Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word commander or captain.
Reading
Joshua 5:13-15—Captain of the LORDS’ Army
Optional Reading
Hebrews 2:10-18
Keys for kids
- Joshua was preparing to lead Israel into battle in Canaan.
- He met the Captain of the LORD’s army.
- This Captain, Jesus, is the Captain of Our salvation.
Questions
- Who did Joshua meet?
- What did this commander/captain order Joshua to do?
- Who was this man and why was the ground holy?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors.)
Joshua is preparing to do battle. Jericho is the first nation-state that Israel must conquer, and Joshua is checking them out. As he is preparing, he comes across an armed man with a drawn sword.
Although the man is obviously ready for war, Joshua approaches him and asks, Whose side are you on? Ours or our enemy? We expect that if the man announced that he was Joshua’s enemy, Joshua would have fought him in a deadly duel. However, this man says he is on neither side; he identifies himself as the commander (captain in NASB) of Yahweh’s army.
Joshua falls down to worship and asks what he is to do. And the answer is probably as unexpected as the man and his identification as the LORD’s army’s commander. Take off your shoes, for you are on holy ground. Read Exodus 3:1–5 for a nearly identical command to Moses, Joshua’s forerunner in leading Israel.
Who was this man? Calvin notes that _it was thus a special pledge of the divine favour that the Captain and Head of the Church, to whom Moses had been accustomed, was now present to assist. And indeed the divine adoption could not be ratified in any other way than in the hand of the Mediator. _
The ground was holy because the Holy God was standing there. And as Hebrews 2 notes, this Captain is still present to assist us!
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 148b, 2a
Prayer
- Give thanks that the Captain of our salvation helps us today.
- Pray for a specific application from yesterday's sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.