Joshua 5:13-15: Not Whose Side, But Whose Plan?

Joshua 5:13-15 — Before the Battle, Joshua Had to Submit

In life, we face battles, not often literal ones, but battles to accomplish what we believe God wants us to do. We may feel discouraged when things aren't going well. Is it really up to us to figure out how to fix everything so we can accomplish our task? Perhaps God simply wants us to acknowledge Him first. What if His main priority is not to support us in our journey but for us to confess that it is His will not ours that comes first?

In the book of Joshua, we read that Joshua has become the leader of the people of Israel after the death of Moses. It is he they will follow into the Promised Land, for this was their calling from God. The first key city to defeat was Jericho. Fortified with great walls, it seemed impenetrable.

As Joshua looks at the city of Jericho, no doubt he wondered how they would defeat it. Without major siege weapons and carrying only swords, how would they succeed? Before Joshua learned how God would give the victory, he had to understand that the battle belonged to God and that he was the Lord's servant.

Joshua Had to Learn Whose Side He Was On

Joshua 5:13-15 details the story of what happened before God shared His plans with Joshua. Joshua looked up and saw a man with a drawn sword. Who could he be? Then Joshua asked an important question, one that perhaps anyone would naturally ask, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:13).

The man's response seemed unusual. "No," he simply says. I am for neither. He is not at the beck and call of anyone. He does not take a side no matter who the person asking is. The man continues and declares, "but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." This is no ordinary man. He takes no side except the Lord's. Joshua must stop asking whether God is on his side and recognize that he is the one who must be on God's side. God is fighting for Israel, but Israel must fight God's way.

Is God on Our Side, or Are We on His?

When we face problems accomplishing what we feel is the Lord's will, do we expect God to always support the plans we have made? Do we assume that the will of God is always ours? Instead, as Joshua will learn, we need to be willing to submit to the Lord's plan.

Joshua, realizing who he is speaking to, falls down in worship before Him and replies, "What does my Lord say to His servant?” First, Joshua realizes this is no mere man speaking before him. He worships Him. Angels don't accept worship, only God. Many scholars agree this is what is known as a Christophany. A Christophany is a pre-incarnate revelation of Jesus. Only Jesus can command the armies of God (Revelation 19:11-14).

Joshua doesn't hurry to tell God his plans to defeat Jericho. He doesn't complain about the problems he is facing. What Joshua does is listen. He submits to God's authority over him. When Jericho falls to the Israelites, as God had promised, it will be God's way, not Joshua's. It will be through God's power, not Joshua and not his armies. There will be no victory for Joshua, or for us, until we learn to surrender everything in true worship (2 Chronicles 20).

Is God on our side or are we on His? Joshua's encounter teaches us submission. We must always pray, believing that God will answer. But His answer will be His will and may not always be our desire. Like Peter telling Jesus He would not die, the thought was well intentioned but certainly not God's will (Matthew 16:22).

What Does a Servant Do? Listen and Obey

By calling himself a servant, Joshua is exhibiting the heart of obedience. A servant does not come to his master with instructions. He listens for his master's commands. Now he understands that he must follow the Lord's plans and not his own to be successful in battle. God has spoken, are we listening? Today, are we continually going down different paths trying to be successful, all the while not acknowledging God's control over our lives?

Joshua is a leader. For those in leadership roles in our churches, schools, and government, this event highlights the importance of listening. We listen to God so as not to worry. We listen so we can be focused. We listen and acknowledge our place before God and His will.

Humility before God is necessary to serve Him. And even as a leader, Joshua tells the Lord He is his servant. This is the key to successful leadership. But listening to God does not mean that we do nothing. It means that we act in obedience while trusting Him with the outcome.

The Battle Belongs to God, but We Still Must Obey

We may feel as if we are alone in our struggles, but here Joshua is reminded of what Moses spoke in Exodus 14:14, "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." David knew this when he approached Goliath and boldly said, "the battle is the Lord's" (1 Samuel 17:47). David still had to face Goliath, but he knew the outcome did not depend on human strength. Zechariah 4:6 echoes the same theme, "‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts."

What did the Commander say to Joshua? He told him to, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” Taking off your shoes was an outward physical expression of the inward humility, respect, and submission that Joshua was experiencing. The ground was holy because it was here that Joshua was confronted by the Holy One of Israel. Joshua did not hesitate but did as he was told.

How often do we treat God with the humility and respect that only He is worthy of? In our hurry, we may think of Him more as an afterthought than as the Most High. We may forget that His ways are far above ours. God's direction for us may surprise us.

To face challenges we need to be as spiritually prepared as Joshua. We need to be as courageous as he was. His courage didn't come from believing in his own abilities but in knowing he was following God's will in humble submission. We need to believe in miracles like he did.

Jericho did not fall in a normal battle. The fall of Jericho was a miraculous act of God carried out by his faithful, obedient servant Joshua. Joshua 6 recounts God's instructions for defeating Jericho. Those fortified walls that Joshua saw would fall due to a mighty trumpet blast and a loud shout after seven days of Israel's armies circling the city. Jericho was then destroyed and burned.

God had already told Joshua in Joshua 1:9 that He would always be with him. He had no need to give in to fear or discouragement. We have the same promise today. God is always with us.

How Do We Recognize God's Presence Today?

But like Joshua, we have to recognize that God is present. How do we do that? We may suddenly experience a peace and a calmness in the midst of a struggle, a Bible verse or a hymn may suddenly come to mind, or a conviction that you need to let go of unforgiveness or make a different choice—all of these can be God at work. We can sense God in the beauty of nature around us or in the loving help of a Christian friend. There are many ways God can remind us of His presence.

Submission Means Trusting God With the Outcome

We may not encounter the Lord in the same visible way Joshua did, but we are still called to recognize His authority through His Word and submit ourselves to His will. We don't just stop at recognition, though. We obediently submit. Our life is not our own anymore if we are a Christian. That is not just a cute phrase we throw around; that is our way of life. We may not even want to submit. But when we die to self and make Jesus our true Lord then submission becomes our new life.

A friend once shared her experience with me. She had prayed that her son would return to the Lord. He had strayed in major ways and landed in prison. She kept trying to talk to him about God but with little response. She finally realized through prayer and submission that God would take care of it His way. She backed away, and then, in God's own way and God's own timing, her son returned to the God of his youth.

And as Joshua discovered, a life led by the will of God can lead to miracles we can only imagine. A surrendered life puts the outcome in God's hands. God may do what we could never accomplish ourselves. It can lead to success, not worldly success, but spiritual success. It can lead to a Savior who welcomes us with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" Oh, to be that blessed.

Recognition of God and submission to Him is the lesson learned by Joshua. So many centuries later it is still the lesson God would have us understand. We trust always that God's way is not just the best way, but the only way. Joshua learned that he wasn't so much in need of a battle plan as he was in need of submitting to God's plan.