Joshua Meets the Commander of the Lord's Army
Joshua must bow and listen to the Lord's commander before Jericho.
Joshua 5:13-15 (BSB)
13Now 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 approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”
14“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORD’s army.” Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”
15The Commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
What is the big idea of Joshua 5:13-15?
Joshua must bow and listen to the Lord's commander before Jericho.
Understanding the Big Idea
Near Jericho Joshua encounters a drawn-sword commander of the Lord's army and learns that the ground is holy. The question is not whether God joins Joshua's side but whether Joshua submits to God's command.
How does Joshua 5:13-15 point to Christ?
The holy-ground encounter places Joshua under the Lord's command, not over it. Christians confess Jesus Christ as the risen Lord because of the New Testament witness to his death for sins and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). This passage should not be made to prove a specific Christophany or used to claim that Christ endorses a modern army.
Authorial Intent
Near Jericho, Joshua sees a drawn-sword figure, asks whose side he is on, hears that he is commander of the Lord's army, and obeys a command to remove his sandals on holy ground.
Literary Context
Joshua 5:10-12 precedes this unit; Joshua 6:1-5 continues the account. Near Jericho, Joshua sees a drawn-sword figure, asks whose side he is on, hears that he is commander of the Lord's army, and obeys a command to remove his sandals on holy ground.
Historical Context
Joshua is near Jericho before the city's fall. An armed figure confronts him, and the scene shifts from military identification to holy-ground obedience.
Chapter: Joshua 5
Covenant Renewal at Gilgal and the Commander of the LORD’s Army
Before God’s people fight the battles ahead, they must be marked by covenant identity, nourished by remembered redemption, and humbled before the holy Commander of the LORD’s army.