Good morning. This morning we are going to take another look at a children’s song. Last week we looked at Be Careful Little Eyes What You See. And this week, we are going to have the kids lead us in The Lord’s Army! Please join in with us, and feel free to take part in the motions as well.
I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o’er the enemy,
But I’m in the Lord’s army.
Yes, sir!
I’m in the Lord’s army, Yes, sir!
I’m in the Lord’s army, Yes, sir!
I may never march in the infantry,
Ride in the cavalry,
Shoot the artillery.
I may never fly o’er the enemy,
But I’m in the Lord’s army.
Yes, sir!
Several years back, a major denomination decided that there were hymns which were too militaristic for their taste, and they set about removing them from their hymnals. They deleted songs like “Onward Christian Soldiers,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and I’m pretty sure that “I’m in the Lord’s Army” wouldn’t have made the cut either.
Their decision created such an uproar that the denominational leaders later relented and put the songs back in their hymnals.
Despite the hostility that some have toward military terminology in a church setting, the New Testament is loaded with such language. Paul declared in II Timothy 4:7 that, “I have fought the good fight...”
Also, in II Corinthians 6:7 he said that he had stood up for Christ “…in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left.”
He advised Timothy in II Timothy 2:3-4 to, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs, he wants to please his commanding officer.”
And we’re told in Ephesians 6:13 to, “… put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
And then there’s the passage out of Revelation where we have a powerful picture of Jesus. If you have your Bibles with you, turn with me to Revelation 19:11-16 as we read about what John describes. In Revelation 19:11-16 it says, “1”
The Bible unapologetically uses militaristic words to describe God and His people. And as Christians, we are literally “in the Lord’s Army.”
In today’s text we read a story that practically every child in Sunday School and church camp has heard. In fact there’s an old song that declares, “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.” Many of you may have grown up singing it as children. It went something like this, “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came a tumbling down.”
What many may not realize is that this same story about the fall of Jericho probably served as inspiration for the song we are looking at today, I’m In The Lord’s Army.
Here’s the setting, Israel has been out in the desert for 40 years, and has finally come to the Promised Land. God instructs Joshua to have the ark go before the people as they prepare to cross the Jordan River. As the feet of the priests, who were carrying the ark, touch the waters of the Jordan, the water simply ceases to flow and the people cross the River on dry ground, just like their ancestors had crossed the Red Sea 40 years before. They are now camped in the shadow of the walls of Jericho and Joshua is facing the task of leading God’s people in taking the Promised Land.
But there’s a problem. Israel has come to take the land of Canaan, and the people of who live there have no intention of just handing it over. The Canaanites are going to fight to keep what they have. There are giants in the land, and the cities are strong and fortified. And perhaps the most fortified of all the cities of Canaan is Jericho.
Joshua has gone off by himself, probably to pray and seek God’s guidance. And in chapter 5:13 we’re told that, “…he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand.”
Now, this stranger identifies himself as the “Commander of the Lord’s Army.” He’s standing there with a drawn sword. And he commands Joshua to take his sandals off because he’s standing on holy ground.
There is something so unsettling about this encounter that Joshua falls on his face in reverence and he asks in Joshua 5:14, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
What was the message? What did God want Joshua to know? Why would this Heavenly being approach Joshua in this way?
Well the message was this, the time of waiting is over, we’re going to war. God’s army is prepared, and we’re armed and ready for battle. You’re not going to go into this conflict alone.
Romans 8:31-31, one of the most encouraging passages in the New Testament says this, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”
That’s the message God is giving to Joshua. I’m going into battle with you. You don’t have to take this land all by yourselves. My army will take care of you and your enemy.
And, as if to reaffirm the fact that the Lord’s Army would fight for Israel, God gives Joshua a battle plan that could only be accomplished with God’s power.
God tells Joshua to have his army to march around the city, once each day for 6 days. On the 7th day, 7 priests were to carry ram’s horns and lead the ark of God around the city 7 times. And when the ark had completed its 7th trip around the city the priests were to blow their horns, the people were to give a mighty shout and the wall would collapse leaving the city open to attack.
After Israel took Jericho, the city was to be burned to the ground. No spoils were to be taken from the city. The city and all that lay within it belonged solely to the Lord.
