Joshua: Servant of the Lord - Lesson 4
Overview
Encountering the Commander of the Lord's Army
As Joshua approached Jericho, he met "a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand" who identified himself as "commander of the army of the Lord" Joshua 5:13–15. Three details mark this encounter as more than a meeting with an angel: the figure wields a sword, commands the heavenly host, and makes the ground beneath Joshua holy. Scripture records theophanies—visible appearances of God—as in Genesis 12:7 and Exodus 33:12–23. Luther rightly identified this scene as a Christophany—a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ. The command, "Remove the sandals from your feet for the place where you stand is holy," directly echoes God's words to Moses at the burning bush Exodus 3:5. The sanctuary, like that ground, is holy space because it is God's space; we enter it differently than any other place.
God Raises Us Up by Causing Us to Fall
Joshua's response is not bravado but worship: he falls on his face. This is the gracious pattern of God's dealings with His people—He raises us up by causing us to fall in humility. Our sinful nature inclines us in the opposite direction, toward thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought, even toward the lie that we can "name and claim" our own reality or become divine through our works. Such teaching is heresy because it confuses the creature with the Creator. The true God incarnate, by contrast, girded a servant's towel and washed His disciples' feet before going to the cross. Humility is the opposite of the world's gospel of power, but it is the very posture in which God lifts His people up.
God Exercises the Faith of His People
Why did the Lord prescribe seven days of marching around Jericho when victory was already promised Joshua 6:1–16? Jericho's reputation for impenetrable strength was nothing before God, who could have toppled it instantly. The delay was for Israel's sake: God exercises faith the way exercise strengthens the body. Trials and waiting are not signs that God has forgotten us; they are the means by which He matures us. As James 1:2–4 teaches, the testing of faith produces endurance, and endurance brings maturity. See also Romans 5:1–5, 1 Peter 1:3–7, and 2 Corinthians 12:1–10. God is more interested in our growth than our comfort. He never wastes suffering; He uses it for our good and His glory, and often it is in hardship that we remember we are not the masters of our destiny.
No Past Sin Disqualifies the Redeemed
In the destruction of Jericho, Rahab and her household are spared Joshua 6:17. The Hebrew is better rendered "Rahab who was a prostitute"—she was no longer defined by her former life. More striking still, when her name appears in the genealogy of Jesus Matthew 1:1–6, no such designation accompanies it. She is simply Rahab, mother of Boaz, ancestor of David and of Christ. A Gentile and a former prostitute is grafted into the people of God and into the line of the Messiah Himself. This is the gospel: in Christ there is a fresh start, and no past sin disqualifies those whom He has claimed, because He has borne every sin upon the cross.
Transcript
Good morning. 7s
Let's pray please. 9s
Holy God, we give you thanks for this, your day, you call and you gather us as your people, 11s
you have something to give us. 18s
Word and sacrament. 20s
We thank you for your graciousness. 21s
We thank you for your word. 24s
Bless us as we continue our study in the book of Joshua, in Jesus holy and precious name 26s
we pray. 32s
Amen. 34s
Last week we talked about how the Israelites crossed over safely across the Jordan as they 36s
had crossed over the Red Sea decades before. 44s
And that crossing over of the Jordan for shadowed our baptism. 48s
Luther had what is called the flood prayer when he prayed, yet you led your people through 55s
the water on dry ground for shadowing this washing of your holy baptism. 61s
Through the baptism in the Jordan of your beloved son, our Lord Jesus Christ, you sanctified 68s
and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood and a lavish washing away of sin. 75s
As he saved the Israelites through the water, he also saves us through the waters of baptism 84s
and we inherit the promised land of life eternal. 90s
We also talked about after the crossing of the Jordan how the people were instructed to 95s
put up memorial stones. 100s
We talked about what kind of rocks we establish that teach our children. 102s
They can be positive, they can also be quite negative and children will discern. 109s
Exactly those meaning of the rocks and inconsistencies in parenting with regard to words and actions. 116s
So we took a look at that last week. 126s
Well let's start in chapter 5 of Joshua. 128s
Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, then Joshua. 135s
Joshua chapter 5 and we'll pick up today in verse 13 of chapter 5. 140s
And there we read this. 151s
