"Are you for us or our enemies?"
Asked the man fallen down on his face.
"Neither," Replied the armed one;
"Welcome to the holy place.
Remove your shoes and stand,
For the Commander of the army of God
Is here with a message to give you:
This land your feet have trod
Is yours for the taking, but follow
The instructions I give you tonight.
If you march and carry the covenant
It is only flesh you will fight.
For as the Lord's commander
I am armed with wrath and with fire
To move against the darkness
That owns what you're to acquire.
You are God's people- the darkness hates
And wants to bring you down.
But we will fight on your behalf
While you march on the ground."
Thus instructed, Joshua gave
The command to march and to blow.
For seven days the war was waged
With steps heavy and slow.
And within the city the people watched
In puzzlement and in fear
As Israel marched for seven days
With the Ark of the Lord in the rear.
And during the march, the commander
Watched from the top of the hill
As his own army waged a battle
In which not a soul was killed.
But the darkness knew the Lord's people
And knew his foe had a plan.
For he knew that a group called "God's People"
Would be holy and just- to a man.
No matter that they were rebellious-
For now they had only to steal
The land that was made for their kingdom
And then the Lord's plans would be real.
"You cannot prevail!" Said the leader
Of darkness' army of beasts.
"Tonight the marchers will die,
And on Israel Jericho feasts."
But the commander of God's own army
Had heard some rumor or word
That from this people, God's chosen,
Would come the Savior of the world.
And so he commanded his army
As God's power and Spirit fell
On the trumpeters, marchers, and priests
And routed the army of hell.
The seventh day came and the hardest
Of battles were fought in both places.
For seven times 'round marched the Ark
And the terror on Jericho's faces
Was matched by the armies of darkness
For the last time around came and went.
And all of Israel's people
Gave a shout till their voices were spent.
And the commander of the Lord's army
Gave a signal and in a great clash
God's army drove out the darkness,
And Jericho fell with a crash.
And Israel that day was the victor
Without lifting a weapon at all;
Twas merely by obeying
That they watched Jericho fall.
And Joshua met with the commander
And thanked him for his aid.
But the commander of the Lord's army
Reprimanded him and said:
"It was not I, it was the Lord
Who fought for his new nation,
To establish you and let you grow
And make you his foundation,
For the greatest people blessed by God
And the holiest of all lands-
You will be the nation from which
Comes the savior of every man.
But remember- let this be a lesson:
You win not by your will.
The Lord is fighting for you, Israel;
You need only to be still."
postscript
I'm rather pleased with how this came out. It's a bit rough in places, but first drafts always are. This one is a story, and I usually have trouble writing a story in poem. But this one worked out. It was inspired by the book of Joshua, chapter five verse 13 through chapter six. The last phrase was inspired by Exodus 14:14. It also add another dimension to the story that you don't read in the Bible but which I imagine probably happened. That much is "historical fiction" though. Enjoy!