This Is Your Captain Speaking. Again.

“We have the pastor, the fellowship, and God as our Captain.” (Dr. Lowell Hawthorne)

In identifying God as part of our support system, Dr. Hawthorne alluded to a powerful representation of Christ that we find in the Old Testament.

“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?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5:13-15)

As we continue reading through the next few chapters of Joshua, we see that the Lord gave Joshua very specific instructions concerning the role of the community in achieving and maintaining victory. Sadly, the actions of one individual brought judgement on the entire community.

“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.” (Joshua 7:1).

I think it is this verse that helps us to answer a question scholars sometimes ask: Why would the Lord say He was not on anyone’s side (5:14)? As commander of the armies of heaven, our Lord executes the will of God in the earth. If people, even God’s people, work in opposition to His will, then He is not obligated to support us in our sinfulness.

Ancient Israel experienced this as they lost the battle in Ai (Joshua 7:2-5) and worked through the difficult process of having to participate in the judgement of God. In obedience to His command, the community destroyed the stolen goods, Achan, and all that belonged to Achan.

Last night during our School of Prayer class, Reverend Newton Gabbidon and Pastor Sam also spoke of the word of God as the catalyst that moves the community. Like Achan, there may be persons in our fellowship who have chosen to harbor or cling to objects and persons that God has deemed accursed. And like Achan, if we choose to hold onto things that God has told us to release, then we will remain bound to that curse. And like the unnamed man in First Corinthians 5, remaining bound to accursed things will ultimately result in our own destruction.

Let us obey the word of God. “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.” (Second Corinthians 6:17)

Lord, we know that You are not obligated to be on our side when we live in opposition to Your word. Give us wisdom to remove the accursed things from our lives, so that we might live victoriously.