Once when Joshua was bigerico, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. 155s
Joshua went out, went to him and said to him, are you one of us or one of our adversaries? 166s
He replied neither. 174s
But as commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come. 176s
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped and he said to him, what do you command your servant, my Lord? 182s
The commander of the army of the Lord said to Joshua, remove the sandals from your feet for the place where you stand is holy. 193s
And Joshua did so. 204s
Let's zoom in to sharpen our focus here in terms of who this person is that is meeting Joshua. 207s
Let's go into verse 13 again. 217s
Once when Joshua was bigerico, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. 220s
The first thing we say, this person here has a sword. 228s
Second thing we see in verse 14 that there is a reference that he is commander of the army of the Lord. 234s
So he has a sword, he is commander of the army of the Lord. 243s
And then going down into verse 15, we see that where he is in the presence of this person, that ground becomes holy. 247s
So a sword, he is the commander of the army and the place where Joshua is now standing because of the presence of this one becomes holy. 262s
So the question is, who is he? Who is he? 274s
What we see in Scripture are what are called theophanes. 279s
These are visible appearances of God. 285s
For example, let's go to Genesis chapter 12 verse 7, Genesis chapter 12 verse 7. 290s
And we have a theophany referenced, 12 verse 7 of Genesis. 309s
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your offspring, I will give this land. 318s
So he built there an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. 326s
That's a theophany of an appearance of God. 332s
Let's go to Genesis chapter 26. 336s
Genesis chapter 26 verse 2. 339s
I think I'm sorry. 360s
I think I'm sorry. 364s
Sure. 369s
Yep. Theophany. 370s
Theophany. 381s
I must have written down the wrong verse here. 383s
Let's go to Exodus chapter 33. 386s
And then Exodus chapter 33 verse 12. 389s
Exodus 33 verse 12. 394s
And there we read. 402s
Moses said to the Lord, see, you have said to me, bring up this people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. 405s
Yet you have said, I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight. 415s
Now, if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. 422s
Consider too that this nation is your people. 431s
He said, my presence will go with you and I will give you rest. 436s
And he said to him, if your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 440s
For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I in your people unless you go with us. 446s
In this way, we shall be distinct, I in your people, from every people on the face of the earth. 451s
The Lord said to Moses, I will do the very thing that you have asked for. 459s
You have found favor in my sight and I know you by name. 463s
Moses said, show me your glory, I pray, and he said, I will make all my goodness past before you and will proclaim before you the name the Lord. 467s
And I will be gracious to him, to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 477s
But he said, you cannot see my face for no one shall see me and live. 484s
And the Lord continued, see there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock and while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 490s
Then I will take away my hand and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen. 504s
There is another appearance of God, this is a theophany. 514s
What you have here in Joshua, Joshua the 5th chapter is you have what is called a Christophany. 519s
And that is a Christophany is a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Jesus. 534s
What is the incarnation? 541s
We celebrate that all the time, we celebrate that at Christmas, don't we? 542s
That is the inflection of the Lord Jesus Christ. 547s
So theophany is appearance of God and then Christophany is an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ. 552s
Luther maintained and correctly so that in Joshua the 5th chapter, this person here that is talking with Joshua, the one with the sword, the one that says that he is a come to Christ. 561s
So this is the commander of the army, that this is a Christophany, this is a pre-incarnate manifestation of God. 572s
Take a look at Exodus chapter 3, Exodus chapter 3, verse 5. 584s
Here is the manifestation of God out of the burning bush and in Exodus 3, verse 5, it reads, then he said, 601s
if you had come no closer, remove the sandals from your feet for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 611s
He said further, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 623s
And Moses hit his face for he was afraid to look at God. 631s
The place where he is standing is holy ground and the place here where the pre-incarnate Christ comes into contact with Joshua. 635s
What does Jesus say? 647s
