Is God For or Against Me?
In times of turmoil it can be easy to wonder if God is against you. Even in the monotonous days of our life we can wonder if God is for you. So that begs the question, is God for me or is He working against us?
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1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal
2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.[b]
4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.
9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal[c] to this day.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.
The Fall of Jericho
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Are you for me or against me? This question is something we've asked of others our entire lives and is likely others ask of us.
As children, we sized up friends and teachers and were sized up in return.
We break out all the charm to impress the girl or guy that has caught our eye in hopes they select us.
We interview and enter the workforce, hoping that our dream job will be 'for us' enough to hire us. Then we spend our days wondering about our clients, coworkers, and bosses.
Behind all of these questions, we find ourselves asking the same of God. God, are you for me or against me?
For some of you reading this, you would say there is more than enough evidence that He is clearly against. Maybe you don't consider yourself a religious person, but if there is a God, your life will show that you have missed His affections.
Others might answer this more affirmatively, but there might be some hesitancy. Like a child with a teacher or employee with their boss, we hold up our efforts and achievements to God, hoping that there would be something that would make Him smile. But you wonder if this treadmill of performance is the life that God is calling us towards. You fear what would happen if our successes were replaced with failures in the back of your mind.
Setting Some Context (Hang With Us)
"Now, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for our enemies or for us?" (Joshua 5:13)
You have to admire Joshua. He's been called to be bold and courageous, and going right at a man with a drawn sword is definitely that. He is asking the same question we all ask: Are you for or against us?
But the question has more weight when you consider the preceding chapter. So let's flashback to the beginning of the chapter to see what precedes this encounter.
After leading the people to remember who they are in chapter four, you would expect that the Israelites would charge off into battle. But instead, Joshua pauses and leads the people to remember whose they are through two religious ceremonies: circumcision and Passover.
First, Joshua leads the men of Israel in the ceremony of circumcision, a practice that Abraham initiated in Genesis 17. This was a sign of God's covenant with his people and was commanded to be done by the Israelites in each generation. As babies, they were marked as the people of God, set apart from other nations. Yet, Israel neglected these practices while wandering in the wilderness (5:5). Israel had forgotten whose they were and were determined to write a new story.
We also see Joshua lead the entire nation in celebrating the Passover meal together. Before the Exodus, the first Passover was observed while the Israelites were still in Egypt. But celebrating it here points them to the fullness of God's redemption in the present.
"The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan." (Joshua 5:11-12)
The reproach and disobedience of Egypt are being taken away as this new generation returns to faithfulness. Now, Israel will eat the produce of Canaan in their celebratory feasts and taste God's promised redemption.
At first glance, these two things are a confusing step for the people of God. Wouldn't you want to capitalize on the momentum from crossing the Jordan from a military perspective? It doesn't seem practical to stop in enemy territory to undertake a ceremony that wounds the fighting men of your army and a celebratory feast before the battle even begins. However, that's precisely what they do it. But why, you ask?
Israel had to remember whose they were. They aren't a new generation set on their destiny. They are the next chapter in the story of God's faithfulness. These ceremonies were needed to ground them on the stable foundation of a relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It took a significant amount of faith to undertake these ceremonies while in enemy territory, but it was by faith that they were determined to identify themselves with God.
God is for God
With this context in mind, let's return to Joshua the night before the battle, facing the man with a sword and asking, "Are you for or against us?" Indeed the lines are clear, fresh off circumcision and Passover, yet the response is unexpected.
"'Neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.'" (Joshua 5:13)
Some translations only say "No" to Joshua's question. What an unforeseen statement.
"Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him, 'What message does my Lord have for his servant?' The commander of the Lord's army replied, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so." (Joshua 5:14-15)
What happened here? Who is this commander?
Just like Israel in the preceding verses, now it is Joshua that must remember whose He is. He is the nation's leader, but God is truly the one in charge. And with the context of the preceding scripture causes me to believe that Joshua is in the presence of God Himself. In the presence of God, Joshua hears a "Neither" that we must not miss. He tells Joshua that He is not a national or tribal deity. He is not one to take "sides" in the traditional sense of battles. God is for God, and God is for all.
Reframing The Question: Are We For Him?
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was once assured that "God is on your side." He replied, "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Joshua is expected to leave this encounter feeling the same way.
What we see in Joshua 5, both in the ceremonies and Joshua's encounter, is that faith proves to be the thing that opens the door for a relationship with God. It's our way of communicating that we are for God. Faith led them to do the ceremonies while in enemy territory. It was faith that prompted Joshua to fall before this commander. Before the battle begins and the army fights for God, before all the external efforts in the world, the people respond with internal faith.
