Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:13-15

I was listening to a podcast on ancient history, and the host—a non-Christian or at least under-Christian—made a comment along the lines of “God was on their side.” The “God” he was referring to was the God of Israel, and he was saying this in reference to a passage in which God was proclaiming that His favor was resting upon this army for this reason.

The commentator meant noting offensive by it, but he was wrong.

God never takes our sides.

We are either on His side or not. That’s what Joshua learned before Jericho. God hadn’t chose Israel’s side against the Canaanites. Instead, Israel had chosen to follow God, had chosen His side.

When we look at politics, especially foreign and military policy, let’s remember that the USA might not always be on God’s side, and He certainly isn’t on ours.

So let me ask you: Whose side are you on?