Greater Than Our Imagination | Joshua
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2023
- In this episode, Prof. N.T. Wright explores an encounter between Joshua and a mysterious figure. When asked if he is "for or against us," the mysterious figure answers in a way that slices right across Joshua's question, upending all his assumptions. This passage offers a stark warning to remain humble in polarized times, recognizing all throughout that God's purposes are greater than our imaginations.
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Bless you
Amen.
Thank you!
I love when we can get the true understanding from the Hebrew and/or the Greek. English doesn’t give us the total comprehension with or puny words.
Thank you for the wonderful devotions that you give us every week. You are a blessing and a wonderful teacher!
Thanks for being here! We're so glad you're enjoying the videos.
Wise words. Thank you and God bless N. T. Wright and team.
Yes. Too often we make our own plans and then ask God to empower them. Rather, we should seek his guidance from the start.
I am always enriched. Truly we all need to be truly steeped in humility. Thank you for this great teaching.
Thanks for this teaching. I always found this encounter fascinating. God’s response to Joshua’s question here, it seems to me, is God reminding Joshua about the structure of the relationships involved in this battle. It is not that the battle is ours and we are conscripting God to operate in our favour but rather the battle is God’s and we get the great privilege of being on His side. Joshua seemed to immediately recognise this when he went from the posture of being a General of the army to one of being a foot soldier in the Lord’s service awaiting His command.
As a Christian in the US, I need to put humility first and thankfulness, next … put on my marching shoes ❤😊. Thanks for this.
Good words
As often happens I find my self in a confessional booth of sorts after one of your insightful teachings -
As one who lives in a family of post orthodox Christian views and intimately familiar with loved ones espousing the Romans 3 ‘wrath of God’ stuff ; I am often in dangerous waters of self righteous arrogance at my weakest Roman 7 moments and my own road to Emmaus confusion about how far to ‘stand for the truth ‘ . Slowly learning to leave the us and them paradigm and the one down pickup your cross humility with fervent prayers for all in secret.
I think spiritual pride is the most dangerous sin of all for Christians because we are the last to see it at work in ourselves. Everyone else witnesses it first. It is the enemy's favourite weapon because it creeps up on us unseen.
This is such an excellent devotion. Thank you so very much. I’ve often found this passage to be so powerful in this regard and the importance of reorienting our ways to God. But this was a powerful exegesis and application. And has such great relevance to our divided world. It is so easy to think my side is in the right. When perhaps neither side is. And we all, it seems to me, are ever in need of a “fresh” reading as you put it. Thank you again. Just excellent.
I am led to Ephesians 6: 10 - 20
▪︎"For my struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" !!
▪︎"Therefore put on the full armour of God .... " 🤺
Yes, we often we get a polarised in our thinking. We need deep humility to understand the larger picture.
It taught me to wait and listen.
Amen🙏🏾🙌🏾
Pride encourages us to assume God is on our side supporting our ideas. Humility would instead have us ask God for His holy perspective.
I haven’t read Joshua in decades. I find the “history” books interesting as history but overlook the possible spiritual aspects of them. Thank you for this reminder.
Powerful
So good! Thanks for the reminder.
National pride is a good thing. It’s just not something God joins us in.
Very thought provoking.
Awesome teaching! I keep telling people this.
Very thought provoking Tom! I feel encouraged and challenged at the same time! I needed this.
Amen 🙏🏽
Perfect
AMEN!
🙏❤
Great message, thanks
I thank God for you, your teachings have really helped me see God, people and myself in a more informed light. I have a question if the man was a soldier in God's arm why did he allow Joshua to worship him or was it a posture of humility,thanks
Our church is currently doing a sermon series on the book of Joshua. I am preaching this Sunday on chapter 5 and found the good professors insight into this rather strange encounter of enormous help. Interestingly, I use the ESV and it has the reply as 'no'.
In Rev 22 the angel tells John not to worship him because he is a fellow servant, 'worship God'. The swordsman says no such thing which begs the tantalising question was this God himself appearing to Joshua (in a form that he could withstand), or possibly the pre incarnate Jesus? We may never know...
Alan
Mr Wright, some would affirm that the angel or messenger or herald that was adored by Josuè was neither more nor less than The Word, the Son, and others would affirm that he was only a created angel. The sacred name YHWH accompanied by the term messenger seems to be "Creator and creature", but was not the Son of man a herald? What is your point of view on this issue Mr Wright?
What kind of tea is NT Wright drinking there?
It seems to me that this understanding has some quite questionable points. Joshua saw a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand. He did not know it was an angel. He simply asked the man if he belonged to the Israelite camp or the enemy camp. It was not an arrogant question. The angel replies that he is the captain of the Lord’s army. And then, this figure assures Joshua that the armies of the Lord are quite firmly with Joshua’s army, as Joshua would actually have already known. So I don’t think the passage has anything to do with presumption or arrogance, but rather is one that is quite affirming of Joshua for what he has already done, and one that instills confidence that, the Lord is on Joshua’s side, since Joshua has already demonstrated tht he is on the Lord’s side.
Those are valid points, but the words have significance beyond their immediate context. We are, after all, reading this long after the battle has been fought. Seeing in the angel's words an implicit warning seems a perfectly reasonable take on the text. If we do God's will the forces of heaven fight on our behalf. But those same forces will, or at least can be, arrayed against us if we disregard that will.
The angel also said No.
@@michaelkistner6286 I, too, think the point that is trying to be made is a valid one. But it just isn't in this actual text. I think it constitutes of an over-interpretation of Joshua's question.
@@kidflersh7807 Correct, he answered "No" to the actual question that Joshua asked. But he also made it quite clear that God was on Joshua's side, since Joshua was already on God's side.
@@jerryshepherd9115 maybe it's a question of exegesis vs application. When you put them together you get exposition.