 Who’s the Boss?
So much of our lives seem to be spent trying to achieve some level of control. We want stability and assurance that everything is going to be ok and leads us to look for ways to seize control. Even many of our dangers and debilitating problems stem from us over emphasizing control in one area because so much of our lives seems out of control. Addictions, compulsive behaviors, even many behavioral disorders are a response to a fear of being vulnerable or abused. The irony is that the only way to truly gain freedom over this kind of devastating anxiety and cultivate true self control is through surrendering to the Lord. There are two sides to this coin. First, each of us must surrender our goals, dreams, plans, and hopes to the sovereign, providential plan of God. He knows our hearts and His own purposes and He will bring about His desired ends. This means that we must trust even when we cannot see or understand the point or advantage in our present circumstances. Faith is defined by God as surety in our hope and certainty without sight (Hebrews 11:1-6). The second point is that this faith is active. We are not supposed to sit by in idleness, awaiting a lightning bolt of holiness. Instead, we should shoot for thriving in active obedience to our king Jesus and in pursuit of holiness provided by Him for us. Our goal is not to possess but to experience (Hebrews 12:12-14). Because of this, we must recognize the Lordship of Jesus and seek to submit ourselves to Him joyfully. The fruit of this glad surrender is received from the Holy Spirit, and one aspect of this fruit is the very self control we need and want (Galatians 5:22-25). Sabaoth Just before Israel was about to go out and defeat Jericho through the miraculous victory provided by the Lord, Joshua had an encounter with an armed man near the doomed city (Joshua 5:13-15). Joshua inquired as to the allegiance of this mighty warrior, whether He was on the side of Israel or their enemies. He answered that He was the commander of the army of the LORD. As I read this passage, I have a couple of questions. First, isn’t Joshua the commander of the LORD’s army? I mean the army of humans known as the Israelites or the Hebrews. But that, of course, would lead us to quickly conclude that this man must be speaking of a greater and higher army. This army is the host of heaven. As this realization comes upon Joshua he falls to the earth and “worships” the man. Both the Hebrew word and the Greek word used in the LXX mean to prostrate oneself or to bow down. The picture here is one of submission, reverence, and humility. The most interesting point though is that at other times when angelic beings show up and the prophets or apostles try to “worship” them, they will immediately tell prophets to get up for only God is worthy of that reverential treatment (Revelation 22:8-9). However, this Man does not reject this humble submission. Instead He tells Joshua to remove his sandals because this is a holy place, which is reminiscent of Yahweh’s personal interaction with Moses through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4-6). All of this leads me to one conclusion, and if you have read this blog carefully you may have noticed that I have been capitalizing the references to this Man, because it seems to me that this commander of the LORD’s army is none other than Jesus Himself. The true deliverer and Savior is here to again win the battle for His people. But notice, Israel still had to go up in active victory over Jericho even though the battle clearly belongs to the LORD. My point is simply this, just as the LORD gave Israel the victory over Jericho they still had an active role to play in obedience as they took the city. For us, even though Jesus gave us victory over sin, self and satan, we must still pursue this holiness not to possess it but to experience it with our whole being. Since Christ is King, let us surely and certainly obey Him!
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