Joseph Patty; Associate Director of Student Ministry

Joshua 3:5
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”

Joshua 4:11-14
On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased [….] Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries? He said to him, “No. Rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and bowed down and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?”

Reflection:
Have you ever believed God had promised you or called you to something, and it changed the way you lived or pursued that thing? When the Lord called me to seminary, it more or less came in the form of a rebuke. When I was in my senior year of college, I had been looking at uncertified ministry training programs, and as I was driving down Highway 36 near Hamilton, Texas, I was praying about it. Suddenly, God told me, “I’ve given you a mind that can excel at a master’s level, and you need to be a good steward of that.” I was stunned at the sternness of the moment, and I was simultaneously repentant and honored. 

Fast forward a year, and I’ve been accepted to two seminaries, and I’m filling out an application for a scholarship. It was not the best essay I’ve ever written. In hindsight, it was a bit rude. The essence of it was that I believed God was going to provide my way through seminary and they could get on board if they wanted. With my calling came both a confidence in faith as well as an ego-centric pride. It’s really easy to lose sight of obedience to the Lord in it all, instead, believing the Lord serves us. This is what we see in Joshua’s story.

Israel is in the process of receiving the promised land. Moses has just handed off the torch to Joshua. Joshua has been Moses’ right-hand man for years. At Joshua’s command, they’ve consecrated themselves to the Lord through prayer and circumcision, they’ve passed through the Jordan as the Lord divided the waters for them, and now they’ve eaten of the fruit of the land. Suddenly the manna stops. God’s form of provision coming directly from the land signals the final change for Joshua. It’s time to take the land God has promised, so he goes to scope out Jericho when he comes across a man with a sword. Joshua’s question is telling, “Are you for us or them?” It’s a worldview that puts self at the center and anything opposed on the outside. It’s a worldview that assumes that just because I’m pursuing the promise God gave me, that I’m in the right. The soldier looks at him and simply answers, “No.” Joshua’s categories are wrong. It’s not who’s for us and who’s for them, but am I for the Lord? As the man reveals his identity as a captain of the heaven’s armies, Joshua falls on his face and corrects his question, “What has the Lord to say to his servant?”

As we cross into new thresholds of life, be it receiving promises from God, new jobs, new children, new titles, or even difficult new seasons, let the condition of our hearts be one of humility. Let us not pose the question of if God is for us or not. Rather, let’s ask, “What has the Lord to say to me?” Do my thoughts, words, and actions reveal that I am for God? Then, we may find ourselves on holy ground.

Prayer:
Good Father, I thank you for the ways you lead me and provide for me. I praise you that you love to give your children good things. Teach me to see myself as your servant and not the other way around. Grow in me a heart for obedience alongside the hope of faith. In Jesus’ name, I come before your heavenly throne. Amen.