, and from death. In much the same way, the Lord has delivered you and me, as we were oppressed by Satan, by the devil, and by the sin that was within. We were dying; we were on a one-way path to hell. Yet the Lord reached out with His mighty hand and His outstretched arm.

Remember when Jesus outstretched His arms on the cross? They were nailed to the cross, but He laid down His own life to bring us out, that He might bring us in. He brought us into that place where we can have sweet fellowship with Him. The children of Israel were brought out of Egypt for very much the same purpose: that God wanted to bring His people in closely, that He could be a God who dwelt in the midst of His people, that tabernacled there among them.

In the later chapters of Exodus, specifically chapters 25 through 35, God spoke to Moses about how he was to build the tabernacle so that God could dwell in their midst. Every single time, the smoke, the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah, would come down. The people knew that God was there; He was in the temple, He was in the tabernacle. God did carry His people through the wilderness. He fed them with bread out of heaven and gave them water out of the rock. He covered them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

God has done much the same in every single one of your lives. If we took the time, I'm sure you could come up and give testimony of how God has led you through dark times and wilderness areas, and how God has brought you through.

Now, as we come to this portion of Scripture in Joshua, chapter 5, verse 13, Joshua takes some time to look at the land where they are now, before the city of Jericho. Joshua was there with the children of Israel as they went through the wilderness. He and Caleb were the faithful ones in the midst of that generation, a generation that did not believe and began to harbor unbelief in their hearts. Because of that, they were not allowed to enter the promised land.

For 38 years, Joshua wandered with these people. He remembered those 40 days he had spent in the promised land when he spied it out with the other 12 spies. He recalled the time they had eaten of the grapes and seen the land flowing with milk and honey. For 38 years, he wandered, longing to return to that place. The Lord assured him that he and Caleb would enter the promised land, but the rest of that generation would not.

It is a sad thing when we lose heart. I'm sure there were times when Joshua, in the valleys and wilderness, began to lose heart and wondered, "Lord, is it really going to happen?" As the years passed, he must have thought, "Am I ever going to come into that place?" I’m sure Caleb also thought, "Lord, there is this portion of land that I want in Haran. I want to be there with You." Yet, for 38 years, they wandered and wondered, "Am I ever going to come in?"

There were times when they likely lost heart and faith, just as we do. But I praise the Lord that Paul, in 2 Timothy, said, "When we are faithless, God remains faithful still, for He cannot deny Himself." I think of the story in the book of Mark, chapter 9, when Jesus was up on the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John.

While he was there, his disciples were down below, seeking to cast a demon out of a young boy. The father came and asked, "Can you get rid of this demon?" They tried all the different things. I can't imagine what it was like down there. They had seen Jesus do all kinds of different things to heal people. They had witnessed him spit in the dirt, make it into mud, and smear it on people's eyes. They had seen people come along and touch him. The disciples were probably down there thinking, "Well, maybe if we spit in mud and rub it in his eyes, maybe that'll work." But it didn't happen.

When Jesus came down, the demon came upon the boy, and he convulsed on the ground. His father cried out, "Can you help him? Your disciples couldn't do anything." Jesus replied, "It will be done for you if you believe." The man cried out, "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief." There are times when we go through periods of unbelief, facing difficult days and hard times. I'm sure Joshua went through the very same thing.

The first four words in verse 13 of chapter 5 really speak to that: "And it came to pass." Those hard things that Joshua endured for 38 years came to pass. They weren't something he would go through for the rest of his days. In the wilderness of sin in our lives, during the times we face dark trials and temptations, those things also come to pass.

Now, here is Joshua in the promised land. Verse 13 says, "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho." Underline that in your Bibles: when Joshua was by Jericho. All of those past 38 years of toil and tribulation were done. He was there in the promised land, standing before Jericho. I'm absolutely certain that in Joshua's heart was great joy. "Lord, thank you for bringing me in." Yet, at the same time, there was also a sense of apprehension.

What was he doing? It says it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he was walking around the city. He was looking at this great stronghold in the middle portion of Israel, the land of Israel as we know it today. He was probably filled with joy, thanking the Lord for bringing him in. But now, here was this man leading the army of Israel. As a military-minded man, I'm sure he had a strategic mindset as he walked around.

