Give him your shoe

The Israelites have crossed over the Jordan River and are now in Canaanland. They know what they have to do but don't know how to do it. So God has dispatched the commander of His army to give the marching orders. But the first command wasn't what one would expect. It is the most important and thus the subject of today's sermon. In essence He has just told Joshua to surrender by instructing him to take off his shoe. Today shoe's are a fashion statement, a requirement to enter a restaurant, or just something to put on to start your day. Back in Biblical times shoes represented authority. They were something of a luxury and that meant you had power.