All Your Options Are Not All The Options

Joshua 5:13-14
(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 have for his servant?”

Israelites had just crossed into the promised land. Before settling down, God required them to comply with His covenant with Abraham. Upon arrival, all males were circumcised in compliance with God’s will. We cannot experience all of God’s blessings unless we fully comply with His revealed will. To fully enjoy Canaan they had to circumcise every male.

The circumcision was a risky thing. To circumcise all men left the men weak and nursing wounds. Weak men who were nursing wounds would not be very useful if they were attacked by Canaanite tribes. They were in Canaan in enemy territory and yet in compliance with God’s will they placed the whole community at risk. Sometimes the riskiest thing we can do is to remain faithful to God. faithfulness is risky!

When you are faithful to God, you are standing in a risky position. You will offend people who can harm you when you are faithful. You will trigger jealous feelings when you are faithful to God. Your faithfulness will be tested to prove you wrong and it’s painfully done. Israelites took the risk of being faithful to God. That faithfulness led to God blessing them with the inheritance of Canaan. Are you faithful to God at all costs? Are you willing to take risks in order to be faithful to God?

As the men were recovering from the circumcision wounds, Joshua took a walk to survey the city of Jericho which was their first target for destruction as they conquer Canaan. As Joshua was walking away from the camp of Israel towards Jericho, he met a man standing before him with a drawn sword. A drawn sword is like a cocked gun ready for attack. A drawn sword is a sign of hostility and readiness for action.

Joshua as the main commander of the Israelite armies couldn’t know all his soldiers. Joshua couldn’t tell if this is an enemy or a friend. So Joshua asked him a question that would define how they relate from this point on. Joshua asked Him if He was on the side of Israel or on the side of the enemies of Israel. “Are you of us or against us?”

When Joshua asked this question he believed that he had given all the options that could be placed before a potential opponent or friend. Joshua gave Him all the options – are you on our side or are you siding with our enemies? Joshua expected a straightforward response and a quick resolution to the matter. Joshua believed that he had given all the options that this stranger could choose from.

The stranger responded by choosing an option that Joshua didn’t give. The stranger turned down the options that Joshua gave. The stranger chose a new option that Joshua knew nothing about. The stranger didn’t say whether He was for Joshua and the team or against them. Those were Joshua’s options. The stranger said He is the commander of the armies of God. At this point, Joshua fell down and worshipped Him for he immediately understood that this was God looking like a human being. Joshua learned that all his options were not all the options.

Revelation 19:9-10
(9) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
(10) At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

Angels never accept any human being to fall down and worship them. Angels would immediately stop any human being who attempts to worship them. Angels would clarify that they do not allow to be worshipped because they too are servants of God who alone deserves worship. If pure, holy, sinless angels cannot be worshipped or bowed to, we should not do it to anyone dead or alive. We cannot do it to even to Prophets, Apostles, or even the mother of Jesus, whether alive, dead, or their images. That would directly contradict the scriptures.

Psalms 8:4-5
(4) what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
(5) You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.

Hebrews 2:6-7
(6) But there is a place where someone has testified:
“What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
(7) You made them a little lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor

Human beings even before committing and living in sin were created lower than angels. Yet the angels who are above human beings cannot accept to be worshipped by sinful guilty people. To worship anyone or anything as part of worship is defying God. To bow down and kiss as a sign of reverence is contrary to God’s will. Angels did not allow anyone to bow before them.

The man that Joshua met was not an Angel. The man that Joshua met was God the Son. Joshua gave Him options, but He refused to be limited to those options. All your options are not all the options!

When we come to God in prayer with options, we think those are all the options, but before God, those are not all the options. There are many more options before God that we know nothing about. When we face exams we tell God we are facing success or failure. Those are all the options before you as a human being. All your options are not all the options!

God, it is either this person or I will end up single all my life. All your options are not the only options. Dear God it has to happen this year or I am too late. All your options are not the only options. Dear God if I do not get well I will die. All your options are not all the options.

God always has another way that we know nothing about. That way is always better than the options we limit ourselves to. May God open our eyes beyond the only options we think we have. May God provide better options that we knew nothing about, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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