Considering this stronghold, this great city, Joshua looked at it and said, "Lord, you brought us in, but there is this great obstacle before us: the city of Jericho. What do you want me to do?" He walked around, thinking, "How are we going to penetrate those walls?"

The city of Jericho had double walls. The first wall was six feet wide and possibly 20 to 25 feet tall. There was a space between that wall and a second wall that was 12 feet thick and 25 feet high. Joshua surveyed and considered this city, pondering how they were going to get through this place. What were they going to do?

It is thought that the city of Jericho was called the city of palms because there was an oasis and a well of springing water, living water that came up. The people of Jericho had that well in the midst of their city, giving them no reason to go outside the walls to get water. It is also believed that they had plenty of food stored there. In fact, archaeologists today, when they explore the area now believed to be Jericho, find pots with grain still inside them. These people could have stayed in this stronghold without needing to venture out for water or anything else.

Here was Joshua, looking at it and thinking, "How am I going to do this? What are we going to do?" All the joy and jubilation of being in the promised land was overshadowed by the looming question: "What are we going to do, Lord?" Have you ever been in a situation like that? You can look back at all the things that God has done, but now there is a trial, a tribulation standing in front of you, and you wonder, "What are we going to do? How are we going to get through this? What am I going to do?"

In verse 13, Joshua was there by Jericho. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand. As he approached, he saw this man standing in the middle of the wilderness, fully armored and with a sword unsheathed. Now, let me tell you, I am a coward. If I were out there and came across a guy standing there with armor on and a sword in his hand, I would probably go the other way quickly.

But notice what Joshua does in verse 13. It says, "And Joshua went up unto him." He walked right up to this man and asked, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

He walks right up to this guy and asks, "Are you for us or are you for our adversaries?" He is questioning him, trying to understand what is going on. Who are you? Obviously, Joshua, considering how he is going to take this city, probably desires all the help he can get. If there’s a mercenary in Canaan, he is looking for him. If there’s anything he can find, that’s the guy he is going to find. Here stands this man with a sword in his hand and armor on. It’s like, well, you look like a guy who’s ready for war. Who are you for? Are you for us or are you for our adversaries?

There are times in our lives when we go through dark days and start to question God in the very same way. "Lord, are you even for me or not? I thought you were going to give me peace, joy, love, happiness, all this stuff. But here in the midst of this trial, it doesn’t seem so. Are you with me or against me, Lord? Are you for me or are you fighting against me?"

Joshua walks up to this man with the sword in his hand and asks again, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" In verse 14, this man responds, "No." I taught junior high for four years, and some of you in this room would be more fearful of a group of junior hires than this guy with a sword in the wilderness. But they’re really not that bad.

One of the things I learned after teaching junior high for four years and spending time at camps and activities is that junior hires have a lot of questions. I don’t know if any of you have junior high-age kids, but they have a lot of questions. Junior hires don’t often ask just one question; they come to you and ask two or three in the same sentence.

I can remember when we’d be at camp, and one of the big highlights of coming back from camp is that we often stop at In-N-Out on our way back and buy the kids lunch. They really like that. Junior hires would walk up and say, "On Friday, the day before we’re leaving, are we going to In-N-Out or are we going home?" I would just say, "Yeah." It drives them nuts; they can’t stand it.

They often ask these double questions, and I would love to give them a single answer. "Yeah, we’ll do that. Yeah, we’re going home or yeah, we’re going to In-N-Out." They get all upset. One of the key questions I heard from junior hires often is, "Can I go to the bathroom? Or do I have to stay right here?" You see that double question again? I would just say, "Yeah." They would look at me and ask, "Well, can I go?" I’d respond, "Yeah, go ahead."

But they would ask these two questions, and I’d just give them a single answer. And here Joshua goes, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

And this guy says no. Joshua maybe looked at him perplexed. Well, no, what? No, you're not for us? Or what's going on here, right? I don't quite understand.

But notice what the man says. He says, "No, but as the captain of the host of the Lord, I have now come." As the captain of the army of the Lord, as the commander of the army of the Lord, I am now come. Those words, "I am," I'm sure Joshua would know those words very clearly. See, the one that he ministered to for over 40 years was Moses. Remember in the very first chapter, Joshua was Moses' minister. Moses was there in Exodus chapters 3 and 4, and he went to the burning bush. He said, "Well, you want me to go to Egypt, but who shall I tell them you are?" And He says, "I am that I am."

