Holiness

Holiness

Read and reflect on Joshua Chapter 5 today.

Joshua 5:13-15 “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. (NIV)

Joshua was out doing reconnaissance or scouting out Jericho and the new promised Holy Land when he comes upon this visiting commander of God’s armies. I find it interesting that for generations the pagan peoples had been trooping around on God’s holy ground in complete spiritual darkness. They weren’t going through the symbolic gestures of taking off their sandals in reverence to a Holy God, but Joshua was implicitly instructed to make the gesture of respect toward a Holy God. Joshua was going to follow here. Joshua had to acquiesce to God; he had to recognize God’s gift of a ‘holy land’ to a people he was leading and teaching to be holy. Joshua had to understand and accept God’s holy nature. That is the nature of following God well. Joshua followed at the same time he was leading. How are you doing at filling yourself up with following God? Joshua followed instructions to the tiniest detail. The smallest gesture or detail could make all the difference this week, pay close attention. Is God asking you to remove your shoes?

Blessings,

Ellen