Joshua 5:15: “Then the Commander of the LORD’S army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.”

March 26th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The Commander of the Lord’s army revealed himself to Joshua, and Joshua correctly concluded that this was God and that he was to see himself as a servant so he fell on his face and worshipped Him. The Lord told Joshua, “Take off your sandals.” This act was a familiar sign of respect and submission, and appears in at least two other places when God revealed Himself to men. It happened to Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:10–21) and to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). In the presence of the Lord, these earthly places were suddenly transformed into hallowed ground and great humility was immediately required.

The fact that God chose to reveal Himself here to Joshua was further evidence that the conquest of the Promised Land was to be accomplished by God’s power alone and not by humanity’s strength. The army of the Lord, or hosts of heaven, also appears several times in Scripture. It is mentioned when Elisha’s servant was shown the Syrian army surrounded by the hosts of heaven (2 Kings 6:16–18). And again when Jesus said in the garden of Gethsemane that Father God would quickly dispatch “12 legions of angels” if Jesus requested it (Matt. 26:53).

Jesus is the Suffering Savior, but He is also the Commander of the Heavenly Hosts. Joshua was about to go into battle against the stronghold of Jericho. Joshua saw Jericho with all its fortifications and then he looked up and saw the Commander Jesus. Although Jesus stood opposite him, Jesus was not in opposition to him. Jesus had His sword drawn, and Joshua went to Him, bowing down in submission. Jesus told Joshua that He did not come to take sides but to take over. How we need to let our Commander take over again today in our own spiritual battles. We can only be effective in the spiritual battles of life when we submit to God’s presence and authority. We start in prayer by taking off our shoes as a reminder that there is to be nothing between God and us.

“LORD, we joyfully submit and surrender to Your Lordship in our lives again this day.”

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Joshua 5 KJV

¹ And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel. ² At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.  ³ And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.  ⁴ And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. ⁵ Now all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. ⁶ For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey. ⁷ And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way. ⁸ And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. ⁹ And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.  ¹⁰ And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. ¹¹ And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. ¹² And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. ¹³ 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? ¹⁴ And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I 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?  ¹⁵ And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.