Now, Joshua stands before this man who's in full armor and has his sword drawn. He asks, "Who are you? Are you for us or are you for our adversaries?" The man replies, "No, I'm the commander of the army of the Lord, and I am now come. I'm here."

Joshua could have looked this guy in the face and said, "You're wrong. I'm the commander of the army of the Lord. I'm the one who's leading this army. I'm the one who's been ordained by Moses to take this army into the land of Israel. I'm the commander. You're not him." He could have argued with him. He could have begun to battle with this guy. "No, you're not." I heard junior hires say that a lot too: "Nuh-uh."

But he didn't. Instead, it says in verse 14 of Joshua that Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped. He said unto him, "What says my Lord unto his servant?"

I was reading this passage of Scripture several months ago, maybe even a year ago. I was driving home from church one night, sitting at the stoplight at the corner of Lincoln and Ash. I remember it very clearly. The Lord spoke very, very clearly to my heart. "Miles, I am not a part of your army." I thought, "What's that mean?"

As I drove home, I started to consider that. "What do you mean, Lord?" The Lord said, "I'm not a private in your army." Okay. "I'm not a sergeant in your army." All right. "Miles, I'm not a sergeant major in your army." All right, Lord, I understand that.

And the Lord continued, and He said, "I'm not commander in your army."

"All right. Well, Lord, are you commander in chief?"

"No, I'm not commander in chief in your army."

The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Because, you see, if it's your army, you will always lose. Every battle you face, you will fall. Every trial you face, you'll falter. If it's your army, you're done for; you might as well just pack it in and go home."

The Lord spoke to my heart again and said, "No, I'm not in your army. And no, I'm not against you either." But the Lord posed a question to me, and I pose the very same question to you tonight: Have you enlisted in the Lord's army?

Joshua stood before this man and asked, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" This man, we believe, is Jesus—a Christophany in the Old Testament. Jesus came in the flesh before He was born to the Virgin Mary. You see, He's God; He can do that.

So He said, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" And He replied, "No. I'm not for you, and I'm not against you. I'm the commander of the army of the Lord." Joshua fell upon his face before this man and began to worship Him. He asked, "What do you want me to do?" He didn't argue, saying, "No, you're not the commander of the army of the Lord; I am." No, he just fell right where he was, upon his face to the ground, and worshiped.

There are times in our lives when we are tempted and tested. We come to those periods where we start to see God as some sort of piece of the puzzle. We think, "He's just a part of my life. I have God along with me, and He helps me." I've heard that from many people. We come to that place where we begin to think that if we just do these things, like going to church, then that's going to make it happen.

But God is not a good luck charm. He's not a genie in a bottle that we rub every now and then and say, "All right, poof, there you go." He doesn't just come along and say, "All right, what shall I give to you?" He's not just a piece of the puzzle. If you look at God as just a part of your army or just a piece of the puzzle in your life, then you're going to have problems, and you will struggle.

The children of Israel came to learn this very vividly in the book of 1 Samuel. If you turn there, 1 Samuel chapter 4, the children of Israel came to a point in time in their lives as a nation where they began to trust in themselves or in the fact that, well, they were God's chosen people.

We have the tabernacle, we have the Ark, and so we're going to do just fine. In 1 Samuel chapter 4, it says, "And the word of Samuel came to all Israel." Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and they pitched beside Ebenezer. The Philistines pitched in Aphek. The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel, and when they joined the battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines. They slew about 4,000 men of the army in the field that day.

The children of Israel had gone out to battle against the Philistines. They put themselves in battle array, one on one side and the Israelites on another. They went out to battle, and the Israelites were beaten. They lost about 4,000 men that day. So the children of Israel came back together, and in verse 3 it says, "And when the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, 'Wherefore has the Lord smitten us this day before the Philistines?'" The elders of Israel came together and asked, "Why has this happened? Why did we lose these men today? What's going on? Why have we been smitten before the Philistines?"

Someone had the bright idea to fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh, saying that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. Underline that in your Bibles right there: that when it comes among us, it will save us. You see, the children of Israel gathered together in the camp that night and asked, "Why have we lost 4,000 people?" Someone suggested, "I think we forgot God." The elders agreed, saying, "That's a good idea. You're right. We did."

