DIVINE DISCOVERIES: JOSHUA’S MANDATE

Week 3: Joshua’s Mandate

During this study, we will be doing a ‘deep dive’ into a scriptural passage. It is strongly encouraged that you study the passage and entire chapter ahead of the study. Also be prepared with your research tools, for example Google or your study Bible, as you will need to reference it during the study. Spend time answering and discussing each question with the intention to gain sufficient understanding to help your own private Bible study as you further explore these topics.

Study Chapters: Numbers 27, Deuteronomy 31-34, Matthew 1, Hebrews 4

Pilot text

Deuteronomy 3:28 28 But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.’
Deuteronomy 34:9 9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Matthew 1:21-23 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Hebrews 4:8-10 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
The old testament is a foreshadowing of the New Covenant ratified by Christ and revealed to us in the new testament. Joshua was a key figure in the old testament, and his life and ministry lay an important foundation for the truths of the New Covenant. With this understanding, what are some ways in which this passage foreshadows the new testament?

Discussion Points

1. Joshua is a ‘type’ of Christ. The name ‘Jesus’ comes from the Greek translation of the name Yehoshua (Joshua). Beyond both names being the same, the deeper parallel is Joshua’s role in leading God’s people into the promised land; separate from Moses, the bringer of the law. This is a typology of the inability of the law to bring us into God’s promise, and that grace through faith in Christ can get us there.
2. The only way to enter God’s promise of rest is through His own provision. The name Joshua (Yehoshua) tells us that it is God that saves. This is brought to life in the new testament when the angel declares that it is God Himself that will save His people from their sins (Matt 1:21). In the old testament, we see the people being led into a physical location of ‘rest’ by Joshua. In the new testament, we learn that the rest of God is not a physical location but peace with God through Christ; a rest that is promised, perfected, and delivered by God himself. This is still the message of hope to a dying world; that there is a promise of rest with God, and the only way to enter that rest is by Yehoshua (Jesus).
3. We can only truly find our place when we understand who we are in the light of God’s will. Finding our place means fulfilling the purpose to which we are called. But this can only happen when we know the Caller and understand who we truly are. We see shadows of this in Joshua’s story, by his change of name from Hoshea to Joshua. In the new testament, Jesus in John 10 makes it clear that (a) He knows who He is, and (b) His identity is legitimised by His knowledge of and oneness with the Father. In the same way, our walk of faith does not start until we discover God; and only really takes off when we find our place in His will.

Closing thoughts:

When the story of Joshua is told, there are two main things that most people know about him. The first is that he (and Caleb) brought back a different report from spying the promised land, compared to the other ten spies. The second is that Joshua, not Moses, eventually led the people of Israel into the promised land. But our study has revealed a third, and perhaps the most important, aspect of Joshua’s life. His success in ministry was founded in the secret place of fellowship with God – so secret that it’s not even mentioned that much in the bible. We also learn that Joshua had to go through a period of self-discovery and maturity in order to truly walk in God’s calling for him.

As people of the New Covenant, we must understand that this is not a linear process, but instead should be a ‘virtuous’ cycle. We should always find ourselves discovering new revelations about God as we spend more time in fellowship with him. This should then translate into a better understanding of who we are, and what our inheritance is in Christ. Ultimately, our effectiveness in ministry hinges on these things, that as we know more of God, we know more of ourselves, and therefore are able to manifest more and more as the Sons of God.

Ephesians 1:15-19 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.

Application Questions (use scriptures to support your position):

1. Praying ‘in the name of Joshua’ should have the same impact as ‘in the name of Jesus’. Agree / disagree with reasons.
2. Because God has called us to rest, Christians are not supposed to struggle in anything. Agree / disagree with reasons.