Joshua 5:24-15 And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith mu lord unto his servant? and the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where on thou standest is holy, And Joshua did so.
The captain of the host came and appeared unto Joshua. The captain was the Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Son of God, Jesus appearing to Joshua before He became Jesus. This theophany, the appearance of God to a human on earth, was given to Joshua to give him strength and courage for the battles ahead: Jesus, the Lord of heaven’s armies, would do the fighting. “Fear not! I am fighting for you. Together we will win battles. Just do as I say.”
Joshua’s response was to fall on his face and worship. Captain Jesus accepted that worship; a mere angel would not have done so. This is God. The appropriate response to God’s Presence is worship, which entails surrender. Joshua lets go and lets God: “I am your servant; You are my Lord. I will do whatever you say.” Worship gives up on myself, and my own will, and my own reason, feelings, and understanding. It is complete trust.
When God meets us it is an awesome and overwhelming experience of love. We gladly bend the knee, and worship. The Lord meets us with overpowering love when we hear the Gospel, remember our baptism, and take Communion. It may not seem like much to our limited physical eyes, but faith sees what is really going on, and we respond with worship, surrender, and obedient trust. We are willing to do whatever He says. Every encounter with the loving God changes our life, for good. We have renewed strength and courage to resist our spiritual enemies and overcome. The place and time when and where we receive the Gospel is holy ground. Jesus is carving out a holy place in ours hearts for His dwelling place. Repentance “loosens the dirty shoes from our feet.”