Joshua 5  The Lord prepares Israel for the next part of their journey - conquering the land.   He has shown His greatness by bringing Israel through the Jordan river, so that the kings' "hearts melted and there was no spirit in them."   Now He commands Joshua to circumcise all the men who were not circumcised during the 40 years in the wilderness.  Then they celebrate Passover and begin to eat food grown in Canaan.  The manna that they had lived on for those 40 years - stopped that day.

Finally, the Lord meets with Joshua.  He introduces Himself as the " captain of the host of the Lord."
This is not an angel, for no angel would have allowed Joshua to bow down and worship him.  This man tells Joshua, " Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy."
Joshua is one of the few Old Testament people who get to meet the pre-incarnate Jesus.  We are not told what else happened during this intimate meeting, but we know that Joshua is given an unusual battle plan for the conquest of Jericho.

Our God never changes.  He is the God of heaven and earth and He still conquers the enemy and leads His people to victory - for His purposes.   We can trust in our God Who is ever faithful.  He has made us His own and given us each the opportunity to come into His Presence and bow before Him.  There, at His feet, is where we can be equipped for the battles that we face.  Like Joshua and the people of Israel we must be ready for our marching orders.  And like Joshua's orders, our directions may be unusual.

Father, may our hearts be circumcised, in obedient surrender to You, our Lord and King.  May we follow our Captain into whatever lies before us this very day. May we know who You have made us to be - Your children, Your people.  May we draw close to You, Jesus, individually, as we come to You in prayer every day.  May we hear Your voice and follow You into the battle. The battle belongs to You, O Lord!  May we be like the Israelites in this... walking when and where we need to walk, shouting when we need to shout.   May Your Name be revered and honored and praised.  Melt the hearts of the enemy of the Lord, O God. Bring us into Your Kingdom, for Yours is the power and glory. Amen.