Joshua 5:14 –
“Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”
A man appeared before Joshua with a sword and Joshua asked him if he was friend or foe. The response of “neither” is interesting when you think about it. Israel is God’s chosen people and God is saying he is neither friend nor foe. Why is that? Why would God appear before Joshua, before taking the Promised Land and not take sides? If God is not a friend of the Israelites than what is his purpose for choosing them?
This gets deep real quick since we take the attitude that God is our “buddy”. I like to think of God as a Drill Instructor from Parris Island. As a new recruit these men are not your enemy, but neither are they your friend. Their goal is to shape you to become a great Marine not to be your friend. God is similar; He is not here to submit to us as friend or foe, but us to Him. Our “walk” with God takes many turns and twists along the way and God is looking for us to submit to Him and not the other way around. If we live in disobedience we will find God opposing us, just as we find His help when walking in his will.
God is not our “best bud” but our “father in heaven.” Just because he is not a “friend” does not mean He does not have unconditional love for us. There is a huge difference there and we need to embrace it. God is love and sometime love is “tough” whether we like it or not. “Tough love” doesn’t mean God is a foe either; we are getting what we need. We need to accept God as our leader and not a friend, it makes a huge difference in how you approach him; be it on your knees or distracted driving.
Before I leave I just wanted to comment on the man with a sword Joshua is talking with. Who is he? Some say this “man” is God himself becoming a person before Joshua. Others say he is an angel of the Lord bringing Joshua a message from God. While others believe he is Christ in person before Joshua. I think it could be any one, but is all God either way. First God personified in this world was Christ, so if it was God then this man could easily be Christ. If an angel, then it could be a spirit sent by God or a spirit OF God. Who knows it’s just cool when you think about being in front of God like that.