God’s Heart for the Nations
I love to see glimpses of God’s heart for the world scattered throughout the Bible. It sometimes is more subtle than other times, but it’s there.
Joshua’s encounter with an angel of the Lord is one of those instances, where God shows his love for the world in an indirect way.
In Joshua 5 at the end of the chapter Joshua asks the angel a question. The angel answers the question indirectly.
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. —Joshua 5:13-15 ESV
Joshua asks the warrior angel, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And the angel answered, “no”. That seems like an evasive answer, but the point appears to be that he’s not for one more than the other. God’s heart isn’t just for Israel, he cares for the world. He always has, because he has a missionary heart.
He’s a missionary God, which gives more credence to what Dawn and I do.
What a wonderful response, and what a wonderful God.
I thank the Lord! I’m grateful that I serve a God who has a passion for the nations!
In His Grip, Dave
DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org
