Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, he raised his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing 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 enemies?” He said, “No; rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” And the captain of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (13-15)
This event is what we call a “Christophany,” or a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God in the Old Testament. Jesus is God, and the Son of God has always existed; He is co-eternal and co-existent with the Father. We sometimes think that the Son of God first appeared in Bethlehem, but His earthly presence is often seen in the Old Testament in the person of the “Angel of the Lord” or the “Captain of the Lord of Hosts.” He has always existed, and He was with the nation of Israel throughout all of their wanderings. Even when God could not be physically seen, they experienced His presence in the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. As the ark went before them, the very presence of God went before them, overwhelming their enemies and drying up the Jordan so they could cross over to Jericho on dry land. Now, as Joshua is scouting the city and preparing his battle plans, the Son of God appears to him in bodily form and tells him to take off his shoes because he is standing on holy ground.
One of my favorite hymns was written by Fanny Crosby in 1875. The first verse of All the Way My Savior Leads Me says, “All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt His tender mercy, Who through life has been my Guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.” Her lyrics capture the spirit of this moment as Joshua comes face to face with the one who has led him his entire life. Joshua had experienced God as Moses’ assistant, and he had witnessed God’s presence along the journey. But now, when He needed Him most, the Son of God shows up face to face to instruct him on the battle plans for tomorrow. As a child of God, you can rest assured that Christ’s presence is always with you. He might be more visible on some days than others, but we can know, as Joshua did, that He is always there. The most exciting moment will be that moment when we see Him face to face. Like Joshua, I am sure that we will fall on our face to the holiest of ground. As Fanny said, “When my spirit, clothed immortal, Wings its flight to realms of day, This my song through endless ages: Jesus led me all the way.”