If you are reading this and questioning if God is for you, see what this text shows us: Internal faith, not external obedience, opens the door for a relationship with God. In relationship with God, we have the confident assurance that He is with us and for us.
How can this be true? It can be true because, in the gospel, we find ourselves receiving an answer that Joshua, and the Israelites, could only dream of. In the gospel, we find out exactly whose we are: We belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ, and if Jesus Christ is for us, nothing can be against us.
Just like Israel in the preceding generations, we are wayward wanderers. Since our wandering is away from God, we know that He has every right to be against us. We are more lost than we want to admit, yet, at the same time, we are more loved by Christ than we could ever hope for.
Jesus saw our wandering, He saw our sin, and it didn't cause Him to be against us or pull away. Instead, Jesus took on flesh in the incarnation and dwelled with us. He called all those who thought they were doomed to be against God like the lepers, outcasts, and broken. He also called all those that thought they were forcing God to be for them by their efforts like the religious, the moral, the good. Finally, Jesus called them both to repent and follow Him in faith.
God showed again that He was not for or against what the world sees but is ready to draw near to all who approach Him in faith. Because at the culmination of Jesus' life, He gave the ultimate example of the lengths He will go to be for us and with us on the cross. It was there that He was cut down and forsaken by God so that we could be confident in our relationship.
On the cross, Jesus took on all our sins that God is against. It's finished, paid, and done, and with His death, He redeems us and earns for us the favor that God freely gives. But, unlike the things of this world, that favor is not earned. There's nothing you have to do nor anyone you have to impress. You can't run far enough away from it or sin too harshly to disqualify yourself from it.
Paul shows us that if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Internal faith, not external obedience, opens the door for a relationship with God. In relationship with Him, we have the confident assurance that He is with us and for us.
God Brings Redemption to Your Life
After finding internal faith, our growth is freed up to respond to the assurances of His presence. The Holy Spirit will be at work within you, conforming you daily, one step at a time into Christ's image, which is one of the ways that we demonstrate our faith. But this is never a marker of God's favor. That matter was settled on the cross 2,000 years ago, which means that even in our sins and failures, God is for us and with us.
Even if we feel alone or that no one sees or understands, God is for and with us. Even in moments of pain and suffering, God is for and with us. The cross shows these are not moments of God's absence. On the contrary, they are the very moments where God is bringing redemption and His presence into your story. They push us deeper into faith and deeper into him, reminding us that we are part of a larger story whose ending is guaranteed: one day, all that is wrong will be made right as we spend eternity with our creator.
God is for us, and it's not in a begrudging or condemning way. On the contrary, in Christ, the face of God shines down upon with all the fatherly affection, love, and care in the universe.
You might be tempted to say there's no way God can look at me with that love. Not with what I've done. Not with what I'm going through. Surely, He has a limit, right? Surely this thing will make him change his mind and be against me again. But that's impossible.
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39)
Nothing! In relationship with God, we have the confident assurance that He is with us and for us. But as we have this assurance, we too can be prone to forget. We need to be reminded of God's past faithfulness and be pointed to our future assurance. We need reminders to show us who we are, such as reading God's Word, praying, and fasting.
While our faith is personal, we are reminded that it is not private. We gather weekly to worship as the church, declare our beliefs through prayers and creeds, give, serve, and use ceremonies as milestones to mark our identity. We proclaim that in a world of uncertain striving, in a world of rejection, in a world of weary suffering, we have the confident assurance that God is for us and with us.
TL;DR
God does not take "sides" in the traditional sense of battles. God is for God, and God is for all.
Faith proves to be the thing that opens the door for a relationship with God. It's our way of communicating that we are for God.
Internal faith, not external obedience, opens the door for a relationship with God.
We belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ, and if Jesus Christ is for us, nothing can be against us.
God showed again that He was not for or against what the world sees but is ready to draw near to all who approach Him in faith
The cross shows that moments of despair and hardship are not evidence of God's absence. On the contrary, they are the very moments where God is bringing redemption and His presence into your story.
Related Reading
How to Remember Your Blessings by Bro. Chris Carter
Four Reminders to Finding Courage by Bro. Chris Carter
God Will Give You More Than You Can Handle by Rev. Shane Stanford
About Christ Church Memphis
Christ Church Memphis is church in East Memphis, Tennessee. For more than 65 years, Christ Church has served the Memphis community. Every weekend, there are multiple worship opportunities including traditional, contemporary and blended services.
