Whose Side are You On?

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Scripture: Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15 And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Devotion:

            Our country is polarized. We are a divided nation. Those who follow republican and democrat politics barely even speak to one another. The two sides talk past each other and do not ever truly listen and try to understand what the other is saying. Meanwhile truth is the true loser in this world. Both sides claim it, but neither is able to prove that they have it.

            Today’s scripture exposes a comparable situation. Joshua and the people of Israel are about to attempt to take Jericho. War is the ultimate polarizer. As Joshua is trying to come up with a plan to attack the city, he meets a man with sword drawn ready for battle. Naturally, Joshua asks him whose side of the fight he is on. The man replies that he is on neither side but is the commander of the Lord’s army. He will fight for the Lord.

            This should alarm people on both sides of the aisle in today’s fights. The Lord’s side may not be, and in fact, is probably not their side of the battle. While the man who confronted Joshua eventually gives Joshua specific instructions as to how to win the battle of Jericho. The Lord seldom gives such detailed instructions to us today. We conduct polling to see what ideas resonate with potential voters. We conduct focus groups to gauge people's responses to certain questions. Seldom if ever do we inquire of the Lord for his wisdom on the issue at hand.

            We claim to be representing God when we have not even asked God for his opinion on the matter. We wrap ourselves in the American flag and hold out our Bibles to show others that we have God’s blessing on the matter. When in fact, if we wrapped ourselves in prayer shawls and opened our Bibles, we might find that God has a different idea of the way we should go.

            This is a word of caution for those who might be more republican than Christian or more democrat than Christian. Be incredibly careful when claiming God’s approval of your opinion on matters. One day you will face the God who made you and you will have to explain why you took a particular position on a matter. Will you truly be able to say that you were on the Lord’s side?

Prayer:

            Lord, we pray that today we would abandon any idea that does not find its roots in you and your word. Teach us to live each day searching for your truth with regard to the issues of the day. Help us always to ask what the Lord’s side is in a matter and be ready to listen for an answer that may make us uncomfortable. Lord, be with us always as we seek to walk in your ways not our own. Amen.

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