Take off your sandals. 651s
Take off your shoes. 653s
The place that you are standing is holy ground. It's holy ground. 655s
The sanctuary should be a place that is different than other places. 663s
Because when we come into the house of God, we are coming into his place. 671s
And so this is a different space. We should treat it differently than we do other spaces. 678s
When Pastor Maloneck and I when we teach chapel on Wednesdays, we meet the kids in the hallway. 686s
And one of the things we say every single week is where are we going into whose house is it? 696s
This is a different place. In other words, we don't say this, but in other words, the implication is we don't act like we do and we are at the bowl park. 703s
This is a different space. Right? We treat it differently. We act differently. 715s
We dress differently when we come into this space because it's God's space. 725s
Joshua hears that the very one that is in his presence is God himself who can stand against the Lord with his heavenly and earthly forces. 737s
And what does Joshua do but Joshua falls down? Here's the point. 751s
He raises Joshua up by causing him to fall in humility and worship. 756s
He raises him up by causing him to fall in humility. 767s
It's exactly what God does for us. In our sinfulness, we have a tendency because of what comes, what I talk about in the sermon today, what comes naturally to us is darkness. 773s
What comes naturally to us is ignorance of God and his ways, unbelief, what comes naturally to us is sin. 788s
Because of what comes naturally to us, we have a tendency to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. 798s
And we can even think in the categories of divine. You have false teachers that play into that who say, you can manifest whatever reality it is. 806s
You want if you just have enough faith or it's under the banner of name it and claim it. 820s
So the false teachers will say, you just need to name what it is you want and focus on that and you will bring that into reality. 827s
That's heresy, isn't it? Because all of a sudden we are treating ourselves as if we are God and we can create whatever it is we think. 837s
No, God thought said let there be light and it was light. Right? God is the one that has that ability. 847s
In our darkness, in our sin, we so often do the opposite of humbling ourselves before God because what are we taught? 856s
We are taught, no offense to John Wayne fans here, but we are taught, right? 869s
That if you're tough enough, you can do anything. And we are fed the line in our world today that says, you can do and be whatever it is you want to be. 875s
You can't, you can't, you will not be what God doesn't want you to be. 890s
You will not be where God does not want you to be because God is sovereign. But what feeds the ego, right? 899s
What feeds the ego is thinking that we are divine. You understand the appeal, right? Of the Mormon heresy. 908s
Where you say that you can work up and have your own planet by your works, yeah, I'll be in charge and I'll have my own planet. 920s
And I'm a good person so if anybody deserves their own planet, it's, and we point the finger to ourselves. 937s
You see how the how the heresy is so appealing to the darkness in us? 946s
Joshua has the appearance, the Christophany of the pre-incarnate Christ and his reaction is not to say. 955s
I got this. I got this. Don't worry about it. God, ten, ten to other matters here. I got this. 965s
No, his response is to fall down in humility. God raises us up by continually making us fall in humility before him. 974s
Because in our sinfulness, humility is the opposite. It is the opposite of how we want to live. 988s
It is the opposite of the secular, sermonic messages of our society. 998s
Humility is the opposite of it. The secular message is power. Power. 1004s
And if you have power, that's what you want. And the only way to get power is you have to do what to your opponents. 1014s
You have to push them down. Because if they are higher than you, then you lose your power. 1024s
What is Jesus do? God incarnate before he goes to the cross, he girds a servant's towel and he washes the stinking feet of his disciple. 1032s
God in the flesh washes the feet of the disciples. 1049s
Philippians says that he humbled himself, taking on flesh going to the cross. 1055s
You see Joshua here, what a gift that he's raised up by causing him to fall. God constantly does that. 1063s
Let's go on into chapter 6. 1075s
Chapter 6, verse 1, 1081s
Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the Israelites. No one came out and no one went in. 1084s
The Lord said to Joshua, see I have handed Jericho over to you along with its king and soldiers. 1090s
You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once, thus you shall do for six days. 1097s
When seven priests bearing seven trumpets of Ramshorns bear the ark. 1105s
On the seventh day, you shall march around the city seven times the priests blowing the trumpets. 1110s
