Commentary - Joshua 5:13-15

Bird's-eye view

Just as Israel is poised to begin the conquest of the Promised Land, their human commander comes face to face with the divine Commander. Israel has crossed the Jordan, they have renewed the covenant through circumcision, and they have celebrated the Passover on the plains of Jericho. They are ritually clean and prepared for war. Joshua, doing what a good general does, is surveying the enemy stronghold. It is at this moment of apparent human readiness that God intervenes to establish the true nature of the command structure. This is not Joshua's war, and God is not a powerful ally to be summoned. This is God's war, and Joshua is a servant. This encounter is a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it sets the entire conquest in its proper theological framework: the battle belongs to the Lord, and victory comes through worshipful submission to Him.

Outline

Context In Joshua

This brief but potent episode serves as the final preparatory event before the battle of Jericho in chapter 6. It follows the miraculous crossing of the Jordan (Ch. 3-4) and the covenant renewal ceremonies at Gilgal (Ch. 5:1-12). The manna has just ceased, signaling a new era where Israel will eat from the produce of the land they conquer. Everything is pointing forward to the first great military test. This encounter ensures that as Israel goes forward, they do so with the right understanding of who is leading them. The strategy for Jericho, which is anything but conventional, is given only after Joshua has submitted himself to the true General. This is the divine commissioning of Joshua, not as an independent commander, but as a subordinate officer under the command of Yahweh Himself.

Key Issues

13 Now it happened when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?”

Joshua is acting the part of a faithful general. He is near the city, likely alone, contemplating the massive, fortified walls and considering his strategy. He is doing his job. When he lifts his eyes, he sees a figure who is clearly a warrior. This is not an angel with a harp, but a "man" with a drawn sword. A drawn sword signifies readiness for immediate combat; this is a declaration of war. Joshua's response is both courageous and pragmatic. He walks straight up to this imposing figure and demands to know his allegiance. "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" This is the fundamental question of all earthly conflict. It is a question that seeks to place this stranger into Joshua's existing framework. It is a question that assumes the two most important sides are "us" and "them." It is a perfectly reasonable question for a military commander to ask, but it is the wrong question to ask of God.

14 He said, “No! Rather I indeed come now as commander of the host of Yahweh.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and bowed down and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his slave?”

The answer is stunning. "No." This is not a refusal to answer, but a refusal to accept the premise of the question. The Lord does not join sides; He makes them. He is not a powerful mercenary who can be recruited for Israel's cause. He is the cause. The central issue is not whether God is on Israel's side, but whether Israel is on God's side. The Commander immediately re-frames the entire situation. "I indeed come now as commander of the host of Yahweh." He is the Prince of the Lord's army, the captain of the angelic hosts. This is a Christophany, the pre-incarnate Son of God. Joshua understands immediately. He doesn't ask for credentials. He doesn't argue. He sees the glory and collapses in worship. His posture shifts from a general confronting a potential threat to a slave prostrate before his master. His question shifts from "Whose side are you on?" to "What has my lord to say to his slave?" This is the great turning point. Joshua cedes command. From now on, he will take orders. This is the posture from which all true spiritual warfare must be waged.

15 The commander of the host of Yahweh said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The Commander's first order is not a battle plan. It is a call to reverence. "Remove your sandals." This command deliberately echoes the call of Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). The connection is unmistakable. This is the same divine Person who commissioned Moses. The God of the Exodus is the God of the Conquest. The reason for the command is that the ground is "holy." Why is it holy? Not because it is a special patch of dirt. The ground is holy because He is standing on it. The presence of God consecrates a place. We do not go to holy places to find God; where God is, that place becomes holy. This is a profound lesson for worship. The church building, the home, the field, all become holy ground when the people of God gather in the presence of their King. And Joshua's response is the only one possible: simple, immediate obedience. "And Joshua did so." Before he can be told how to fight, he must learn how to worship. Before he receives the strategy for Jericho, he must remove his shoes. Submission and worship are the prerequisites for victory.

Application

This encounter with the Commander of the Lord's army is a foundational text for the Christian life. We all have our "Jerichos", imposing obstacles, impossible tasks, and fortified enemies. Our natural, pragmatic instinct, like Joshua's, is to size up the problem and then ask God to get on our side and help us with our plan. We want God to be our co-pilot.

The Lord's answer to us is the same as it was to Joshua: "No." He will not be fitted into our plans. He is not here to serve our agenda. We are here to serve His. The fundamental question is never "Is God on my side?" but always "Am I on His?" This requires a radical reorientation, a complete surrender of our own strategies and ambitions.

The proper response is to do as Joshua did: fall on our faces in worship. We must move from asking God what He can do for us to asking, "What has my Lord to say to His slave?" True spiritual strength is not found in enlisting God's power for our projects, but in submitting to His authority for His projects. Before we can fight, we must worship. Before we can advance, we must take off our shoes, acknowledging that any ground where we meet with the risen Christ is holy ground. Only then, as obedient servants, are we ready to receive our marching orders.