Commander

Josh 5:14a "So He said, 'No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.' And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped...".

Joshua was near Jericho and he spotted a Guy in the distance. This Guy was ready for battle with His sword drawn. Now Joshua was no wimp. God had told him not to be afraid and he wasn't. He boldly went up to this Guy and asked a pointed question: "Are You for us or against us?" Joshua wanted to know if this Guy was going to oppose them or was He going to fight with the children of Israel? I am guessing that if this Guy said that He was going to fight for the other side, Joshua may have had an issue with that and who knows what he would do…maybe take Him on right there…right then.

This Guy's response: "I am the Commander of the army of the Lord and I have come." The word for Commander means prince, captain, chief, and get this: "Ruler of rulers". This was no ordinary guy. This was no human warrior. This was One who was in charge of all of the armies of heaven who ruled over all. And Joshua was looking at Him face to face. Joshua's response? Worship. He fell on his face and did something that only God deserves. I am sure that Joshua remembered the commandments that God gave to Moses: "You shall have no other gods before Me."…so what was he doing worshiping this Commander? He was worshiping God. He was worshiping the visible God. He was worshiping God who appeared in the flesh. He was worshiping Jesus. And Jesus came.

Nothing has changed. Jesus is the Commander of all of the armies of heaven. Jesus is the Ruler of rulers…and Jesus alone deserves our worship because He is God. The thing is, the Commander of the armies of heaven came to deliver Joshua and the children of Israel, and He has come to deliver us. Like I said, nothing has changed. This blows me away. The Commander of the armies of heaven, the Ruler of rulers came. He came to earth. My wife and I just read it last night. He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself of no reputation and took on Himself the form of a servant and He humbled Himself and became obedient and died on a cross. Unreal. The Commander of the armies of heaven came. The One who alone deserves our worship came. The One we should fall on our faces in front of came…and walked with men, and talked with men, and taught men, and laughed with men, and cried with men, and encouraged men and died for mankind.

He needs to command my life and I need to worship Him. Nothing has changed.