When they make a long blast with the Ramshorn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, 1117s
then all the people shall shout with a great shout and the wall of the city will fall down flat and all the people shall charge straight ahead. 1123s
So Joshua, son of non, summoned the priest and said to them, 1133s
take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of Ramshorns in front of the ark of the Lord. 1138s
To the people he said, go forward and march around the city, have the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord. 1146s
Jericho had a reputation for absolute strength. 1157s
One archaeologist estimates there that Jericho was probably founded, and it's like 6,000 years before the birth of Christ. 1162s
It had historically been one of the most well defended of all of the cities. 1174s
Jericho's worldly strength was insufficient to stand in the mighty act of God. 1182s
Now you wonder, this is just theory here because we don't have the mind of Joshua, 1196s
but did it ever cross Joshua's mind, why did the Lord plan this seven day ritual? 1201s
Why seven days? 1210s
I mean, why doesn't he just do what he's going to do? 1212s
Because he's already told Joshua, you're going to be victorious here. 1217s
So what is it about these seven days? 1223s
Here's the second point I want to highlight to you today. 1226s
First point is he raised up Joshua by causing him to fall down in humility. 1230s
That's a gracious gift as God continually leads us to understand where not God he is, 1234s
and we are profoundly mortal, aren't we? 1241s
We are profoundly human, absolutely dependent on God for everything. 1244s
That's the first point. 1248s
Second point is that God exercised the faith of the people of Israel. 1249s
That's why there is the delay of seven days. 1259s
Because he's exercising the faith of Israel. 1263s
God exercises our faith. 1269s
Because what happens to our bodies when we exercise? 1273s
The body becomes stronger, right? 1280s
You do weights and the muscles become stronger. 1284s
You run or you walk and you gain greater endurance. 1287s
That comes from exercise. 1294s
God does the same thing with our faith. 1296s
And so often he uses challenges and suffering to exercise our faith. 1301s
Here's a remember. 1309s
God is more interested in your growth than your comfort. 1311s
See that all over scripture. 1318s
He's more interested in your growth than your comfort. 1321s
That's why sometimes people can struggle when suffering comes into their life. 1327s
And they say, if God is so all loving, then why am I suffering? 1330s
And they immediately go then to say, God cannot be loving because of the suffering that we are going through. 1338s
Well, the Father did not withhold suffering from his son. 1347s
Right? 1352s
We see that much suffering that comes in the world is simply the result of sin in the world. 1353s
We also see that God never wastes suffering. 1361s
So that when God allows suffering to come into our lives, he will never, ever waste it. 1366s
He will always use it for our ultimate good and his ultimate glory. 1375s
And one of the things that he does for our good amidst times of suffering and challenges and difficulty 1380s
is he exercises the faith. 1388s
So that we understand then that even amidst suffering, God is calling and empowering us to give him glory. 1397s
Now, Scripture tells us that even if the harvest is bad, et cetera, even if life is going sour, that's an incredible loose translation on that. 1409s
Even if all life is terrible, I will still praise God. 1419s
I will still praise God because amidst the challenges and difficulty that simply come along with living in a sinful world and a sinful people, 1424s
we can then rest in the one that has redeemed us and opened up for us all of eternity and we can rest in the fact that our loving father is more interested in our growth than our comfort. 1433s
He makes the people wait seven days because he's exercising, exercising their faith. 1452s
Let me just give you a couple of passages. We won't go to all of them because of the sake of time. 1459s
Romans 5, 1 to 5. 1466s
1 Peter 1, 3 to 7. 1471s
2 Corinthians 12, 1 to 10. 1475s
We all see there how God uses suffering. 1480s
Let's look at 1. Let's go to James chapter 1. 1483s
James chapter 1 verses 2 to 4. 1487s
Hebrews and then James. 1494s
James 1 to 4. 1497s
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy. 1503s
Let's just pause there a moment. 1513s
When we face trials, what is one of the first thoughts that we have? 1515s
We don't like this because it's uncomfortable or it's changing the blueprint of our plan. 1523s
And yet Scripture says, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy. 1536s
And then here's the reason because you know that the testing of your faith, the exercising of your faith, 1544s
produces endurance and let endurance have its full effect so that you may be mature and complete lacking in nothing. 1554s
