We cannot review the Old Testament readings without at least a few comments on Joshua. The book that bears his name begins with the commission of Joshua, by God, to bring the people into the land of promise. It ends with the deaths of Joshua, the deliverer, the general of Israel and Eleazar, the high priest. Note the significance of the meanings of their names: Joshua or Jehoshua, which means Jehovah (Yahweh) is deliverer, helper, saviour or salvation; Eleazar, which means God is helper or scourer (Azar means to surround or give aid). While the meanings are parallel, the stress of Joshua is that of Yahweh the helper who delivers or frees His people; the stress of Eleazar is that of God the helper who cares for His people and comes to their aid as succourer. Both Joshua and Eleazar are clearly types of Christ, who was the instrument of salvation, the person who, because he was one of us, cared (cares), and is our succourer, our deliverer and our high priest.
From Oshea to Joshua
Joshua had received his name from Moses. In Numbers 13:8, he is referred to as “Oshea, the son of Nun;” in verse 16, Moses “called Oshea the son of Nun, Jehoshua.” There is a subtle, yet dramatic change in his name. Jehoshua, as mentioned above, means Yahweh is deliverer; Oshea means the deliverer. Just as Moses had been unable to deliver the people without God, Joshua would become the deliverer as Yahweh’s servant; Yahweh is the only Saviour (cf. Isa. 43:3,11).
Joshua’s Development
Born in Egypt, Joshua tasted oppression; but more importantly, he witnessed the power of God in His deliverance of Israel out of bondage. Coming out of Egypt, Joshua distinguished himself at Rephidim in the conflict with Amalek (Ex. 17:8-13) through faith in the power of God. Later, he was selected as Moses’ minister and allowed to accompany him to the mount where Moses received the Law (Ex. 24:13,14). Still later, when Moses communicated with God in the “tent of meeting”, Joshua stood outside by the “door” and remained there even after Moses left the “tent”, perhaps to guard the “tent” from intruders. Over a period of time, Joshua established his faithfulness and courage. He further distinguished himself as one of the 12 spies. With Caleb, he followed the admonition of Moses: “And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land” (Num. 13:20). Because of his courage and faith, he was selected to be the “servant” of God with the task of bringing the people into the land.
A Repeated Exhortation
In Deut. 31:6, Moses commanded the people to “be strong and of good courage. Fear not …” Then “Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them for their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut. 31:7,8 NIV). The same basic admonition is found in Joshua 1:6,9,18; 10:25. Joshua had heard these words before and acted faithfully upon them. He knew that when God is with you, you have no reason to be discouraged. He moved forward knowing that God would be with him.
The phrase “be strong and of good courage” comes from the Hebrew words Ames and Chazaq. Ames means to be stout, strong, alert, bold, solid, hard; here it means to exhibit strength or feel strong or strengthen oneself. The word we want to key in on is Chazaq which means to be (become) strong, strengthen, harden, be courageous, be severe. The adjective means strong in the sense of powerful; in a large proportion of its occurrences it refers to the strength of the arm of God (used often in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt). This word is used by Caleb in describing himself when he requests Hebron; he says he is as strong as when he went in to spy out the land (Josh. 14:11). While it obviously refers to might, it also refers to strength of resolve; mental toughness, thus courage but courage exhibited, proven.
Pharaoh Illustrated the Point
In Exodus chapters 4 – 14, the word Chazaq is used 12 times in reference to the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart. Those references give us an idea of the strength of determination that Joshua and Israel were commanded to have. They were to be as doggedly determined to push faithfully forward as Pharaoh had been determined to ignore Yahweh and refuse to let His people go. They had been given a graphic example of this kind of strength of purpose even, though in a negative way. Pharaoh had been determined to reject the obvious; true saints are to be just as determined that God is there to help fight the battles necessary to bring us into “the land” whether His presence is obvious or not. “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear … ” (I John 4:17,18).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One