“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, ‘Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?’ And He said, ‘Neither! But as a Captain of the Host of the Lord I AM now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto Him, ‘What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the Captain of the Lord’s Host said unto Joshua, ‘Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” – Joshua 5:13-15
As Joshua stood overlooking the city of Jericho that he was commissioned by Yahweh to destroy, he may have thought is this new generation ready for battle? Do they completely have their trust in Yahweh? As he was considering this, he suddenly noticed a stranger, dressed in complete battle armor, standing right in front of him with his sword drawn. Joshua naturally asks the man as was the custom for a soldier, “Are you for us or against us?” The man replied, “Neither!” The answer that Joshua received was an adjustment to his perspective. The relevant question was not whether he was for or against Joshua, but how did Joshua regard Him? The Captain of the Lord’s Host was the Angel of Yahweh.
Joshua was able to discern that this “man” was the Angel of Yahweh for he bows immediately upon hearing the commander’s voice. It would seem Joshua had recognized the voice, having accompanied Moses into the proximity of the Divine Presence on a number of occasions. As Joshua communed with the Almighty, this meeting was his burning bush experience. In fact, Joshua received the very same instructions as Moses in that moment:
“Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place where you stand is holy.” He came face to face with the “I AM THAT I AM."
Joshua’s performance up until this point had Yahweh’s endorsement. In order to conquer the enemies of darkness, the believer must be strong in the Lord and in the POWER of HIS MIGHT. The believer’s strength is found in Yahweh, in a living, dynamic relationship with Him. The victory is Yahweh's alone!
