Poise

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘”Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” (Joshua 5:13-14).

Perhaps it’s just me, but I find the picture that this account produces in my head awe inspiring. Joshua is to me a picture of a complete and very capable man of faith – a truly humbling image – especially by today’s standards.

I was first overwhelmed by his readiness, in any capacity, to boldly react to this man that stood in his way with a drawn sword – including falling facedown in reverence when he realized that the man was in fact the commander of the army of the Lord. But beyond that, I was equally humbled by his eagerness to take orders from the Lord.

His example causes me to realize that Joshua lived from revelation to revelation. He obviously dealt with times when God was silent, and looked forward with anxiety and excitement to each new message from the Lord. He longed for the promise land that God was leading him and the children of Israel to, and perhaps even hoped for the future redeemer.

In sharp contrast, I suspect you can drive down any street in the country today confident that within almost every home you pass is at least one copy of the scriptures – including the Gospels. And, while the message that Joshua so longed for is available now in its totality, most don’t even refer to it. The fact is, Joshua in heaven most likely laments over the richness of God’s blessings through the risen Son of God and the Scriptures that are in our possession, and marvels at our lack of interest. It makes me think of my days living in the mountains. I soon became so accustomed to the spectacular views that they no longer inspired as they initially did. But when I moved away to flat ground, I suddenly longed for those views.

I discovered in fact that I can write an endless river of thoughts regarding how Joshua, with incomplete information, shames us; and would have welcomed the day that he could actually hold in his hands the revelations and truths that we do. But, such thoughts are truly grievous and return me to the same haunting conclusion that I am compelled to lay at the feet of every committed believer: Should we who believe not rise each day, open the scriptures and earnestly pray,

“What message does my Lord have for his servant?”