May 17, 2004

THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST

"The captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy" (Joshua 5:15, KJV).

This commanding title, "Captain of the Lord's host," appears twice in Scripture. To Joshua, Christ appeared as "an armed warrior, of lofty stature and commanding presence."--Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 487. Christ is also called the "captain of their salvation" (Hebrews 2:10). Many modern versions of the Bible use the word, commander, instead of captain. The word, host, describes an army.

At the beginning of Joshua's campaign to conquer Canaan, he was one day suddenly confronted by what appeared to him as an armed military commander with a drawn sword. In response to Joshua's inquiry, the unknown commander identified himself as "captain of the Lord's host" (Joshua 5:15). Joshua's unknown visitor was "Christ, the Exalted One, who stood before the leader of Israel."--Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 488.

Falling on his face, Joshua acknowledged his insufficiency to lead Israel to victory in its conquest of Canaan. In our spiritual conquest, only Christ has the capability and power to ensure victory. His sweeping victory at Calvary qualified Him to be the invincible captain of the Lord's host. He alone is competent to assail the citadel of Satan and deliver its captors. That is precisely what Jesus did on Calvary.

Like Joshua, we too are instructed to take off our shoes in the presence of the captain of the Lord's host. It is by submission to Christ, the captain of the Lord's host, that we can be "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37). "We need Jesus, the Captain of the Lord's host, to be with us. We need to follow His directions, and to have faith in Him."--Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, p. 22.

My Prayer Today: Lord, I await your marching orders as the captain of the Lord's host. Make me victorious in life's battles. Amen.