Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Mar 13th, 2021 The Place Whereon Thou Standest Is Holy – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Joshua 5 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Thessalonians 1 – 3; Proverbs 13; Psalms 61 – 65)

Read the “0313 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” (Joshua 5:13-15)

Joshua was getting ready to bring Israel against the city of Jericho, when he saw a man with His sword in His hand, ready to fight. Joshua asked Him a simple question: are you for us or our our adversaries? This was not a yes/no question, but the man said nay: no. No? Wait, are you for us or them? Nay; but as Captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua found himself in the same place as Moses…

“Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.” (Exodus 3:1-6)

And Joshua fell down with his face to the earth. And Joshua received the same command as Moses: take your shoes off, the place you stand on is holy. And Joshua did so. And in chapter 6, we see the Lord giving Joshua His plan for the destruction of Jericho.

Have you come up against a wall in trying to serve God? A problem with your Sunday School class? Trouble with local government? Maybe it’s time to look for the Guy with the sword…

1) Seek Jesus First.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

2) Do As He Instructed.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.” (Joshua 6:2-5)

3) When The Wall Falls, Move Forward.

“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.” (Joshua 6:20)

Is the work you are doing for the Lord? It is not your work, but His. He is standing right in front of you with His sword drawn, ready to get you through the wall. But, how can He if you are not relying on Him? Remember what Jesus said: without Me ye can do nothing.

Peace.