The Companion of the Way
by
H.C. Hewlett
1962
Moody Press
Chicago, Illinois
~ Out of print and in the public domain ~
The Supreme Commander - Joshua
(Joshua 5)
I. THE SETTING --
PRELUDE TO CONFLICT
The years of Israel's wandering had passed.
The feet often weary on the desert way stood at last in the land of promise.
Nought had failed of all that the Lord had spoken to His people. Moses, their
leader, had been called to Mount Nebo, where he was shown all the land which the
tribes should possess, and was thence called to Heaven, there to rest till upon
another mount, the holy mount, he would stand in glory with his Lord. In his
place was Joshua, who would lead Israel across Jordan and into the possession of
their inheritance in the land.
Neither in the desert nor in the land
could the nation prosper save through the divine blessing and the divine
presence. Accordingly, when Moses was taken from the sphere of his toil, and
Joshua stood alone with his burden, the Lord spoke to him words which renewed
the promise given to Moses at the burning bush. "Certainly I will be with thee," said God to
Moses as He sent him to Egypt to deliver the people (Ex. 3:12). "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee,"
said He to Joshua ere He bade him cross Jordan, and again, "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou
goest" (Josh. 1:5, 9).
The happenings at Jordan were themselves
true vindication of the promise of the presence, but there awaited Joshua that
experience of the Lord that should meet his need in warfare, as the revelation
to Moses in the bush had met the latter's need in the forty years. It was one
thing to stand in the promised land; it was another to take possession of its
length and breadth. "Every place," said
the Lord, "that the sole of your foot shall
tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh.
1:3). The land, however, was held by the kings of the Amorites and others, and
it was necessary for these to be driven out. Years of conflict and conquest lay
before the warriors of Israel, and they must battle courageously, but only by
the power of their God could they prevail. Even so did Joshua remind them,
"The living God is among you, . . . he will
without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites" (Josh. 3:10). It
was to be Israel's conquest -- yet not theirs, but God's.
Before the
first victory, which taught its own significant lesson, in that the walls of
Jericho were razed by act of God and not by human prowess, Joshua received the
great favor of an appearing of his Lord. It was his privilege to hear the voice
that had spoken to Abraham, to Jacob, and to Moses, and to behold the One who
had ever been with His people for their guidance, preservation, and empowering.
Ere his warfare began, there was granted to Joshua a fresh display of the
perpetual presence which would invigorate his heart and set before him the
spiritual
Conditions Indispensable to
Victory.
As a young man he had stood upon the shore of the Red Sea
when Moses and the children of Israel had sung unto the Lord and had spoken
saying, "I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath
triumphed gloriously: . . . The LORD is a man of war: . . . Who is like thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders" (Exo. 15:1, 3,
11). Now beyond Jordan he stood with the weight of years upon him and the burden
of the nation's welfare, and he must learn anew those things whereof they had
sung.
Even with the vigor of the spiritual strength developed through
those forty years, Joshua required yet more to appreciate the character of God
and His claims upon him. Only thus would he be equipped for the forward march
through the land and for all the problems that would confront him. The lessons
he would learn were not for Joshua only but for us also who look back upon his
life and around upon our modern age. It is the fresh vision that leads to the
fresh victory. To content ourselves with past experience of His presence, past
glimpses of His face, and past hearing of His voice, is to forget that His
fullness and power are alike inexhaustible and that His name is Jehovah, the
name of unceasing promise. As Joshua stood in the land, but must tread in every
place to possess it, so we have been "blessed...
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3),
but these require to be appropriated by faith for personal enjoyment. As there
were foes to challenge Joshua's right to the land and to withstand his march, so
there are mighty powers of darkness which challenge us whenever we seek to
realize our high calling and to enter into our heavenly wealth. Woe to us if we
seek to meet them in our own strength!
II. THE REVELATION -- THE
SWORD OF THE LORD
"And it came to
pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked . . .
" (Josh. 5:13). Repeatedly in the Old Testament this expression occurs
(to lift up the eyes and look) and with most solemn association. Thus it is used
of Lot's gaze toward Sodom, but of God's bidding to Abraham: "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain
of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou
comest unto Zoar . . . And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou
art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward" (Gen. 13:10,
14), of Abraham at Mount Moriah, beholding the place and the substitute: "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and
saw the place afar off" and "And Abraham
lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket
by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt
offering in the stead of his son" (Genesis 22:4, 13), of Isaac as his
bride drew near: "And Isaac went out to meditate
in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold,
the camels were coming" (Gen. 24:63), of Balaam's contemplation of the
people he was compelled to bless: "And Balaam
lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their
tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him" (Num. 24:2), of God's
bidding through Isaiah: "Lift up your eyes on
high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by
number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he
is strong in power; not one faileth" (Isa. 40:26), and of Daniel's
visions: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw,
and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two
horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up
last" (Dan. 8:3) and "Then I lifted up
mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins
were girded with fine gold of Uphaz" (Dan. 10:5). It indicates no casual
glance, but the intent gaze, often with longing, with which the heart looks out
in
Moments of Destiny.
Seeing that it is fraught with such importance, it is not surprising
that it should be used of Abraham at Mamre when God visited His friend, of Jacob
and Esau at their meeting, and of Daniel in the vision of God wherewith his
earthly life was consummated. So Joshua in this scene, burdened with the
nearness of the first city to be attacked and with the issues of the conflict,
becoming conscious of the presence of a man who was outwardly a stranger to him,
looked with keen eyes upon this One who confronted him.
We do well to
pause and remind ourselves that we need to be men of uplifted eyes, who in every
time of choice and crises and on every occasion that makes new demands upon us
look with set purpose to the face of the Son of God. Lifting our gaze from the
earthly to the heavenly, from our need to His fulness, and seeking Him who
yearns to answer every longing of the heart toward Him, we shall not be
disappointed.
"And, behold, there stood
a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand" (Josh. 5:13).
Once more the Lord of Heaven deigned to present Himself in appearance as a man.
His identity was not at first known to Joshua, but His acceptance of worship,
His direction to Joshua to loose the shoe from his foot, and His use of the
title, "Captain of the host of the LORD,"
combine to indicate who He was beyond all doubt. It was a true theophany, and,
as ever, it was in the person of the Son that God was revealed. As befitting the
occasion, He was seen holding
A Naked
Sword.
That sword could not rest, for the land was in the power
of those whose iniquity was full. As the Lord had executed judgment against the
Egyptians for their sins, so must He execute judgment against the nations of
Canaan. The driving out of those nations was not only necessary to the giving of
inheritance to Israel but was merited by the appalling sins with which they had
defiled the land. Since the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God had been
longsuffering toward the inhabitants of Canaan, but the lesson had gone
unheeded, and the time had come for the land to be cleansed.
Very early
in human history was the sword of God seen. When the peace of Eden was disturbed
by the sin of our first parents, God "drove out
the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life" (Gen. 3:24). The flaming sword set forth the character of the
throne of God, of which the cherubim were the attendants and ministers; God's
holiness demanded that the way of the tree of life be closed to the sinner.
Yet again the sword gleamed, but to find its sheath in the heart of the
substitute for sinners. At Calvary there was fulfilled the saying of the
prophet, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of Hosts" (Zech.
13:7).
Barred to me that heavenly Eden
Till the flaming sword,
In God's righteous wrath uplifted,
Smote Thee, O my Lord
And now
the Heaven of heavens stands open to the believing sinner, for the throne is
satisfied, and the Saviour slain on the Cross is the Saviour exalted at God's
right hand.
Thus the glory outside the garden of Eden and the sacrifice
without the gate of Jerusalem both proclaimed the inflexible nature of God's
dealings with sin. In Joshua's day the sword was drawn against the sins of the
Canaanites, but the power that made Jericho defenseless before the warriors of
Israel made those same warriors helpless before the men of Ai, and the Lord's
verdict on their defeat was "Israel hath
sinned" (Josh. 7:11). God has
No
Differing Standards
for His foes and for His friends, so that
sword was drawn also against the sin of Israel. This is seen markedly on two
other occasions when Scriptures speaks of the One with "his sword drawn in his hand." When Balaam
persisted in going to Balak, and his ass "speaking with a man's voice forbad the madness of the
prophet" (II Pet. 2:16). "Balaam said
unto the ass, . . . I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I
kill thee . . . Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of
the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: . . . And Balaam
said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned" (Num. 22:29, 31, 34).
