Day 82: God’s Battle Orientation for Israel

Today we read Joshua 1-5 and Psalm 123. This story picks up as the second generation from Exodus prepares to cross the Jordan River to participate in God’s battle. In Joshua 2:22 we get this sense when the spies say their enemies are afraid of them and that this is a fight between Israel and Canaan. Then when Joshua himself in verse 5:13 says to what is described as a man with a drawn sword in his hand, “are you for us or our enemies?” And in air quotes, this man says “neither.” The man says, “but as commander for the army of the Lord, I have come.” This too points out the dislocation of thinking and the reorientation by the Angel of the Lord. The battle is God’s. He is the architect of victory and He is sending the one that will crush the adversary, the agent of chaos, the Satan. The people of Israel must remember, obey, and keep oriented in their role in the story as representatives for God, He is not our representative in a fight between us and others.

Resources:

Dr. Tim Mackie and Jon Collins (Feb. 2020) 8 minutes 48 seconds. Overview Joshua Summary. Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/joshua/

Matthew Whitman (Jan 2023). Bible06 - Joshua (13 minutes) The Ten Minute Bible Hour https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bible06-joshua/id1031363405?i=1000593370538 

 

Credits:

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.