Angelic Encounter: Joshua Learns Victory Comes by Submission (Radio Show: May 11, 2025)

Joshua 5:13–15 NASB95

Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up 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 adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The captain of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

In OT Joshua is the son of Nun; Moses’ assistant and leader of the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan after Moses’ death. Before the conquest, Joshua had this surprise encounter with this angel. Imagine the shock of about to enter into battle and seeing an angel with a “sword drawn in his hand”?

The question Joshua asks is appropriate from a human perspective. However, it is not the most important question, for the angel answers “No” when Joshua asks “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” The more important question is “Whose side are we on?”

God does not make an alliance with humans until they submit to His authority. This is what Joshua did. What more can we learn from Joshua’s encounter?

Our Life Questions Are Less Important than Submitting to God

Humans seek comfort, and while it is not wrong to experience it, and God does give it, we need to understand what is of prime importance. It is not discerning if God is for or against based on our circumstances, but do we submit to God regardless of our circumstances.

Joshua was seeking the comfort of support from this threatening incidence. Although the angel had drawn a sword, he meant Joshua no harm. But, he wanted to remind what is most important going into battle. That God is sovereign and gives the victory to those who submit to him.

“What Do You Want Me to Do Lord?”

Now that the angel has probed the heart of Joshua with his drawn sword and seemingly neutral response, Joshua gets the idea that the better question is “What has my lord to say to his servant?” This he asks after he “fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down.” We can only ask the most important questions to life after we give up control to God. In our anxiousness of trying to live life under the control of what we believe it should be, the most important questions allude us; thereby, robbing us of the joy that God can give alone. Therefore, we must fall on our faces and bow down before the Almighty in complete surrender and submission.

Instead of frantically seeking answers to our questions, may we bow down before God and listen to Him through the reading of the word. Let us ask the same question that Joshua did, “What has God to say to me?” There, we will find the support and peace we long to have. And then we can ask the most important questions first, while also making requests to God through the avenue of prayer, as Paul writes.

Philippians 4:6–7 NASB95

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Reverence Above All Is What We Must Show

The angel of the Lord asks Joshua to “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” This brings shades of Moses at the burning bush. If Joshua was going to lead God’s people like Moses, he must first show reverence. The writer of Hebrews accords with the angels command.

Hebrews 12:28 NASB95

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

Reverence and awe are like two sides of the same coin. “Reverence” is a feeling of profound respect towards God while “awe” is an overwhelming feeling of fearful wonder towards Him.

The angel’s drawn sword and commanding presence cause Joshua to fall face down and bow low knowing that the angel was from God. And he also obeys God’s command to to remove his sandals in order to cultivate further reverence and awe within his heart.

Victory Is Found in Submission

This encounter with Joshua was necessary before he would lead the Israelites and himself into victory and gain the promise land. All of God’s NT promises give us victory in the spiritual battles of life. However, we must first do as Joshua did, before we have the strength to fight. The last words of our choice text reads “Joshua did so.” We must be doing submission and reverence. Submission and reverence begin when we position our hearts so they align with God’s will. If we do not align our hearts and minds with God’s will then we cannot win the battles of life. However, if we fall down before God in total submission and surrender, we can...

Remain sober in thought. 1 Peter 5:8–9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

Resist temptation. James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Find a way of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

Keep God’s commands. 1 John 5:1–4 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

If you are losing the battles of life, be certain Jesus wants you to win. For we read in 1 John 5:5 “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” To overcome sin, we will need both the grace of forgiveness and transformation. God wants to work in us and that begins with believing the gospel message. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is very the Son of God, God in the flesh? Do you believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? If so, repent of your sin, confess your faith and be baptized into Christ for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). This is one’s initial show of submission and reverence unto God. But it doesn’t end there. Everyday thereafter, one must be like Joshua when he encountered the angel of the Lord. Let us make make a complete surrender. And instead of living how we want and asking the wrong questions first, let us ask God, “What do you want me to do?” Then we can when the battles of life, like Joshua and Israel of old.