The Lord's Army.

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Joshua 5: 13 to 15)

After crossing the river Jordan, the people of Israel kept their first Passover in Canaan as described below.

While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. (Joshua 5: 10 to 12)

So, to enter Canaan, God commanded Israelites to consecrate themselves first, then follow the ark carried by the priests to step into the river. The water of Jordan was cut off from flowing, and stood in one heap. After crossing over the river on dry land, God commanded them to set up the Memorial Stones to remind them and their descendants of what God had done. Then God commanded them to be circumcised. After the Passover, there was no longer manna for them, but the fruit of the land of Canaan. Now, God called them the army of the Lord and sent them a commander. It was quite an honor and accomplishment for the people of Israel to be called the army of the Lord. It's all because that unlike their fathers who were full of rebelliousness, they were willing to be obedient to follow God's every command. Even when there was no more manna, nobody complained or panicked. It showed that they were not only obedient but also had faith. It's described by Moses as below.

“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.” (Deuteronomy 8: 2 to 6)

So, it took them 40 years to overcome the anxiety for bread and clothing to become the army of the Lord. Jesus also taught his disciples as described below.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6: 25 to 33)

To become the army of the Lord, we need to have faith. To have faith, we need to overcome our anxiety for life. To do so, we need Jesus as described below.

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6: 32 to 35)

So, only with Jesus as our savior, we can prevail in life. Immanuel.