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.
Joshua 5:13-15
Has you ever had anything happen to you that didn’t make sense? What happens when God doesn’t answer our prayers or answers in an undesirable way? Or have you prayed for something for yourself and a friend got what you desired instead? How do you feel about God when something like that happens?
I recently listened to a sermon by Kent Dobson which included the above passage. He had an interesting observation. Isn’t the Lord on Israel’s side and against those in Jericho and Canaan? Certainly the Lord was fighting for Israel (through his power, Jericho and other cities were conquered), but does that mean he’s on Israel’s “side”? This passage seems to indicate that God doesn’t pick sides.
Why does God do what he does? God certainly loves us and wants what’s best for us. However, he isn’t looking out for just me individually. What if fulfilling my desires harms someone else? What if making me happy doesn’t bring about his greater goals for the world? Am I able to accept that I won’t get something good because there may be something larger at stake? What if he brings pain into my life? Can I accept that he is still in control and knows what he is doing when it seem like he broke something? Is God truly good all the time?It’s easy to assume that God is on my side and against that of my enemies. They are the “bad guys”, and I’m one of “good guys”, right? Of course, how many people in history would actually categorize themselves as one the “bad guys”?
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
Isaiah 55:9
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”