He is Supernatural / Joshua 5:13-15

Meeting Jesus Across All of Scripture

Well, church, it is good to be with you. My name is Jared Rumley. I am one of the pastors here, and we are in a summer series called He Is. I have a spoiler alert for you: the “He” in He Is is Jesus.

Here at this church, we love Jesus. We see Him in all of Scripture, and it is our aim this summer that you join us in seeing that as well—from Genesis to Revelation. Our desire is that you see Jesus, the Savior of the world, that you hope in Him, trust in Him, desire to become like Him, and look to Him, so that the church resembles Him and takes His message to a lost world. That is our aim, and that is why we are here.

I remember the first time I really met Jesus—in a sense, where He met me. I had lots of influences in my life through athletic programs, coaches, and FCA. When I was thirteen years old, I remember reading the Gospel of John, and I read about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for people. I was literally in my own bedroom reading this, and I found myself weeping. I found myself getting lower and lower to the floor on my face, saying, “God, if this is true—if what You are saying in this book about Jesus and the hope that we can have in Him is true—then I have to believe in Him. I want to trust in Jesus.”

At thirteen, I did that on my face in my room, seeing Jesus very clearly because the grace of God warmed my heart. It has been a twenty-plus year journey now of trusting in Him more and seeing Him more. Soon after that, I remember looking at the Bible and loving the New Testament, but not understanding the Old Testament. Have you ever felt that way about the Old Testament? Those thirty-nine books with sticky pages because they don’t open very much? Your New Testament is kind of worn out, but with the Old Testament, you wonder, What is it? Why is it there? It can be confusing. You read all these laws and think it is something old and outdated—until you read something like Luke 24.

Jesus, on the road to Emmaus, shows up with two disciples and explains the Scriptures to them.

Luke 24:27 (NASB)

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Jesus tells these two men on the road to Emmaus, “You’ve got it all wrong. You need to think differently. From Genesis to Malachi, the Jewish Scriptures are all concerning Me.” If you understand that, you might ask: How and where do we see Him?

He Is Supernatural

Last week, you heard about how Jesus existed for all time as the second person of the Trinity who literally created everything by His spoken word—the giraffes, the rhinos, mankind, light, and the universe. Our view of Jesus was elevated. We gained a big view of Jesus and a humble view of ourselves.

Do we see the person we read about in Matthew through Revelation—the baby who came in the manger, walked the earth, lived the perfect life, and was fully God and fully man—in the Old Testament? The answer is yes, but not always the way you might think.

One of the core truths I want you to hold onto is this: He is supernatural. We believe that Jesus, as the Creator of everything, can step into space and time whenever He desires. The manger in Bethlehem was a targeted moment in history that He stepped into supernaturally through the Holy Spirit.

We see that same supernatural presence in the Old Testament through the pre-incarnate Christ—Christ appearing before His earthly incarnation in human form. We see the Lord walking with Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of the day. We see it in Genesis when Jacob literally wrestled with God, and with a single touch to his hip, Jacob walked with a limp for the rest of his life. We see it in Daniel, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace, and the king looked in and saw a fourth man walking in the flames unscathed. That was Jesus.

Joshua at Jericho

I want to look at another one of these encounters. Turn with me to Joshua chapter 5.

Joshua is probably my favorite book in the entire Old Testament. I wish someone would make an unabridged movie out of Joshua because it is so powerful. To understand the significance of what is happening in chapter 5, we need some backstory.

Joshua was the second-in-command to Moses. He was likely a young boy during the Exodus, witnessing the plagues, the Passover, and the parting of the Red Sea. During the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Joshua rose up as a military commander. When spies were sent into the Promised Land, Joshua was one of the two who boldly said, “We can do this!”

After Moses died in Moab, Joshua was commissioned to lead millions of people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. God parted the flooded spring waters of the Jordan, and they crossed over into Gilgal, which means “a rolling away”—rolling away the reproach of Egypt and wilderness judgment. There, the men were circumcised, they celebrated Passover, and the daily manna ceased as they began eating the fruit of the land.

Now, Joshua faces his first major obstacle: the ancient, heavily fortified city of Jericho. Towering walls surround the city, and Joshua is preparing for battle.

Joshua 5:13-15 (NASB)

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.

