Choose sides!
There is a piece of history that I find compelling and thought-provoking. It raises a fundamental question.
God selects a group of people, calling them to be holy and set apart for Him. Their history is filled with amazing displays of God's love, power, protection, and at times, anger. We may be familiar with the movie "Ten Commandments," but the biblical record is even more remarkable. Due to their disobedience, God sends His people to go into captivity, but eventually delivers them from the hands of Pharaoh through glorious displays of power. He then leads them into the desert and has them wander for 40 years, providing for them every step of the way, although not always in the way they wanted.
According to the biblical account of their wandering, the purpose was to raise a new generation. When the old generation passed on, God sent the new generation to conquer the land He had promised their ancestors — the "promised land," an "everlasting" possession. Ponder “everlasting” a minute!
After the death of Moses, a new leader named Joshua takes charge, and the new generation is ready to possess the land. It's worth noting that God had promised them the land from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea. According to God, that’s the river and that’s the sea.
As they prepared to enter and possess the land, the word "possess" stands out. There were already people living there, meaning they had to take it from them, which was no small feat and beyond their capabilities. This new generation knew nothing of war.
In this one account, they are gathered by the Jordan River. God instructs Joshua to tell the people to "consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." In other words, they should go, but God will go before and with them to do the impossible. The condition is to set themselves apart unto Him, to be holy, to follow His instructions, and not to veer to the right or left. They are to commit themselves and their ways to Him. Obey Him. Oh, and by the way way. You need to be strong and very courageous. (Yeah, no kidding!)
There are more details in between, but let's fast forward. They cross over the Jordan River into the land and settle in a place called Gilgal (just south of Jericho). Why did they settle there? Because God instructed Joshua to circumcise all the young and old. Mind you, their next assignment the very next day was to possess Jericho. Why were they circumcised the day before they might have to fight? Hmmm. Here's God's explanation: "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. So name this place Gilgal (meaning "rolling")." God then instructed them was to walk around the city blowing horns, and God caused the walls to fall - flat! It’s a must read!
All this backstory highlights one crucial event that took place before the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. A man appeared, standing before Joshua with his sword drawn. Joshua asked, "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" The man with the drawn sword responded: "No. I come as the captain of the host (army) of the Lord." He then gave specific directions on how they should proceed to take possession of Jericho.
"No, neither?" What does that mean? It's a very intriguing answer to a question. God sent them in to take possession. Surely, God’s on the side of His people, right?
It seems to me that what the captain of the host of the Lord is really asking is, "What side are you on, Joshua?" That's a great question for us to consider as well. What side are we on in the spiritual battles that surround us? Will we walk according to all God says in His Word? Will we not veer to the right or left of what He says to do?
Will the only "side" we take be God's? May we choose this day to serve the Lord. Sure, our obedience can be very costly in many different ways. But we obey because we love the Lord our God more than our own lives.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15
