A Drawn Sword

God’s holiness demands judgement. The Promised Land is a gift; it is also a judgement. Leviticus 18 emphasizes that the land had been defiled by its inhabitants, and that Israel is bringing God’s judgement (24,25). But the gift of the land to Israel is tied to covenant obedience, and the same standards of holiness apply to them as to the Canaanites (Leviticus 18:3–5,27,28). Measured against those standards, God’s people will eventually lose it in judgement themselves (2 Kings 17:16–23).Here divine judgement is symbolized by the presence of the commander of the Lord’s army. We don’t know who this is, though he’s clearly an authoritative representative of God. He has come with his sword drawn – ready, in other words, for war, accompanied by the hosts of the Lord. When challenged by Joshua to declare his allegiance, the commander states that he is for neither side (14). He stands for the Lord’s holiness, and challenges Joshua to remember that even the land on which he stands is holy (15).This conquest might seem to be about land, but to God it’s about restoring holiness to the land and seeking a nation to live reverently as his priests (Exodus 19:5,6).