Editor’s context: today it was announced that Captain of the Host Received an Errata to remove the “Prophet” Identifier:

I am posting this as an opinion regarding the recent ruling on Captain of the Host not being a Prophet according to Redemptions definition of Prophet. Having studied the text of Scripture behind the Captain of the Host card I would contend that Captain of the Host should remain identified as a Prophet per Redemption’s current definition of Prophet.

If it is determined even still he does not meet Redemption’s definition of Prophet then I would contend several other characters should no longer be identified as a Prophet.

Joshua 5:13-6:5 says:

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”

14 And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”

15 And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Josh. 6:1 Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in.

2 And the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.

3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days.

4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” (ESV).

When we consider this passage it would seem that the Captain of the Host is not just a mere angel but rather this is a Divine appearance also called a “Theophany”. The reasons for this are that when Joshua bows down to worship the Captain of the Host does not prohibit this worship.

Angels when someone falls on their face to worship always seem in Scripture to discourage such behavior such as in Revelation 19:9-10. Further, the Captain of the Host declares that location to be holy ground very similarly to what the Lord says in Exodus 3:1-6 to Moses in the burning bush passage which is a clear appearance of God, a Theophany.

Further, as we approach this passage it is important to note that it is a narrative and therefore there is not a clear break between the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6. The Captain of the Host is the one speaking to Joshua in Joshua 6:2. The Captain of the Host is identified here as the Lord Himself. What does the Captain of the Host say in Joshua 6:2-5? Well the Captain of the Host makes a prophetic declaration regarding what will take place at Jericho. This is prophetic as these events had not taken place yet. 6:5 in particular is prophetic.

Redemption’s definition of Prophet in the ORDIR on page 103 is, “A prophet in Redemption® is a character that the Bible refers to as a prophet or who foretold the future by supernatural revelation.” The Captain of the Host best understood as the Lord Himself foretells the future by supernatural revelation in Joshua 6:2-5.

I would contend the original card designers who identified the Captain of the Host as a Prophet when they designed the Kings set were correct in this designation according to Redemption’s current definition of what a Prophet is.

My interpretation of Joshua 5:13-6:5 is supported by Dr. Donald K. Campbell in the Bible Knowledge Commentary edited by Dr. John Walvoord and Dr. Roy Zuck on page 340 writes the following on Joshua 6:2, “But there this impressive fortress stood, in full view of Joshua whose conversation with the Commander of the Lord’s army continued. This Commander, the Lord Himself, promised victory to Joshua and announced that He had given Jericho into his hands. The city, its king, and its army would all fall to Israel. The tense of the Hebrew verb is prophetic perfect (I have delivered), describing a future action as if it were already accomplished. Since God had declared it, the victory is assured.”

If the Redemption Elders still decide Captain of the Host is not a Prophet per Redemption’s definition of Prophet in the ORDIR then I would wager several other characters should no longer be identified as a Prophet including The Angel Under the Oak, Angel with the Secret Name, Resurrection Revealer, and Saint Patrick. The reason I say this is regarding AUTO and AWSN: The Captain of the Host passage is just as much a theophany as The Angel Under the Oak passage and The Angel with the Secret Name passage. It is also just as prophetic. Regarding Resurrection Revealer and Saint Patrick many would debate if they are Prophets or not.

Perhaps the definition of Prophet in the ORDIR needs to be reconsidered entirely. If it were I would contend for removing the phrase, “or who foretold the future by supernatural revelation” from the definition of Prophet in the ORDIR. This would leave the following as the definition, “A prophet in Redemption® is a character that the Bible refers to as a prophet.” This would cut out characters such as Captain of the Host, The Angel Under the Oak, Resurrection Revealer, and Saint Patrick as likely being defined as being a Prophet. However, if the definition of Prophet in the ORDIR remains as it is currently phrased then I would contend Captain of the Host should continue to be identified as a Prophet.

Overall I feel the Elder team does a great job handling the text of Scripture and I have never really spoken up before on something they have done in terms of handling the text of Scripture. Kudos to them for a faithful job and this is just an effort to help aid in that further.

-CtheTree

EDIT (11-1-2024):

1. The one commentary I posted yesterday was the one I had on hand at home. Today I am at my office at the church (I am a pastor) and am checking all the other commentaries/study Bibles I have here in my office. Here is what they say.
2. A.W. Pink from his commentary Gleanings in Joshua writes on page 143, “Joshua now discovered it was far more than “a Man” who stood before him, and therefore did he prostrate himself before Him and humbly sought His will. Had this Visitor been only an angel, he had rebuked Joshua for worshipping him (Rev. 19, 10; 22, 8, 9); but this Person accepted it, thereby envincing to inagurate the great enterprise on which he was about to engage, namely, the putting of the inhabitants of Canaan to the sword … “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” (verse 13). Here was further proof that the One speaking to Joshua was infinitely above the highest celestial creature, for the arch-angel’s presence had not rendered the very ground whereon he stood sacred. It was in fact none other than the august Person before whom the seraphim veil their faces and cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts” … It will be noted that the token of reverence required from Joshua was identical with that demanded by Moses by “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” at the burning bush (Exod. 3:5, 6).”
3. Beyond this John Calvin and John MacArthur in their notes on the passage also identify the Captain of the Host as being the Lord Himself. I share this to show this is the consensus interpretation of the passage and has been for a long time (John Calvin as one of the reformers was ministering during the 1500s). Here is a note by the translator of John Calvin’s commentary on Joshua the late Henry Beveridge who summarizes the early church fathers interpretation of the passage on page 88, “Several modern commentators … have maintained that the personage who thus appeared was merely a created angel. In this they have only followed in the steps of the Jewish Rabbis, who not satisfied with holding that he was an angel, have gone the farther lenth of fixing what particular angel it was. With almost unanimous consent they declare it to have been Michael … The sounder view here advocated by Calvin, and generally adopted by the early Christian Fathers, is well expressed by Origen, who says, in his Sixth Homily on this Book, “Joshua knew not only that he was of God, but that he was God. For he would not have worshipped, had he not recognised him to be God. For who else is the Captain of the Lord’s host but our Lord Jesus Christ?” It would make sad havoc with our ideas of divine worship to admit the homage which Joshua here pays could be lawfully received, or rather could, so to speak, be imperiously demanded by one creature from another.” So we see from this the view that the Captain of the Host is the Lord appearing to Joshua is not a new novel interpretation but is the consensus interpretation of the early church fathers. I really do think those who designated Captain of the Host as a Prophet when they made the Kings set were correct in doing so if we maintain the current definition of Prophet in the ORDIR. I would wager though perhaps as I mentioned earlier a change to the definition of Prophet for the game of Redemption would be warranted.

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By The Areopagus

The Areopagus represents a place where people with different perspectives and ideas can come to engage in thoughtful dialogue and present their ideas. It is intended to be a place where different people can voice their thoughts and opinions about the game of Redemption in a respectful, formal way. If you have something thoughtful you’d like to say about the current state of Redemption, feel free to email landofredemption@gmail.com or send a message to me (BaboonyTim) on the Redemption discord!