Dear Ones:
God reveals Himself to the heart and mind of an individual or a people according to their need.
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: 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.” (Joshua 5:13,14)
Joshua was about to begin the campaign to conquer Canaan and was camped near Jericho. God came and revealed Himself to Joshua as the captain of the host of the Lord. The Lord came as Captain of the situation. He came exactly when needed, “as captain of the host of the LORD am I NOW come.”
“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.” (Joshua 5:15)
Remember that God had instructed Moses in the same way. (Exodus 3:5) God also revealed Himself to Isaiah in this manner. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:1-3)
It was imperative that Joshua grasp what God was seeking to reveal to him. God called him to see Him as He is, in His uniqueness, His holiness, His perfection and His beauty. So it is with all of God’s servants. We are never to lose the perspective that as He is, we are to be in this world. This is only possible as we depend wholly upon Him. submit to Him without reserve, and give Him all the glory for what He does.
As Edmond Budry wrote in “Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son“:
“Thine be the glory, Risen, Conquering Son
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hath won.”
With the revelation of God to the heart, there is the calling by God not only to believe, but to obey. When the Lord spoke to Gideon and revealed Himself, He also declared, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.” (Judges 6:11,12) As was the case with Joshua, so it is with Gideon. God reveals Himself and seeks to evoke the response of faith, and the commitment to obey. Gideon had some difficulty believing it was actually God who was speaking to him, but when that matter was settled. he responded in faith and obedience. Again as with Joshua, so with Gideon, there followed the manifestation of the glory of God as each man went from victory to victory.
Edith G. Cherry (1872-1897)
Edith G. Cherry wrote in “We Rest on Thee“:
“Yea, in Thy Name, O Captain of salvation;
In Thy dear Name, all other names above;
Jesus our Righteousness, our sure Foundation,
Our Prince of glory, and our King of love.
We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling;
And needing more each day Thy grace to know,
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing;
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.”
Listen: “We Rest on Thee”Today may the Captain of our salvation the Lord Jesus, lead us. May our hearts rejoice in Him who is the Author and Finisher of our faith and may we believe Him to reveal in us His victory. After all, He IS the God, the Lord, of Joshua and of Gideon. He is OUR King and Conqueror to trust and obey, and we are His.
Also from “We Rest on Thee“:
“We rest on Thee, our Shield and Our Defender:
Thine is the battle, Thine shall be the praise.”
Have a wonderful, rejoicing day in Christ.
Love,
Dad