CAPTAIN OF THE HOST. Joshua 5:14. “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 to His servant?’”
The Passover is here again, but it feels different this time. We are no longer in the wilderness but in the promised land. We left Egypt through blood when we celebrated our deliverance by faith. Now, God has brought us in by His power. All along, God led us through the wilderness. The strength was His, not ours, and the food was from heaven. The old grain of the land has replaced the manna and spiritual food that sustained us, which stopped after the first Passover in Canaan. Lord, please don’t remove the heavenly manna! I need that food from heaven every single day!
There’s a land waiting for us to claim. We need to begin right here where we are. The enemies are many, hoping we will fail and fall. Jericho is nearby, with its attractions and false security. Luckily, we know the Lord of hosts is here to lead us into the fullness of the promised land. He is the same One who freed Israel from Egypt’s slavery and us from the chains of sin that bind us. Sometimes I pause to reflect on the passing years and think, “God certainly has sustained us through joy and tears. If it weren’t for His promises, I would wonder what we would have done.”
But He has brought us into a land of spiritual fullness, and He did it all alone by His grace without any input from us. During the years between our leaving the place of bondage to sin and our arrival in the land of Beulah, by His grace and power, He has fully provided for our every need and sustained our survival. Along the way, He has given me the privilege to serve people in various ways and places and helped me understand that in serving them – I serve Him.