Why were Moses and Joshua asked to remove their shoes? Well, they were standing on holy ground, but what made that land sacred? Mount Sinai, where Moses was standing, was known in his day as the mountain where God dwells. Why? There is no clear answer. But this is where God chose to meet with Moses, both in the burning bush, and then again when he was given the ten commandments. It was truly Holy Ground.
Exod 3:5 “…Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.”
Joshua 5:15 The captain of the YHWH’s host answered Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
What’s up with the shoes, anyway? Is there a significance that translates to us today? Should we be removing our shoes when we enter our houses of worship?
Ruth 4:9 Now this was formerly done in Israel in cases of redemption or exchange: to validate any transaction, one man would take off his sandal and hand it to the other. Such was the practice in Israel.
By Moses removing his shoes, God is bringing him to acknowledge that this is holy ground. God is effectively saying that “No man may lay claim to this place (Sinai). Further, Sinai was never meant to be a permanent destination but a waystation for the people to encounter God’s awesome presence as the lawgiver. They lingered at Sinai just long enough to build a portable sanctuary by which they could take that commanding presence with them. https://www.thetorah.com/article/the-burning-bush-why-must-moses-remove-his-shoes
Should we remove our shoes for worship? No, that’s not at all what this was about. A bush that burned yet did not burn up, and the place where Joshua encountered the Host of Heaven’s Army was a specific and special instance. But we should approach our time with God as special, with appropriate reverence and fear.
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