Joshua 5 “What does my LORD say to His servant?”

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. (vv.13-15)

Here in chapter 5 Joshua has an encounter with what he thought to be just a man. This person stood opposite him, sword drawn in His hand causing Joshua to question him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” The answer came back, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (v.14a). In a sense, the Man refuses to answer Joshua’s question because it is not the right question, and it is not the most important question to be asked at the time. The question really wasn’t if the LORD was on Joshua’s side. The proper question was if Joshua was on the LORD’s side.

This was God Himself pulling rank on Joshua, who himself was a great military leader – but he was not the Commander in Chief. Yikes! He had to be thinking, what does that mean for me at this very moment. Joshua’s immediate reaction was exactly like those who encountered God or an Angelic representative before him (Abraham, Jacob, Moses), he fell on his face in awe and worshiped Him.

This is exactly where we need to be in our hearts when we approach God, prostrate, worshipful, paying honor due His name. Like Joshua and Moses before him, we need to remove our junk, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy” (v.15), when we approach God and listen for His direction in our lives in – where to go, what to say, what to do.

The Truth: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he may fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His right hand.” (Psalm 37:23-24)

Joshua 4 "Memorial Stones"

And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying: “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’” (vv.1-3)

When God’s people crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, He told their leader, Joshua, to choose 12 men, have each one take a stone from the middle of the river, and carry it to their campsite that night, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever” (vv.1-7).

We often fail in our trust in God because we forget the great things He has done, and often the faith of our children is weak because they have never been told how great God is and how real His working is in our lives. As followers of Christ, it’s good for us to have tangible evidence of God’s help in the past. Those mementos remind us that His faithfulness continues today, and we can follow Him confidently into the future. 

Our “stones” may also help others know that God’s hand is mighty, as they encourage us to fear the Lord our God forever (Josh. 4:24). 


The Truth: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 89:1)

Joshua 3 "God Exalts Joshua As Leader"

Now the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you.” (v.7)

God told Joshua that He was about to exalt him, not so the Israelites would know of Joshua's greatness, but rather that they would know the Lord was with him. Joshua was now leading people who were not alive to see the parting of the Red Sea. Most of them didn't know any life other than the wandering wilderness. They had not witnessed first-hand some of God's miraculous provision. So God was about to give them a sign that would remove any and all doubt of Joshua’s leadership.

As all of Israel stood in formation over half a mile away from the “ark of the covenant," the priests carried it to the overflowing Jordan River. Their faith was about to be tested in a task that required them to put their trust in God and the words He spoke through His servant Joshua, “When the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.” (v.13) Wow, instant credibility or not. 

It's a lot easier to be a leader, when the people you're leading trust you. Most leaders have to earn that trust over time, but God gave Joshua a huge endorsement here. For as the priests feet entered the Jordan, “the water rose up in one heap and the people crossed over opposite Jericho on dry ground.” (v.16) This miracle obviously connects with the miracle the nation experienced some 40 years earlier: the passing through the Red Sea. God brought the previous generation out of Egypt’s bondage with that miracle, and He now brings the current generation into the Promised Land with a similar miracle.

The application here for us is, fear fads when we trust God, and He will never ask you to go where He does not lead. Sometimes He'll use you to show His glory, other times He'll just remind you of His presence. No matter the situation, He is faithful to help you fulfill the tasks He gives you to complete.

The Truth: "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Psalm 32:8)

Joshua 2 "Rahab's Faith"

“For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (v.10-11)

Which is harder for God to do, conquer a city with thick, thirty-foot-high walls, or conquer the heart of one person? The answer, of course, is that neither but in the ancient city of Jericho, He did both.

Jericho stood in the Israelites’ path as they advanced into Canaan, and the people of Jericho were under God’s judgment for their gross immorality. He brought the walls down by His sovereign power without an arrow being fired. But, because God is also gracious, He opened the heart of a women there who seemed to be the least likely candidate for salvation.

Rahab, a harlot in Jericho, had heard about the approaching Hebrews and their great God who parted seas and flattened enemies on their behalf (v.10). Like the rest of her neighbors, Rahab feared this God. But hers was a different kind of fear (awe) – producing a belief in the God of Israel (2:11).

James 2:25 says Rahab’s faith was genuine because she acted on it by receiving and hiding the Israelite spies. Rahab’s faith was rewarded by the salvation of her entire family. She came to live in Israel, and even became part of Jesus’ lineage by marrying a man named Salmon and becoming the father of Boaz, David’s great-grandfather (Ruth 4:21; Matthew 1:5)

Because of her faith and God’s blessing on her, Rahab came to be highly regarded both by Jews and by Christians despite her former life as a prostitute.

The Truth: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Joshua 1 "God's Commission To Joshua"

“This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.” (v.8)

After the death of Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua saying, "Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them; the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you" (vv.2-5). 

After God's commission of and promise to Joshua (vv.2-5), came the conditions of the promise of victory, "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (vv.6-9).

What an incredible task for Joshua here. And yet, not once does he question God, he just obeys. He's told to study the "Book of Instruction" continuously, meditate on it day and night so that he knows it and can live by it, and he does just that. Without following God’s instructions, Joshua would have failed at leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. 

God’s “recipe for success” given to Joshua here can work for us too, but His idea of success has little to do with money or popularity, as the world defines success. Just as God called Joshua to walk in His ways, He wants us to “walk circumspectly, not as fools” in His Word as well (Eph. 5:15). And we can take comfort in that no matter how difficult that walk seems to be, just as God was with Joshua so too shall He be with us, never leaving us nor forsaking us. Then as we take courage in the Lord, feast on His Word, and obey Him, we have our recipe for godly success that’s better than anything we could cook up on our own.