Over the past several decades, archeologists investigated the ruins of Jericho, and they found some astounding things.
1st, they discovered that the walls of the city were not “caved in” or “torn down” like you’d expect if an army assaulted its walls. Instead, the city walls literally collapsed, almost as if by natural causes. Maybe an earthquake, they’ve speculated.
2ndly, there was a thick layer of soot found at the site that indicated the city had been burned. Of course, that was precisely what God commanded the army of Israel to do to the city.
3rdly, the city had NOT been starved into submission in the way that most cites were taken by enemies at that time. Archeologists found bushels of grain buried beneath the ruins indicating that there was still food within the city when it fell.
By God’s command, Jericho was NEVER to be rebuilt. A new Jericho was built nearby, but the old Jericho has laid in ruins ever since the days of Joshua.
Now, can you guess why? I think that the reason might be more obvious than we think. God wanted the city of old Jericho to be a lasting witness of His power and faithfulness to Israel. And not just a witness to the nation of Israel, but also to us!
Romans 15:4 declares that, “…everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
God made the story of Jericho famous because He wanted it to be an encouragement to us. At the ruins of Jericho, God’s telling us, if He’d be there for Joshua, He’ll be there for us too. “If God is for us, then who can be against us!”
That’s a really comforting thought, God is FOR us. And that’s what Joshua was hoping this Heavenly stranger would tell him. If you remember, Joshua asks this man, “…are you for us or against us? Whose side are you on?”
A man told of being in the Washington, D. C., area on business at the Pentagon. He had gotten caught in an endless traffic loop that kept taking him over the Potomac River. Spotting a jogger along the road, he called out, “Which side is the Pentagon on?” Keeping his pace, the jogger answered, “I think they’re on our side.”
Well, Joshua asks this stranger, “Whose side are you on?” He was wanting to know if this Heavenly being was on the side of Israel or of its enemies.
And the stranger replies in Joshua 5:14, “Neither, but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.”
Neither? That can’t be right, can it? I mean, I thought God was supposed to be on our side! God had commanded Joshua and the people of Israel to go in and take the land of Canaan. They were doing this by His command. But here is the “commander of the army of the LORD” saying he isn’t on either side. What’s going on here?
Back during the Civil War, President Lincoln spoke with a man who expressed the hope that God was on the side of the north in the war. Lincoln replied, “…we know that the Lord is always on the side of right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and the nation should choose to be on the Lord’s side.”
Here’s the lesson, we are the army of the Lord. And as the Army of the Lord we must never presume that God is on OUR side. It doesn’t work that way.
In the military, do the privates get to tell the Generals how to run things? Of course not! In the military the generals aren’t on our side. We’re on theirs. They set the agendas, they determine the course of the battle, they decide the very existence of every man and woman under their command.
In the same way, in God’s army we don’t get to determine what God should do, or how He should conduct His affairs. We don’t get to tell Him how the church should be run, or even how our lives should be run. We are in God’s army. It’s God’s army, not ours. It’s God’s church, not ours. He is in charge, we aren’t. He gets to set the agenda, we don’t.
Essentially, God doesn’t have to be on OUR side, we have to be on HIS.
So, you want to be on God’s side. How do you make sure that that’s where you end up?
Let’s review:
1st, I need to put my full trust in God’s power. If God was there for Joshua, He’ll be there for you. One of the major reasons armies fail in battle is because the soldiers panic. They lose their trust in their leaders in the face of conflict. As Christians we need to realize that there will be times when life will not go according to plan. We will encounter tragedies, losses, and heartaches. As Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble…” It is in those times that we need to look to God and trust Him to guide us. If I’m going to be a good soldier for Christ, then I’ve got to trust Him.
2nd, I have to remember who is in charge. God gets to call the shots, not me, not you, not any group of men or women on earth. God must lead us if we’re going to have victory.
3rd, we need to realize the importance of standing on Holy Ground. God tells Joshua in chapter 5:15 to, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”
And finally, the mark of a good soldier is the willingness to give their all. Jesus said in Luke 9:23 that, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
So, keep those things in mind as you try and serve in the Lord’s Army. Joshua once said in Joshua 24:15 to, “...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Let’s Pray! |