Verse 13 begins with the word “when”—“When Joshua was by Jericho”—which carries an element of surprise. Joshua is out near Jericho, likely contemplating how on earth they are going to conquer this massive fortress. They do not have iron chariots; they have spent forty years wandering in the desert. You can picture him walking, looking down at the dirt, kicking rocks, overwhelmed by the task ahead.

Suddenly, he lifts his eyes, and behold: a man is standing before him with a drawn sword in His hand.

This is a theophany, or specifically a Christophany—a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. We know this is Jesus because the figure receives worship without rebuking it, He is addressed as Lord, and He commands Joshua to remove his sandals because the ground is holy, just as the Lord spoke to Moses at the burning bush.

“Are You for Us or for Our Adversaries?”

Joshua approaches this warrior with a drawn sword and asks a very direct question: “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

Don’t we ask that same question of Jesus all the time? “Jesus, are You for me or against me? Are You here to give me what I want, or are You waiting to strike me down?” We often operate with that friend-or-foe mentality.

Look at Jesus’ response in verse 14:

“And he said, ‘No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.’”

I love that answer. Joshua asks, “Are you on our side or their side?” and Jesus simply says, “No.”

Jesus is establishing something critical in Joshua’s mind: “I have not come to take sides; I have come to take over. I am not an ally you enlist for your cause. I am the Commander.”

Joshua realized in that moment that he was not the ultimate leader of Israel’s armies. The battle was far bigger than him.

Have you ever felt like your back was against the wall? Maybe the insurmountable task before you is a marriage on the brink of collapse, a broken family relationship, or a season of profound uncertainty about your career and future. In those moments, we often try to treat Jesus like an app on our phone—something we open up when we have a crisis or need a quick favor. But Jesus says “No” to our self-centered categories. He is not our assistant; He is the Sovereign Lord.

Standing on Holy Ground

Look at how Joshua responds to this revelation:

“And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, ‘What does my Lord say to his servant?’”

In an instant, Joshua understood who he was standing before. The overwhelming problem of Jericho suddenly became infinitely small in the presence of the supernatural Lord. Joshua fell prostrate, face in the dirt, asking, “What do You require of me?”

When is the last time you were on your face before God? When is the last time you were so gripped by the majesty and holiness of Jesus that you laid everything down and said, “Lord, what do You want from my life?”

The Commander of the Lord’s army then gives a direct instruction:

“Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.”

It was not the dirt itself that was special; it was the presence of God that made it holy ground. When we approach Jesus, He requires us to worship Him reverently, not casually or flippantly. Joshua recognized the holiness of God, and Scripture simply records: “And Joshua did so.”

Our Responsibility, Our Battle, and Our Hope

So what does this mean for us today? We are not called to fight physical battles with iron swords, but we have been given a massive responsibility, a real battle, and an enduring hope.

First, we have a big responsibility. Jesus gave us our mission before He ascended.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

Our calling is to go into the world, proclaim the gospel, make disciples, baptize believers, and teach them to walk in obedience to Christ. That responsibility is so weighty that unless Jesus shows up in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods, we have no hope of accomplishing it on our own.

Second, we are engaged in a real spiritual battle.

Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].

The enemy opposes the advance of the gospel and seeks to discourage and divide us. But we do not fight alone, and we do not fight in our own strength. The Commander of the Lord’s army stepped into history, went to the cross, defeated sin and death, and rose victoriously.

Finally, we have an unshakeable hope. Jesus made a promise regarding His kingdom and His church.

Matthew 16:18 (NASB)

’I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Jesus promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against His church, and that He will be with us always, to the very end of the age.

When you feel overwhelmed and your back is against the wall, remember who is in control. Jesus does not ask to be recruited into our plans; He calls us to fall at His feet, surrender our lives, and follow Him as Commander.

Let us get on our faces, worship Him in reverence, and respond to His call on our lives.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for Your Word and for the example of Joshua. We see ourselves in him—mere men and women in desperate need of a great and sovereign God.

Thank You for Jesus, the Savior of the world and the Commander of heaven’s armies, who has already won the ultimate victory on our behalf. Forgive us for the times we treat You casually or try to enlist You into our own agendas.

Help us to fall on our faces in true reverence, to surrender our lives to Your leadership, and to boldly carry out the mission You have given us. We ask that You work through us to make disciples and advance Your kingdom. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.