Question:
Answer:
While Joshua was near Jericho, he raised his eyes and saw one who stood facing him, drawn sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you one of us or one of our enemies?” He replied, “Neither. I am the commander of the army of the LORD: now I have come.” Then Joshua fell down to the ground in worship, and said to him, “What has my lord to say to his servant?” The commander of the army of the LORD replied to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. (Jos 5:13-16)
Who is this “commander of the army of the Lord” is an open question. Some have claimed it is St. Michael the archangel and others have claimed it is the Lord Himself. The identification is unique because elsewhere in the Scriptures the one giving the message identifies himself as either a messenger of the Lord or as the Lord Himself, in this case it is rather ambiguous.