Messianic Perspectives

Guest (Female): Are you in trouble? Well, if so, we have good news. The Bible has specific instructions about what to do when you're in trouble. We'll talk about it today, right here, on Messianic Perspectives.

Liz Aiello: Shalom, and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinctive first-century Jewish point of view. I'm Liz Aiello.

Today, Dr. Gary Hedrick is leading our discussion of what to do when you're in trouble. If you have your Bible handy, we invite you to turn to Joshua chapter 5 and join in. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pen and paper ready. Now, with today's study, here is Dr. Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: All right, thank you and welcome, listening friend, to another edition of Messianic Perspectives. It's good to have you with us today as we continue this series of studies on what to do when you're in trouble.

In this series of studies, we're looking at something that happened in Joshua chapter 5, because Joshua was in trouble. In fact, we said he is in big trouble, and I believe we can learn something by watching the way Joshua dealt with trouble.

On the last program, we were talking about how some people have the idea that when you become a Christian, when you become a believer in Jesus, your problems are over. Well, that would be nice, but that's not the way it is. In fact, we said some of us get into more trouble after becoming a believer than we ever did before we were believers.

Trouble is universal. There's no way around it. That's why we need to know how to deal with it, and here in Joshua chapter 5, we see how Joshua dealt with it.

Now, here's what it says in Joshua chapter 5, and we're going to start reading in verse 13: "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him and said unto him, 'Art thou for us or for our adversaries?'"

Verse 14: "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 my 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 whereon thou standest is holy.' And Joshua did so."

So, here's how Joshua responded to the trouble in his life. We're talking about four things, and to make it easier to remember, they all begin with "W." The first thing is, Joshua waited. "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho," the Bible says. In other words, he was willing to leave the timing in God's hands. He waited on the Lord rather than rushing into the battle.

Then the second thing Joshua did was he watched. First, he waited, and then he watched. It says he lifted up his eyes and looked. You see, it's one of the ironies of the Christian life that during those times when God seems farthest away, those are the times when He's closest. He's right there, like the song that says He was there all the time.

But we get focused on the problem and forget to look around us. We forget to look for the Lord. We forget to look for what He may be doing right there under our nose, because we're too busy focusing on the problem and not busy enough focusing on the Lord.

So, Joshua waited and then he watched. Now, notice that pattern. He waited and then he watched. Does that sound familiar? It's the same thing the Lord told Moses in Exodus chapter 14, verse 13. This is when they were fleeing from Egypt. Pharaoh's armies were in hot pursuit. They knew they didn't have much time. The Bible says the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptian army approaching, and they were terrified.

That's what that Hebrew word literally means: they were terrified. Have you ever been terrified of something? Not just scared or frightened, but I mean really terrified? Listen, the Israelites didn't know where to go or what to do. They were terrified. They thought they had been led out into the desert to die. They thought this was the end.

If anybody was ever in trouble, they were, out there in the Sinai Desert, defenseless against Pharaoh's army. They were in despair, and the Bible says Israel turned against Moses. They said, "Moses, why did you bring us out here to die? Was it because there weren't enough graves in Egypt?"

They said, "Moses, when you came to us in Egypt and you said your God was going to lead us out of bondage, didn't we tell you to leave us alone? All we wanted was to be left alone, but you had to bring us out here into the desert to die." You see, that's what despair does to you. That was despair talking. They were speaking out of their fear instead of out of faith.

But what did Moses tell them? Exodus 14:13: "And Moses said unto the people, 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.'" Did you catch that? He said, "Stand still and see." And over here in Joshua chapter 5, it's wait and watch. Stand still and see. Wait and watch.

It's the same pattern. When you're in trouble, you wait and watch. That's why we always tell people, when you're in trouble, you need to check your focus. Are you focusing on the problem more than you're focusing on the Lord? Are you focusing on the problem more than you're focusing on what the Lord is trying to teach you through that problem?

You say, "Gary, you talk about focus too much." Well, I'll talk about it some more. Focus, focus, focus. What's your focus? Where's your focus? What are you focusing on? Are you watching the problem, or are you watching Jesus?

Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." There's your focus. "The author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

That's why focus is so important. It's like the poem about the two men who were in prison in Saudi Arabia. It says, "Two men looked out through prison bars. One saw sand, the other saw stars." They were both in the same prison. They were both looking through the same windows, but they were focused on two different things. One saw sand, the other saw stars.

That's what makes the difference. So, Joshua waited, and then he watched. He wasn't just focused on the problem; he was also watching for God's provision. He was also watching for God's solution to the problem. And very often, that solution is right under our nose.

Then the third thing Joshua did was he worshipped. He waited, he watched, and he worshipped. The Bible says Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped. And whenever in the Bible this formula is used—someone falls on his face to the ground and worships—it always refers to worshipping God.

There were times when you would bow out of reverence and respect to another person, and that wasn't considered worship. It was to show respect and humility. There are two passages where you will find this Hebrew word used to express respect and humility for another human being.

But there are 198 places in the Bible where it refers to worshipping deity. And whenever it says someone fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, there is no question but that that person is worshipping deity.

So, when Joshua fell down and worshipped this captain of the Lord's host, he knew exactly what he was doing. He was recognizing this individual as God. Why? Because no angel could ever accept worship. Let me show you something quickly over here in the book of Revelation. This is in the New Testament; just turn right to the book of Revelation.

The book of Revelation is just that: a revelation of Jesus Christ given to John through an angel. The angel was the messenger who delivered the revelation. And in the 22nd chapter of this revelation, verse 8, it says, "Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me—that is, the angel said to me—'See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.'"

You see, the angel said, "Don't worship me, worship God." You don't worship an angel. You don't worship a creature. You worship the Creator. So, here's the scene back here in Joshua chapter 5. Joshua is checking out Jericho before the battle. As he stands there gazing up at the tell of Jericho, he notices a man—and that should be with a capital "M"—he notices a man standing opposite him.

This man has drawn his sword like he's ready for battle. Now, this tells us something about Joshua, because he doesn't turn and run. He doesn't wait and call for reinforcements. It says Joshua went right up to that man and said, "Are you for us, or are you for our enemies?"

There was no fear in this man Joshua. And not only that, but the moment this captain of the Lord's host answered him, Joshua knew immediately that this was no ordinary angel. He knew this was a manifestation of God Himself. And the Bible says he fell on his face and worshipped, and he said, "What does my lord, Adonai, my lord, say to his servant?"

There's a lot more I could say here, and I'm going to say a lot more when we get into this, but once again, we're out of time. So, I hope you'll come back and join us when we can continue this series dealing with what to do when you're in trouble. Until then, this is your friend Gary Hedrick saying take care, God bless, bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. It's always good to have you with us, whether you're listening from home, at work, or in your car. By the way, if you found today's program helpful, you'll be glad to know that the entire series is available on one convenient compact disc.

The title is simply, What to Do When You're in Trouble, and it's yours for a gift of just $6 or more to Messianic Perspectives. Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, Post Office Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397.

Even if you're one of our regular listeners, you still may not know that we're much more than just a radio program. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries, one of the largest missionary organizations in the world. We currently have missionary families serving the Lord all over the world, including the United States, Canada, South America, England, France, and of course, Israel.

So, when you write, consider helping us with a gift above the suggested amount. We'd be very grateful. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. This is Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series on what to do when you're in trouble, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Guest (Female): Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas, and is made possible on this station by the free-will contributions of our listeners in this area.