Again, when David sinned in numbering the people, "God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it . . .
And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the
earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over
Jerusalem: . . . And David said unto God . . . even I it is that have
sinned" (I Chron. 21:15-17).
The hireling prophet and the
shepherd king were met by the same One with the same sword.
The lesson
is imperative to victory and to fellowship with the victorious Lord that on
God's part there can be
No Truce With
Sin.
That His grace has made us His own is no excuse for sin in
our lives. It is not for us to presume upon grace. "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God
forbid!" (Rom. 6:1, 2). If we would know our Lord as the mighty One who
gives victory over every foe without, we must first know Him as the holy One who
condones no sin within us.
"And Joshua
went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And
he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come"
(Josh. 5:13-14).
Not Merely As An
Ally
revered and welcome must He be known to Joshua, but as
supreme commander. Before He could unfold the plan of victory, He must be given
His true place and honored with His rightful dignity. All sovereignty was His.
Hence He spoke the word that proclaimed Himself as Captain and that bowed Joshua
at His feet. The phrase "host of the
LORD" is peculiar to the people as they left Egypt and entered Canaan. Of
the Exodus it is said that "all the hosts of the
LORD went out from the land of Egypt" (Exo. 12:41).
From the
first chapter of I Samuel the Old Testament writers speak not of the host of the
LORD but of "the Lord of hosts." This
title views armies, both heavenly and earthly, of angels and of men, as subject
to the one Lord of all. His majesty and His power have surrounded His throne
with shining myriads who do His will and of whom it is said, "The host of heaven worshippeth thee" (Neh.
9:6). His people Israel were likewise His host, but they often rebelled against
Him. When at Kadesh-barnea they refused to enter the land of promise, they
dishonored the divine captain and appointed from among themselves a captain to
lead them back to the bondage of Egypt: "And
they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into
Egypt" (Num. 14:4) and "And refused to
obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but
hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to
their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow
to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not" (Neh. 9:17).
Would Joshua and his people receive the blessing of an omnipotent commander?
Then must they submit themselves unreservedly to His authority.
The
Captain of the host of the Lord is none other than the Captain of our salvation:
"For it became him, for whom are all things, and
by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of
their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:10). This latter
title takes cognizance also of the Lord's own path through this world in lowly
manhood, for the word here rendered "captain" combines
two thoughts. He is the author, the source of salvation; He is also the leader
in the way, He effects deliverance, and as deliverer He goes before. In this
title, "salvation" refers to the whole of His
deliverance of His people from its beginning at their conversion to its
consummation at their glorification. The title is rich in its certainty, for it
is attested by the crown of glory and honor upon the victor's brow. It is rich
in its promise, for it speaks not of a captain of defeat, but of "the captain of their salvation." His leadership
knows no failure. "Now thanks be unto God, which
always causeth us to triumph in Christ" (II Cor. 2:14).
"And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did
worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?" The
secret of Joshua's greatness, as that of all the men of God in Scripture, is
seen in his exercise Godward. Had we only the record of David's wanderings and
warfare, we would know him as a warrior, but we would not know the real David.
For this we must read his psalms and listen to the breathings of his soul in
trial, in penitence, in rejoicing, and in adoration. We would not know the real
Paul had we only the record of his journeys and not the intensely biographical
passages of II Corinthians and Philippians. Similarly, it is Joshua's humility
and worship before his Lord and obedience to Him that underlies his military
prowess and his consistent witness to the Lord's power.
Worship is that
unreserved homage of the creature which is to be rendered to the Creator alone;
it is the prostration of heart in the presence of Deity. The realization of that
presence should fill believing hearts with gladness; it must ever fill them with
awe. Worship springs from appreciation of the greatness of God, the wonders of
His attributes and ways, and, most of all, His revelation in His Son. With
Joshua, worship was no formal thing; its reality was attested by the
Completeness of His Submission.