So they decided to go get the Ark out of the tabernacle in Shiloh and bring it to themselves for battle. They believed that when this little box, a two-foot by three-foot box, came among them, it would save them. There are times when we look at God like that, as if He is just a piece of our lives, something we carry with us every now and then, thinking that now we've got it going on. That's what the children of Israel thought.

They went and fetched the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. In verse 4, it says, "So the people sent to Shiloh that they might bring from thence the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwells between the cherubim." The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.

Came into the camp of Israel, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth rang again. Some translations say it was so much so that the earth shook. They sent their men to Shiloh to grab the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and bring it to themselves there. As they brought it into the camp, the whole camp of Israel erupted in a roar. They were screaming, and the ground was shaking.

Have you ever been in a stadium when everybody is just screaming and stomping their feet, causing the whole place to rumble? That's exactly what was happening here. As they did this, notice what happened. The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came in, and then in verse 6, when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What means this noise, this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" They understood that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp. The Philistines were afraid and said, "God has come into the camp." They exclaimed, "Woe unto us, for there has never been such a thing like this before."

In verse 8, they said, "Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?" These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. Underline "gods" in your Bible. Did the children of Israel serve gods? At this time, they did. Their closest neighbors, the Philistines, thought that the Israelites served multiple gods. Why? Because during this time, the children of Israel were on all kinds of high places serving Baal, Asherah, and Molech, doing all sorts of wicked things in the sight of the Lord.

The Philistines looked at the Israelites and figured, "These are the gods that smote the Egyptians." The children of Israel hadn't been a very good witness. They were going off and whoring themselves with all sorts of different things in the world, not serving the one true God. Because of this, they looked at the Ark and thought, "Well, the Ark is powerful, so let's bring it with us. When it comes among us, it's going to save us, and we're going to be just fine." They viewed it as a good luck charm.

So, they brought the Ark to themselves and screamed, causing the Philistines to be afraid. But notice what the Philistines said to themselves in verse 9: "Be strong and quit yourselves like men," or "Be men. Stand up, O you Philistines."

That you be not the servants of the Hebrews as they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men and fight. The Philistines looked at each other and said, "There's absolutely no way that I'm going to be a servant of a Hebrew. I'd rather die than serve the Hebrews." So, be men, and tomorrow we're going to go and fight against these guys.

And the children of Israel, as stated in verse 10, fought with Israel. Israel was smitten, and they fled, every man to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, for three fell of Israel, 30,000 footmen. The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

A man of Benjamin ran out of the army and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. He went and came to Eli, who sat upon a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. Eli was the high priest. When the man came into the city, he told it all, and the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth this noise of this tumult?" The man came hastily and told Eli.

Now Eli was 98 years old, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. The man said to Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army." Eli asked, "What is there done, my son?" The messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. My two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken."

It came to pass that when he made mention of the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died. He was an old man and heavy, and he had judged Israel for 40 years.

Then his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child and near to be delivered. When she heard these things—that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead—she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains came upon her. About the time of her death, the woman that stood by her said unto her, "Fear not, for thou hast born a son." But she answered not, neither did she regard it. She named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory is departed from Israel because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband."

And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken." The children of Israel came to a point in their history where they looked at God as just a part of their army. They said, "Let's go get the ark. When it comes among us, it's going to save us." They took it out there, and that day, 30,000 people died, including the sons of the high priest, Hophni and Phinehas. They were wicked men anyway. God had said that this would happen. Eli died as well, and his daughter-in-law died. She bore a son and named him Ichabod, meaning "The glory of Israel has departed." The glory of the Lord is gone.

When I read this story, it is so sad to me. It breaks my heart to see the people of Israel, God's chosen people, in this predicament. Yet, I see myself and sometimes meet with others who go through the very same thing. They begin to think of God as just a little bit of a rabbit's foot, something they carry on their keychain. They keep their Bible in their car and figure that if they have this Bible with them, then it's going to save them. They think they won't get in a car accident. They look at God as an "it." They read their Bible and just check the box, as we've talked about before. I did that today.

Then they get upset when the glory departs. They cry out and complain, "What's going on? How come I'm going through all these troubles?" They come and get counsel from the pastors, asking, "What's going on? How come I'm going through this?" When asked if they spend time with the Lord, they say no. When asked if they are spending time in fellowship, they say no. When asked if they pray, they respond, "Not really. My prayer life is not very good." But they insist, "Hey man, I accepted Jesus. I got the ark. I wear a cross, see?" Yet, they have no glory in their life. The presence of the Lord is not seen upon their life, and they wonder why.

