When the Supernatural is Natural
Joshua is about to attack Jericho. The only problem is, Joshua has never led an attack against a fortified city. In all likelihood, Joshua is fearful of attacking one of the strongest fortified cities in all of Canaan, and is concerned as to whether God will show up. God does in the form of the “commander of the LORD’s army” (synonymous with “the angel of the LORD”) and tells Joshua to take off his sandals because the place where he is standing is holy. These were the same words the angel of the LORD used when speaking to Moses – a connection Joshua no doubt knew. It was a natural connection for Joshua to link his story with Moses’. In fact, this whole episode has been natural. Have you noticed that every time the angel of the LORD shows up (in the stories we’ve looked at in this series), the people do not freak out? When other angels show up, they freak out. But not when the angel of the LORD shows up. Why not? Because it is the most natural thing in the world to encounter the supernatural God, in whom we were made in His image and were created to be in relationship with Him. Christmas reminds us that God shows up and that He’s with us (Immanuel). We just may need to adjust our eyes a bit to how naturally He may be showing up to us.