Jun 11, 2018
The Israelites had entered the land of Canaan and were camped at a place called Gilgal. Their first target for attack would be the well-fortified city of Jericho. This was going to be a new period in the history of the people of Israel. No longer were they slaves living in subservience to their masters in Egypt. They were no longer vagabonds, wandering through the wilderness, with no place to call their own. With their crossing of the Jordan River, they had entered the land promised to them by God. And now, they were going to be charged with the task of taking over the land God had given them. But, as we will see, God wanted them to know they would not be alone. In Joshua 5:10-15, we have recorded a unique encounter between Joshua and the commander of the Lord’s army. This unknown and armed stranger would prove to be the Son of God Himself, Jesus Christ in His pre-incarnate form. And He would bring with Him an assurance that the people of Israel were far from alone. He simply told Joshua, “Now I have come.” And those words of promise were all that Joshua needed to hear.