They go around crying, "What's going on? I don't understand this." But you see, that's a person who has looked at God as, "Well, yeah, sure, I'll accept Jesus, whatever. What's it going to get me again? Oh, I'll go to heaven. Great. Joy? Peace? Oh, wonderful." When they don't suddenly have that, they say, "Well, you know, it didn't work for me." Have you ever met anyone who said that? I've met so many people who say, "Well, I tried that Jesus thing. It didn't help me." When asked what they mean by that, they respond, "Well, you know, I didn't get the job I was looking for. I figured if I went forward at that crusade, then I'd get that job. I didn't get it."

I taught a prayer class for our school of ministry last year.

I was telling the class that I've met people before who said, "Well, I've tried that prayer thing. It doesn't work." When I asked what they meant by that, they explained, "My grandma was dying of cancer, and she was in the final stages. I prayed she'd be healed, and it didn't happen." I responded, "Well, do you just throw God out because that didn't happen?" They insisted, "Yeah, I tried it. I did that Jesus thing, but I didn't get love, joy, peace, kindness, all that stuff." Then they would turn and walk away, viewing God as just an "it."

They thought, "Hey, if I put this shirt on, this new God thing, then right on, I'll get it all going on." But if you approach God that way, you're going to find yourself in a position where you have no victory. You might look around and wonder, "How come they got it? What's up with that? How come that worship guy can stand up there, smile, and do all that? How come I don't have that?"

The question is, are you spending time with the Lord? Have you yielded to Him as the one who is over your life? Or are you still the leader of your army, with God just being a private? Some of you might say, "Well, Lord, you can be a sergeant. You can kind of tell me what to do every now and then, but none of that push-up stuff. I don't think so."

Have you come before the Lord like Joshua did in Joshua chapter 5? He bowed himself to the Lord and worshiped. He didn't argue, saying, "No, I'm the commander of the army of the Lord." Instead, he fell on his face and worshiped, asking, "Lord, what do you want me to do? What do you want me to do, God?" I believe that is what God would have us do: to fall upon our faces daily.

Before you can have victory in your life and see God do great things, you need to have a holy ground experience. Moses had it at the burning bush, where he fell before the Lord and worshiped. Joshua also fell on his face before the Lord, asking, "What do you want me to do?" He was having that holy ground experience.

Have you had that experience? Have you ever fallen on your face before the Lord in your room, saying, "I can't do this, Lord. I'm surrendering and submitting it all to You. What do You want me to do? Wherever You go, wherever You want me to go, I'll go. Whatever You tell me, that's what I'm going to do."

Have you yielded your life to the Lord as Ruth yielded her life to Naomi? She said, "Where you go, I will go. Where you die, I will die. Your people will be my people." Have you done that? If you haven't, and you wonder why you don't have love, joy, peace, and all of these things that God promised, that's why.

Because you haven't bowed and surrendered yourself and said, "Lord, what do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go? I surrender; I yield it all to You." That old hymn, "I Surrender All," asks a profound question. Have you done that, or has it just been lip service? The children of Israel throughout the ages honored God with their lips, yet their hearts were far from Him. I pray that I never get to that place.

I'll tell you something: there have been times in my life and my walk with the Lord where I have been in that place, and it's scary. It's a frightening thing that my heart can become so calloused that I can come into a worship setting, just sing the words, and not even think about what I'm saying. I may not even realize that it's God whom I'm speaking to and with, and that He hears the words that I sing. He looks upon my life and says, "You worship Me with your mouth, but your heart, your heart, your heart is far from Me."

Later on in the book of 1 Samuel, specifically in chapters 14 and 15, when the children of Israel went out to do battle against Amalek, Saul, the commander of the army at that time and king over Israel, did not follow the Lord. He did not do what God had told him to do. Samuel said, "God does not desire your sacrifice and your burnt offerings. What He desires is a broken and contrite spirit and heart."

See, God loves you. God looks at our hearts. When Samuel went to anoint David as king, he looked at all of David's brothers and thought, "Well, this is the guy." But the Lord said, "Hey, you know what? I look at the heart. You look at the outside." God looks at our hearts.