If God created or allowed for our life, allowed is a better word. 1568s
If God allowed for our life to simply be all days of 70 degrees, blue skies, everyone smiling at us, everything going perfectly, 1574s
perfect health, clarity of mind. 1591s
If God allows not a problem to enter into our lives, we will be perpetually at a maturity level of a kindergartener. 1597s
Because when everything is going well, in our darkness, who is it that we tend to forget? 1609s
God, God. 1622s
Why is it that so often you see when people are going through difficult times that there is a return to the church for them? 1625s
Because all of a sudden they realize they're not the masters of their destiny. 1637s
But they're facing challenges and difficulties that are that are that far surpass them and that overwhelm them. 1645s
And they come back to the church because they realize that they're not God. 1653s
Not God. 1658s
You see, that is a gift then when trials come because what God does is exercise our faith and strengthen our faith. 1661s
And we become more mature. 1674s
He moves us from kindergarten into greater maturity. 1677s
And you remember, right, as we see this in the great reformers, you see it in Luther, you see it in Calvin, that the more mature you get, the more you realize how immature you are. 1685s
Right? 1699s
More mature you get, more you realize. 1701s
I don't really think I've gotten in the first grade yet. 1704s
That continues that process of God teaching us, He's God and we are not. 1708s
God raised Joshua up by making him fall in humility. 1718s
God matured the people by exercising their faith. 1725s
God does the same thing for us. 1731s
And then the last point. 1735s
Let's go back to chapter 6, verse 17, please. 1738s
Let's start in 15, gives us more of a context. 1747s
On the seventh day they rose early at dawn and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. 1753s
It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 1760s
And at the seventh time, when the priest had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, 1765s
shall shout for the Lord has given you the city. 1770s
The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. 1776s
Only Rahab, the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, 1781s
because she hid the messengers. 1789s
We sent. 1794s
So everything is going to be destroyed here. 1796s
Except Rahab and those in her house. 1800s
Remember when Joshua had sent the two spies in? 1806s
Well, what he's referring to here is this dialogue that occurred with Rahab. 1811s
And Rahab here has the promise that nothing is going to happen to her and those in her household. 1818s
Rahab and her family are examples of Gentiles being brought into the Israel of God, 1828s
the true invisible church that spans the testaments. 1836s
Now what is interesting here is in referring to Rahab as the prostitute. 1842s
It happens again in 22 and 25. 1848s
In referring to Rahab as the prostitute in Hebrew, it's better translated who was a prostitute. 1852s
Who was a prostitute? 1863s
We know then from these translations here that Rahab was not continuing in being a prostitute. 1865s
That she was a former prostitute here. 1875s
What else do we know about Rahab? 1880s
Where do we hear about her again? 1883s
Let's go to Matthew, chapter 1. 1885s
Let's start in verse 1. 1895s
In account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 1902s
Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah, 1908s
and his brothers and Judah, the father of Perez and Zeera by Tamar and Perez, the father of Hezran, 1913s
and Hezran the father of Aaron, and Aaron the father of Amidadab, 1919s
Amidadab the father of Nashon, and Nashon the father of Selman, 1924s
and Selman the father of Boez by, well now who pops up? 1929s
By Rahab and Boez the father of Obed by Ruth and Obed the father of Jesse and Jesse the father of King David. 1935s
It reveals that Rahab and a man named Selman were the parents of Boez, the great grandfather of David. 1947s
So here you have in the genealogy of Jesus a reference to Rahab, 1962s
and notice what's not associated with Rahab, it doesn't say Rahab the prostitute, doesn't, doesn't. 1972s
Because in Christ we have a fresh start and past sins do not disqualify us. 1983s
God's grace and God's mercy are incredible. 1994s
He raises us up by causing us to fall in humility before the Lord. 2001s
He exercises our faith and no one, no one, no matter what you've done, is disqualified by past sin. 2007s
For Jesus has borne all the sin upon him at the cross. 2022s
Well next week we're going to take a look at the sin of one man, Aiken, 2029s
and how that sin of one man caused disaster for the entire nation. 2034s
We're going to take a look at how the battle plan of the Lord caused success for the people and how it is real respond to the victory. 2042s
And also upcoming is how do we understand those times when God says, kill them, kill them. 2051s
We'll continue next week. 2061s