Placing himself entirely at the disposal of the One before whom he lay
with his face on the earth, he sought at once to know His will. "What saith my lord unto his servant?" The
emphasis of the inquiry rests on the words, "my
lord." Like the apostle who saw the wounds in the body of the risen
Christ, gazed into His face, and spoke forth his adoration in the words, "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28), Joshua in the
address, "my lord," owned His claims upon
him. So it was through all those years of unfaltering allegiance till that day
when he said to the tribes, "Choose you this day
whom ye will serve, . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD"
(Josh. 24:15).
The path of blessing involves the active quest of the
will of God. It is the exercised heart that is the guided heart. Our modern age
is grievous because of the spiritual apathy of many who have been redeemed and
the wastage of talent, gift, and years since there is so little seeking of the
mind of God for His people's lives. The quest must be ceaseless. Had Joshua and
the leaders of Israel remembered their necessary dependence upon the divine
wisdom, they would not have been beguiled later by the Gibeonites, nor would it
have been written of them that "the men took of
their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD" (Josh.
9:14).
"And the captain of the LORD's
host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon
thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so" (Josh. 5:15). The first word of
the Man with the sword proclaimed the majesty of His own Person, and the second
the unfitness of His servant, in spite of his privilege, to stand in any
personal merit in His presence. The ground itself was holy because of the
infinite and eternal holiness of its Maker, who deigned to stand upon it.
Accordingly, Joshua must show his own unworthiness and the reverence due to such
august company by standing there with unshod feet. Not yet was a single word
spoken concerning the approaching warfare or concerning Jericho and its capture.
Joshua had sought his Lord's command. It had come, and he had obeyed at once.
Even so had the Angel of the LORD spoken to Moses at the bush, and that before
He proclaimed His purpose to deliver His people from Egypt. Only when Moses and
when Joshua stood unshod in that presence could they hear the revelation of the
divine will for the path that lay ahead. Herein may we find the cause of much of
our failure. We assay to meet the foe, but we go without God. We surround our
Jericho, but its walls mock our endeavor. Dispirited and embittered we turn from
the path that would have given most glory to our Leader, and seek an easier
task. But He looks for men who will stand in the secret of His presence and go
out to triumph in His name.
III. THE BLESSING -- THE
PROMISE OF VICTORY
Not till the servant was prepared for the
message of victory did the Captain unfold the way in which Jericho would be
taken. The sixth chapter of Joshua opens with a parenthesis touching the siege
of the doomed city, but the second verse of the chapter continues the words of
the Captain to Joshua. Here the narrative speaks of Him by the great name of
"the LORD," which is the LORD GOD, or JEHOVAH, for Joshua had
learned who He was, and had paid Him the homage which was due to none other.
Well did he know the command of Moses, "Thou
shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name"
(Deut. 6:13). Consider also Matthew 4:10 "Then
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."
"And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into
thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour"
(Josh. 6:2). "I HAVE GIVEN." It was
A Word of Absolute Power.
Nought could frustrate it. By His own act God cast down the walls of the
city, and "the people [Israel] went up into the city, every man straight before him,
and they took the city." (Josh. 6:20). "I
have given." It was the word of One who, long after, ere ascending from
Olivet to His throne, said, "All power is given
unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore . . . and, lo, I am with you
alway" (Matt. 28:18-20), and of One who, appearing in glory to John in
Patmos, spoke of Himself as "He that openeth,
and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth" (Rev. 3:7).
Does He not still speak to those who wait His holy will? Does He not say
of every obstacle that raises itself to oppose His sovereign sway, "I have given"? God means all His people to be
victorious, but not in their own strength. "The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling
down of strong holds" (II Cor. 10:4). When the presence of the living God
is known and honored, when His people have no truce with sin, when they bow in
adoring submission to His blessed will and learn to stand in humility and
reverence before Him to receive His bidding, then the highway to victory lies
open. It is theirs to go ahead, not in the tragedy of an incomplete obedience
such as Israel was made to mourn in Judges 2, but in implicit confidence in the
Captain of their salvation and in the wisdom of all that He commands.
"See, I have given."
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