Martin Luther, in his famous song, “A Mighty Fortress is our God” wrote:
For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow’r are great, And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Not one of us are equal to our ancient enemy, the devil. This sounds discouraging, doesn’t it? Well, it’s the truth but not the whole truth. Martin Luther continued…
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth is His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
These timeless words tell us that there is a Man of God’s own choosing, a Man who is Lord and King and God, Who brings rest to His people (Lord Sabaoth), Who leads us in victory and wins the battle for us. This Man is Jesus Christ.
These truths are illustrated in our passage of Scripture today:
Immediately after the Israelite men were circumcised at Gilgal, and immediately before they began their military campaigns in the Promised Land, Joshua had an amazing experience: he saw a man with a drawn sword in his hand.
Curious, Joshua went up to the man and asked him whose side he was on, whether he was for the Israelites or for their enemies.
The man replied that he was neither, but rather he was commander of the Lord’s armies. Joshua recognized this was no mere man so he fell on his face in worship.
Had this been a mere man, or even an angel that appeared, Joshua would not have worshipped nor would the angel have accepted the worship. But not only did the “man” accept the worship, He commanded Joshua to remove his sandals for the place where he was standing was holy ground. Obviously, this is the same “Person” who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, who revealed Himself to Moses as the Great “I Am”, Yahweh Himself.
This was a special revelation of the God-Man Jesus Christ, God appearing in human form. He came to assure Joshua that the armies of heaven were available, and that He as their Captain would lead them in triumph against all enemies. With the Commander of the Lord’s armies on the front lines to lead and to guide, God was sure to win the victory for His people.
And, friend, this story is not merely historical narrative, it is an illustration designed to help us see the role of Jesus Christ in our own lives. Notice this verse:
Hebrews 2:10 (NKJV) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Question 2. What is Jesus Christ called in Hebrews 2:10? What does that mean to you personally?
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Kelly writes, "Jesus is the Captain of my Salvation, Yes! I love the imagery of Jesus fully dressed in battle attire, sword in hand ready to lead His army into victory. I don’t know about any one else but in this world full of adversaries, scoffers and cunning deceivers and in this body of sin, there are times when it’s not the image of the baby in the manger that comforts me, but the image of the Mighty MAN of valor. The Rock, the Captain of the Lords Army, dazzling and ruddy outstanding among ten thousand that calms my shaky heart and quiet my turbulent fears. This to is the God- Man that goes before me. In Him I’m more than a conqueror.
Deuteronomy 32:31 For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.
Colossians 2:15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."