Armor up!

The Truth: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-4)

Acts 28 "Paul Spends Two Years In Rome"

"Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” (v.30-31)

Paul spent more than two years at Caesarea waiting for his case to be resolved (Acts 24:27). Now he spent another two years in his own rented house waiting for his case to be heard before Caesar. He probably continued his work as a tentmaker (leatherworker) to supply the rent for his house (as in Acts 18:1-2 and 20:33-35). Paul was always a hard-working man. 

We also read that, "He received all who came to him." One example of someone who he received in Rome was a convert of Paul’s, a runaway slave named Onesimus (Philemon 1:10), who Paul told to go back to his master Philemon. Though Paul could not travel, he could teach and preach to all who came to him – and this he did (Preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence). He also wrote many letters; we have these two years of Roman custody to thank for the letters to the Ephesians, the Philippians, and the Colossians. These two years were obviously not wasted, and God didn’t waste Paul’s time in Rome. God never wastes our time, though we may waste it by not sensing His purpose for our lives at the moment.

As Paul came to Rome, the sea, the soldiers, and the snake all threatened his life. But God delivered him from them all. Through Paul, God shows that God’s man, fulfilling God’s will, cannot be stopped – though all kinds of difficulty may come in the way. Even the disbelief of some of the Jews – or anyone else’s rejection of Jesus – will not hinder the gospel. The gospel will go forth and find those who will believe.

Every story has an ending. But the great stories end with a new beginning. In the final chapter of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, the characters are invited “further up, further in” as the land of Narnia is restored. Lewis writes;

“The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this, the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” (C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle)

Just as one adventure leads to another in the Narnia series, so Paul’s story is not over. Even though the book itself comes to an abrupt end, another story is about to begin. The Epistles are loaded with more chronicles, if you will, on the life and ministry of this faithful servant of God.

The Truth: His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ (Matthew 25:21)

Acts 27 "Peace In The Storm"

“For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, Saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.”(v.23-26)

Here in our text, God sent an angelic messenger to Paul to bring good, encouraging news when all else seemed hopeless. This wasn’t a direct appearance of Jesus (as in Jerusalem, Acts 23:11), but of an angel who said to Paul, "Do not be afraid. Indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you." 

There was a reason Paul needed to hear this. He was afraid in the storm, for both himself and those with him. Paul knew he would make it to Rome because God promised it. Yet in the storm (here, a literal storm) it was easy to doubt and Paul needed the assurance from God for the safety of everyone on the ship.

Paul then turns to all on board this sinking ship and says, "take heart, men. I believe God that it will be just as it was told me." He couldn’t keep this hope to himself. He had to pass it on to both the believers on board the ship and to those who had not yet believed. Paul’s confident word to the troubled sailors on a storm-tossed ship express the essence of what it means to put our faith in God and His Word. God said it to Paul (through an angel) and Paul said to everyone on board, “I believe God.”

Notice what Paul said here, “I believe God.” He didn’t say, “I believe in God.” Every demon in hell agrees with the existence of God. Paul declared his total confidence in God’s knowledge of his situation and His promise in his situation. Paul believed God when there was nothing else to believe. He couldn’t believe the sailors, the ship, the sails, the wind, the centurion, human ingenuity or anything else – only God. Paul’s unshakable confidence in God made him a leader among men, even though he was a prisoner of Rome.

Finally Paul says, "However, we must run aground on a certain island." This was mixed news, and in these circumstances to run aground might be fairly called to shipwreck. Paul essentially said, “We’re all going to shipwreck on an unknown island, but everyone will be alright.” A certain island means that God did not tell Paul everything about what was going to happen. Paul had to trust that God knew which island they would run aground on, even if Paul didn’t know.


When the storms of life hit, we like Paul must place our trust in the Lord and cling firmly to the sure promises of His Word. Our confidence in God should be so steadfast that no matter how severe the trial, like Job we can affirm, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" (Job 13:15). 

The Truth: “To those who trust Him, He gives His "perfect peace" (Isaiah 26:3)

Acts 26 “Almost Persuaded”

“Then King Agrippa said to Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian” (v.28)

In the previous chapter we saw that the Jews asked Festus for Paul to be returned to Jerusalem, so they might try him under Jewish Law. But Paul, being warned of a plot to kill him (while on the road to Jerusalem), requested of Festus to be judged by Caesar (25:11)

Now in chapter 26 Paul is still being held by Festus awaiting his audience before Caesar. Festus, wishing to have something to report to Caesar of Paul’s case, explained it to king Agrippa, who had come to Caesarea to visit saying; “When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about one, Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.”

Upon hearing this king Agrippa agreed to here Paul - who uses the opportunity not only to defend his position but to witness to all present testifying, “that Christ would be the first to rise from the dead” (v.23). King Agrippa upon hearing his testimony replied, “Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian” (v.28). However, king Agrippa then stood up and ended the proceedings (v.30).

By standing up, King Agrippa II was declaring that his part of the proceedings was over.  Paul would not testify any further on that particular day, before this minor king. Sadly though, by ending the proceedings, he was refusing to hear any more about the Lord. 

Jesus Christ died for kings, just like he did for you and me. He loves us no matter what our station in life is. Agrippa, was "almost" persuaded to receive the Lord but, “Almost” isn't enough. 

The Truth: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)