My Dear Shepherds,

It was a no-man’s-land, a few empty acres separating the people of Israel from the looming fortress of Jericho. Well, there was one man there—Joshua. Wait. Check that. Now there are two, one with a drawn sword in his hand.

Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Josh. 5:13-15)

The real drama in many of God’s best stories occurs before the battle starts, in hearts bent low before him. After that, it’s all over but the shouting. Pastors are expected to understand that better than most. Not every challenge we face is a battle exactly, but leading God’s people into the abundant life is never a walk in the park either.

Joshua’s question about sides seemed reasonable. It’s the Commander’s reply that came as a surprise. After all, there was no question that God was most definitely on the side of Israel. Just re-read all the promises of victory and blessing he had made to Joshua. But as others have noted, the Commander of the LORD’s army hadn’t come to take sides; he’d come to take over.

Mercifully, Joshua was relieved of command. In fact, his whole Israelite army had no further duty but to march for seven days in silence in the sacred company of the Ark of the LORD.

Joshua must’ve been trying to formulate a plan. He must’ve been marshalling his faith and praying, just as we do. I’m sure he believed God was near, but he couldn’t have grasped just how near nor that he would appear in army fatigues! Then the Son of God announced himself with the same “shoes off … holy ground” ID that God used with Moses at the burning bush.

Sometimes, we feel so lonely, so solitary, as we survey some foreboding Jericho blocking our way, but it is never so. Christ has promised to be with us always, armed and in command. The thing we must not do is charge into some ill-fated, hurried, committee-driven action before we’ve bent low in reverence, before we’ve taken off our shoes, so our faith can find footing. “All other ground is sinking sand.”

The Lord had another message for Joshua:

“See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men.” (Josh. 6:2-3)

There was nothing to see, of course. “The gates of Jericho were securely barred.” That’s how it works. Good shepherds are schooled in taking our cues from the unseen. You have to get low, take off your shoes, and maybe squint a little, but rest assured, things are not what they seem.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. … By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. (Heb. 11:1-2, 30)

We must also keep a long view. There are trumpets yet to be sounded and a loud shout yet to be heard, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Be ye glad!

Lee Eclov recently retired after 40 years of local pastoral ministry and now focuses on ministry among pastors. He writes a weekly devotional for preachers on Preaching Today.