He is Supernatural / Joshua 5:13-15

The Christocentric Thread of Scripture

The overarching narrative of the Holy Scriptures is fundamentally unified around the person and work of Jesus Christ. Far from being a disconnected anthology of ancient legal codes and historical anecdotes, the Old Testament consistently points forward to, anticipates, and reveals the second person of the Trinity. Following His resurrection, Christ Himself articulated this hermeneutical truth to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, demonstrating that the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms bear witness to His redemptive purpose.

Luke 24:27 (NASB)

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

This continuous revelation encompasses not only prophetic foresight, but also the active, supernatural presence of the pre-incarnate Christ entering human history. Throughout the Old Testament narrative, divine encounters—often termed theophanies or Christophanies—punctuate critical junctures of redemptive history. Whether in the mysterious figure wrestling with Jacob by the Jabbok or the fourth person walking unscathed within the Babylonian furnace, the Son of God repeatedly reveals His sovereign presence. Among the most profound of these manifestations occurs at the precipice of Israel’s conquest of Canaan, where Joshua encounters the Commander of the Lord’s Army.

The Threshold of Jericho: A Crisis of Sovereignty

Following the death of Moses, the mantle of leadership fell upon Joshua, who was tasked with guiding a nomadic generation into the Promised Land. After miraculous crossings, covenant renewal at Gilgal, and the cessation of the miraculous provision of manna, Israel stood before the ancient, heavily fortified city of Jericho. The architectural and military superiority of the fortress presented an overwhelming obstacle to an army lacking siege machinery.

In this state of strategic contemplation, Joshua observed an armed warrior standing before him with a drawn sword, signaling immediate readiness for conflict. The encounter immediately forced a fundamental inquiry into allegiance.

Joshua 5:13-15 (NASB)

Now it came about 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?’ He said, ‘No; rather I indeed come now [as] captain of the host of the LORD.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and bowed down, and said to him, ‘What has my lord to say to his servant?’ The captain of the LORD’S host said to Joshua, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.

Joshua approached the stranger with a binary question common to human conflict: “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” This inquiry reflects the natural human tendency to view God as a potential instrument or ally enlisted to serve human purposes. In the tension of impending battle, humanity consistently seeks divine validation for its own endeavors, asking whether God is on its side.

“Neither”: The Sovereign Commander

The figure’s reply radically upends this human paradigm: “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” The single word “No” dismantles the assumption that God simply aligns Himself with human factions. The Lord does not come to take sides in human conflicts; He comes to take charge as absolute Sovereign.

By identifying Himself as the Commander of the Lord’s celestial armies, the figure reveals that the impending conquest of Canaan was not merely an ethnic or geopolitical struggle, but a divine campaign. Joshua was not the supreme commander seeking divine assistance; he was a subordinate called to align himself under the command of Almighty God. This revelation reorients the nature of the mission. The ultimate battle belongs to the Lord, and human leaders are merely instruments in the execution of His redemptive will.

Holy Ground and Reverent Submission

Joshua’s response to this divine self-revelation demonstrates immediate theological clarity. Falling face down upon the earth, he offered worship and asked, “What does my Lord say to his servant?” In Hebrew thought and biblical theology, the reception of worship is reserved exclusively for Yahweh. Created angels consistently refuse worship throughout Scripture, yet this Commander received Joshua’s adoration, confirming His identity as the divine Son.

Furthermore, the Commander commanded Joshua to remove his sandals because the ground had been consecrated by His presence. This instruction directly parallels the commissioning of Moses at the burning bush in Midian.

Exodus 3:5 (NASB)

Then He said, ‘Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’

By repeating this sacred imperative, the pre-incarnate Christ communicated continuity of leadership and divine presence. Just as Yahweh had guided Moses through the wilderness, so the divine Commander would lead the conquest of Canaan. The removal of footwear signified complete submission, reverence, and the recognition that human power is entirely insufficient apart from divine holiness.

Living Under Divine Authority

The encounter outside Jericho provides timeless theological implications for the people of God. Humanity frequently faces circumstances that appear insurmountable, whether in spiritual stewardship, personal affliction, or cultural hostility. In such moments, the default disposition is often to reduce God to a helpful ally, treating Him as a resource to be summoned during crisis rather than the Sovereign who reigns over all creation.

Scripture teaches that the Christian life is engaged in an enduring spiritual conflict, one waged not against flesh and blood, but against cosmic powers of darkness.

Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places].

In this conflict, the Church is commissioned with the immense responsibility of proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples of all nations.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’

This commission cannot be executed through human ingenuity, strategic prowess, or partisan alignment. The assurance of victory rests entirely upon the sovereign authority of Christ, who has conquered sin and death and promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church.

Matthew 16:18 (NASB)

’I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Believers are called to mirror the posture of Joshua: to fall prostrate before the Commander of Heaven, to forsake the presumption of enlisting God into human agendas, and to submit unconditionally to His holy command. In absolute surrender to the sovereign Christ, the people of God find both their true purpose and their ultimate victory.