The Two Joshuas

Many connections are to be noted between Joshua and Jesus. The names share the same meaning: "God is salvation." Jesus (Ieous) is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua (Yehosua). Many parallels can be drawn between the two Joshuas.

Many connections are to be noted between Joshua and Jesus. The names share the same meaning: "God is salvation." Jesus ( Ieous ) is the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua (Yehosua) . Many parallels can be drawn between the two Joshuas.

God the Father calls Christians out of slavery to sin and this world, a modern type of ancient Egypt (John 6:44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
See All...; Romans 6:16-18 [16] Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
[17] But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
[18] Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

See All...; 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 [17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the LORD, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
[18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

See All...). Whereas Joshua was the physical leader of the physical nation of Israel, Jesus Christ is the leader of spiritual Israel, the New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation. Church (Colossians 1:18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
See All...; Galatians 6:16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
See All...).

Jesus brings His followers to and through the ordinance of baptism (foreshadowed by the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea; 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 [1] Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
[2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

See All...). Through His Spirit and truth and with our willing participation, He helps us conquer sins that can overcome us if we stray from Him (Romans 7:24-25 [24] O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
[25] I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

See All...; 8:37). Jesus Christ encourages His disciples to faithfully obey Him, to choose the right way of living (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 [19] I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
[20] That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

See All...).

A specific connection between the two Joshuas—the patriarch and the MessiahA Hebrew word meaning literally "anointed one," synonymous with the Greek word christos, translated Christ. "In ancient Israel both persons and things consecrated to sacred purposes were anointed by having oil poured over them ... The Israelites did not think of crowning a king but of anointing him when he was enthroned ... [The future Messiah] is to destroy the world powers in an act of judgment, deliver Israel from her enemies, and restore her as a nation. The Messiah is the King of this future kingdom to whose political and religious domination the other nations will yield. His mission is the redemption of Israel and His dominion is universal. This is the clear picture of the Messiah in practically all of the OT passages which refer to Him" (The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, "Messiah").—is highlighted in Hebrews 4. Here we read that the seventh-day Sabbath is a type of the coming millennial Sabbath, a 1,000-year period of rest and rejuvenation. The millennial Sabbath will offer mankind a much-needed peaceful and prosperous land, the earth. Joshua's conquest and settlement of Canaan was a type of this anticipated ultimate Promised Land, which Christians are to faithfully strive to enter (verses 8-11).

Faithful Joshua was a forerunner of the Eternal Joshua: Jesus, the Son of God. The first Joshua faithfully focused the physical nation of Israel on God. Jesus, mankind's spiritual Joshua, will faithfully turn mankind to God, forming a great spiritual nation (Romans 9:6-8 [6] Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
[7] Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
[8] That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

See All...; Galatians 6:15-16 [15] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
[16] And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

See All...). Joshua saved God's people from the Canaanites. Jesus, the Eternal Joshua, saves humanity from its enemies: Satan and death, the result of our sins.

Christ, as the divine Joshua, is the captain and author of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
See All...), leader and commander of His people, who will conquer Satan and his followers (RevelationThe disclosure of God's Word and plan to mankind. In the Bible this refers to making obscure things clear; bringing hidden matters to light; causing especially called individuals to see, hear, perceive, know and understand the things of God; the unveiling of biblical mysteries (Romans 16:25). 14:19-20 [19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
[20] And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

See All...), at last giving the world peace, safety and freedom from spiritual slavery.

Mankind will come to fully understand the meaning of Joshua: "God is salvation." The second Joshua—Jesus, the Son of God—will make salvation available to mankind, a divine act of mercy and love (Hebrews 4:8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
See All...) GN