I heard someone say one time at a camp, where all these kids were lifting their hands and singing really loud, "Man, these kids are really coming into worship tonight, weren't they?" I thought, "Well, how do we know that?" Sure, they're jumping up and down, putting their hands in the air, but how do we really know they're truly worshiping the Lord? I can't see their hearts.

Then we look at another person who sits in the very back, with their head down low, just kind of mumbling the songs, and we think, "Oh, poor kid, not really entering in." But his heart may be more right than everybody else's in that room. Remember, Jesus told the story of the Pharisee, who said, "Thank God I'm not like that guy." Meanwhile, the tax collector was saying, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." The Lord asked, "Who was right, the Pharisee or this tax collector who said, 'Lord, have mercy on me'? I'm absolutely nothing."

And so Joshua came to this man who stood there with his sword in his hand. He said, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" The man replied, "No. I am the commander of the army of the Lord, and I have now come." Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped him. He said, "Lord, what do you want your servant to do?"

In verse 14, the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Loose the shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy." And Joshua did so. This echoes what God told Moses: "Take the sandal from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy." Now here, Joshua hears the same command: "Take the sandal from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

What did Joshua do right there? He enlisted in God's army. He acknowledged God's command. He said, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" And God said, "Take the sandal from your feet." Joshua did it right then and there. He didn't wait. "Lord, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it right now. What do you want me to do?" Just worship me. Bow before me. Take the sandal from your foot.

Joshua could have said, "Well, wait a minute. Hold on. We have this big city here, this big Jericho, 25 feet tall, with thick walls. What do you mean bow? Worship? In enemy territory?" You could do the very same thing. You might say, "What do you mean worship the Lord? That's not going to help my situation." Oh, but it will. And it does.

In the next chapter, chapter 6, the Lord says to Joshua, "This is what you're going to do." God's plan seems so foolish. Joshua could have said, "Lord, that's dumb." There are times when I say, "Lord, that doesn't make any sense. Just read the Bible, spend time in prayer, and worship you. How's that going to help my situation?" But the Lord says, "Do it and be obedient."

It is in that obedience where we sense and realize the true blessing of God when we humbly bow ourselves to Him. You may be at a point in your life tonight where you feel like you're about ready to quit, about ready to throw in the towel. And you know what God says to you? He says, "Do it. Throw down your dirty rags and bow down before me. Your righteousness is as dirty rags. Bow yourself to me, and I will give you my righteousness. Throw in the towel. Throw away that dirty rag. Why do you continue to take it up? Come before me and bow down."

And take my righteousness upon you. He fell on his face before the Lord and worshiped Him. "Lord, what do you want me to do?" "Just take your sandal from your feet and worship Me."

Before you can have a victorious Christian life—and that's the whole purpose of our study in the book of Joshua—every single one of us must have a victorious Christian life. But before you can, you have to acknowledge the fact that you're second in command over your life. God is the commander of His army, and you've been enlisted in that army.

Sometimes we, as soldiers, as 2 Timothy 2:3 says, need to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. There are times when we go through hardship, but that's what a good soldier does. I love hearing the interviews with these men in our military, in our armed forces, who are on TV saying, "This is my job to go and fight for this nation." Whether they agree or disagree, they say, "This is my job, and this is what I will do. I will endure hardship if it means my life." That should be our response to God.

We may do it for a temporal crown, but we do it for an everlasting crown. We lay our lives down and say, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" Before you can truly have victory, you have to do that. I have to do that. And it doesn't just happen once.

The story we read in 1 Samuel chapter 4 is years from where we are here in Joshua. They did it this day, but they forgot to do it that day, and that's why they lost. I may do it on Sunday, but if I don't do it on Monday, then I'm going to lose the battle. How many of you have been to a men's retreat, women's retreat, or to a camp and experienced that? You worshiped the Lord, did what was right, and it felt great to be in the presence of the Lord there. Then you come down, and it's Monday morning. You get up for work and think, "I don't want to get up."

We have to, again, lay it down. "Lord, what do you want me to do? How do you want me to live today?" The first step toward victory is acknowledging that, "Lord, I am not in command, and I'm not even in my army. I'm in Your army." That's exactly what Joshua did here. "Lord, it's Your army. I bow before You. You're right. I am not the commander of the army of the Lord. You are, and praise the Lord You are, because You have to come up with a strategy."

