I Have Now Come

I Have Now Come

So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

Joshua 5:14

Joshua was the new leader of Israel. He had been the understudy of Moses, the man of God, for years. God had selected Joshua to be the one to lead the nation of Israel in their possession of the promised land. The scene before us occurs at the beginning of that daunting endeavor. In the passage from which our text arises, Christ, in pre-incarnate form, appears to Joshua. He appears dressed for battle. Joshua does not recognize Him immediately and challenges Him with, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ Christ responds with, ‘No, but as Commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.’ It is good perhaps for us to take a moment to consider the larger context in which this appearance occurs. The book of Joshua begins with the words, ‘After the death of Moses,’ followed by the words, ‘directly addressed to Joshua, ‘Moses My servant is dead.’ In order for Joshua to assume the leadership of Israel, Moses, his mentor, had to be off the scene. Moses, in the life of Joshua, was a means to an end, not the end in itself. So it is often with us. We value and appreciate the mentors whom God has graciously bestowed upon us. If, however, we are to see more of Christ, God removes those mentors from the scene, in His time.  So, here we find that Christ did not reveal Himself more fully to Joshua until Moses, Joshua’s mentor was gone. Although it may be difficult for us to say goodbye to those who have helped us along the way, let us realize that their departure is necessary if we would see more of Christ. Christ makes no mistake in His Providential Plan for us. He may remove that which is good, but only to the purpose of providing something better.

O, Captain of our salvation,
we rejoice in all of Your ways.
We praise You that in Your Providential plan,
You will ever bring us to see more of Your Own Great Self.

Tomm Tice

Where the Bush is Burning