Whether in friendly competition or the fields of war, it is human nature for us to choose sides. Living in the southern United States, it is in our blood perhaps more than anywhere else in the country. Ever since some misguided rebels attempted to secede from the Union, we have fought over everything from local elections to college football on Saturday afternoons.
It is hard to imagine not picking sides and fighting for what we believe in. For many of us, every day is a struggle that requires us to strap on the gloves and go toe to toe with stressful circumstances that try to get the best of us.The side we choose in these trying times is ultimately our own.
In Joshua 5:13-15, the heroic Hebrew general had been given the daunting task of following a legend. After Moses’ death, all Joshua had to go on was a promise from God Himself that he would lead a nation of former slaves and wanderers into a land to call their own.
Before heading into a ferocious battle with the people of Jericho, this passage states that Joshua was confronted by a man facing him with a sword in his hand. That is the posture of conflict. Joshua was a hardened warrior and not a man to be trifled with.
Joshua asked this man if he were a friend or foe. “Whose side are you on?”
The reply: “Neither.” Come again?
Standing on the precipice of an epic battle, was it possible not to be on either side? The answer comes further when the man reveals that He is the commander of the Lord’s army.
The fearsome Joshua hit his knees is reverent fear and asked this heavenly Commander what He would have Joshua do. Then, another odd reply:
“Take off your sandals. For this is holy ground.”
Not to sharpen your swords and spears or review the terrain with the military brass, but to humble yourself and revere the moment before conquest as holy. Special. Awesome.
God was not on Joshua’s side, or Jericho’s. He is on His own side.
God’s plans and purposes are the center of Creation, not us. It was not up to Joshua to ask God to join Israel in battle, but for Israel to join God in His desire for the future. I cannot count the number of times I have figured my life out and asked God to bless my efforts, then sorted people and circumstances out based on whose side they appeared to be on. If it favored me, they are friend. Stand in my way, they were the enemy.
God doesn’t choose sides. We do. He stands in our way with the sword of His Word confronting us about our motives and desires. It is then our choice to lay down our self interest and pride in order to join Him in His cause.
In Isaiah 55:9 God reminds us that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own. We must not line each other up as friend or foe but see where we line up in God’s plans. The moment before battle yet to be waged under the Lord’s banner, not our own, is an incredibly awesome thing to be revered. It is in that moment that real, genuine victory comes.
Whose side are you on?
Ryan Revolution