If you've got to come up with a strategy to defeat sin in your life,

You're always going to fail. Remember, the Bible says in Galatians that the law was given to us as a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. The Bible says that the law was given to show us that we're transgressors. Every single time I try to live by the law and do the law, I find that I can't do it. I fall on my face to the ground and say, "Lord, I can't do this." That's what every single one of us needs to do. We need to say, "Lord, I cannot, but I bow before you because I know you can." When I am faithless, you remain faithful still. You cannot deny yourself. I can do all things through you who strengthens me, and you work in me to will and to do. I thank you for your good pleasure, and I praise you, Lord. What do you want me to do? How do you want me to live? Lord, I lay it down and don't five minutes later take it back up.

It's not just a checkmark for the day. Joshua bowed himself to the ground, worshiped, and then waited for the orders. There are two things we need to do: bow before Him, worshiping Him, and then wait for the orders. "Lord, what do you want me to do?" The Lord will give you that plan. But if you have to come up with the power for your own program and the strength for your own strategy, you'll fail. You'll fail. You do not do that.

What do you immediately think if I say you do not think of a gorilla? Stop. Don't do that. If you tell yourself, "I'm not going to smoke. I'm not going to smoke," what are you totally fixated upon? You might think, "Oh, but I want to." However, if you turn yourself and bow before the Lord and begin to worship Him, it's like, "Oh, what happened to that cigarette? I can't find it anymore." You've just been worshiping the Lord, and you no longer smell like cigarettes. You begin to smell like the glory of the Lord.

People stand around you and want to be near you. They say, "Man, it's just wonderful to spend time with you. I just love and enjoy it. You have that great smile upon your face." Have you ever seen Pastor Chuck before? I just love to be even 100 feet from the guy because he just radiates joy.

And it's like, wow, the glory. It's flowing. Yes, come, all right, great. I enjoy that. That's my mom, by the way, for those of you who don't know.

But that place where we just bow before the Lord and begin to be filled with Him is transformative. Then you begin to shine just like that. Last night, I don't know if you guys saw it, but on Channel 8 was Billy Graham. There’s just something about that guy, too. It was filmed four months ago. He’s not even really in my living room; it's just a picture on TV. I go, man, that guy is just incredible, Lord. You can see the glory of the Lord upon him. George Beverly Shea was standing there with a microphone singing "I Surrender All." You just think, oh, wow, Lord, yes. The glory of Your presence, Lord, it's awesome.

When you bow yourself in worship and surrender to the Lord, other people want to hang around you. They just love being around you. Then you can say, oh, God, I love You. You can echo what Paul said to the church at Ephesus and Philippi: "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." What an awesome thing to say! I pray that I can say that to those who are younger than me one day. I seek to try to imitate the Lord, but I fail. Paul could say, "Imitate me as I imitate Christ." Ephesians tells us to imitate the Lord as dear children.

As we spend that time in the Lord, humbly submitted to Him, bowed before Him, worshiping Him, that's when we can truly say that. When we realize that, Lord, it's Your army, and I'm enlisted in this army, I no longer care about the things of this world. I'm focused upon You.

Let's pray. Lord, I do thank You very much for this portion of Scripture. Father, we can come before You and just bow our hearts, our lives, our everything. We don't have to come up with a strategy and a plan because, Lord, You direct our steps. You know exactly what You want us to do today, tomorrow, and the rest of our lives. You created good works that we would walk in them. Lord, I pray that You'd help us to walk in those good works. But tonight, Lord, I know that there are people here who haven't yielded.

They haven't surrendered; they haven't submitted themselves to You. They have, in pretense, maybe. But, Lord, they haven't fully said, "You are God, and I lay everything down."

Lord, I pray for myself even now that You'd help me to be able to do that. I pray for this body of believers here tonight. Some are struggling to do that, Lord. As we see You high and lifted up as we worship in just a minute, may we realize that we have enlisted in Your army. It's not our thing. We're not just employing You to some end. But, Lord, we're Yours. Help us to lay it down and to take up the life that You've given to us, to throw in the towel of our old dirty rags, and to be yielded and surrendered to You.

Let's stand together and let's worship. Holy fire, burn away my desire for anything that is not of You, but is of me. I want more of You and less of me.