Seeing Jesus Christ: Part 3: "The Name"

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michaelvpardo

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The Hebrew name translated in the scripture as “Joshua” or a close variant of the same, occurs about 215 times in the Old Testament Scriptures, over 200 of these occurrences are in reference to the same person, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses: And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Exodus 33:9-11

In the book of Numbers and in the book which carries his name, the same man is called the assistant of Moses: So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!'' Numbers 11:28 and: After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, Joshua 1:1

You’ll notice that verse 33:11 of Exodus actually tells us that Joshua was in the tabernacle with Moses when Moses met with God “face to face” and that when Moses left the tabernacle, Joshua stayed behind.

This makes Joshua a most unusual person in the scriptures, but his prominence grows through the books of the Law, until Moses names Joshua as his replacement to lead the tribes of Israel across the Jordan river and into the land of Canaan: Now the Lord said to Moses: "Go up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel. "And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. "For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.'' (These are the waters of Meribah, at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.) Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: "Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, "who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.'' And the Lord said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; Numbers 27:12-18


We see in this last passage that Moses was forbidden to cross over the river Jordan with the tribes of Israel, because he struck the rock a second time at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin to obtain water for the tribes of Israel, instead of speaking to the rock as God had instructed him to do. The scripture tells us that Moses’ rebellion was that he failed to hallow God (to treat Him as holy).

If you are unfamiliar with “types” in the Bible, you probably wouldn’t understand these passages. God used objects and people as physical types to represent spiritual truths of things to come in the future and specifically things to do with His kingdom and with His own image and likeness in the person of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The New Testament scriptures give us a few examples of God’s use of types, but leave many unmentioned with the assumption that the Spirit of God is able to show them to the children of God and will, as it is His good pleasure to so. For example, in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul contrasts how sin entered into all men through the actions of Adam, but grace is extended to all men through Christ, and explains that Adam is a “type” in this respect to Christ: Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:14


When examining “types,” especially those that were persons spoken of in the scriptures, we need to remember that no person would ever be a perfect “type” for our Savior, because all men have sinned from Adam to us, with the one exception of our Lord, but this fact in itself is one of the most incredible aspects of human “types:” God chose to use sinful men to reveal things about the person of His perfect sinless Son.

The sacrificial lamb of the Passover is also a type of Christ in that it was to be chosen as a pure offering without blemish or spot, and it’s blood was for a sign of God’s people to save them from destruction: `Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. `So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance. Exodus 12:13-14

 
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michaelvpardo

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The Hebrew name translated in the scripture as “Joshua” or a close variant of the same, occurs about 215 times in the Old Testament

God also used inanimate objects as “types” as we find from the same passages of the Old Testament such as the account of the rock which was struck to bring forth water. This rock was itself a “type” of Christ. It was struck to bring forth water as a type of how Jesus would be crucified to bring forth the Holy Spirit for all those who thirst for righteousness.

The second time that Israel came to that place; Moses was to speak to the rock to bring forth water, as we speak to God through the person of Jesus Christ to ask for and receive His Holy Spirit. Moses, in his anger, struck the rock a second time rather than speak to it, and in doing this Moses failed to complete the “type” of the rock as Jesus Christ, and did not treat God as Holy.


In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul gives a brief explanation that the festivals and Sabbaths of the Law were no longer the essentials of our religious practice, being “types” which pointed to the spiritual reality to be found in Jesus Christ: Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The Author of the book of Hebrews goes into greater detail on the aspect of the ritual law under Moses being only a “type” pointing to the more perfect law to be found in Christ Jesus:
For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'' Hebrews 8:4-5 and: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1

When Moses was forbidden to cross over Jordan with the tribes of Israel, he himself became a type of the law that he delivered to the tribes of Israel: The crossing over of the river Jordan into the land of Canaan was itself a “type” of salvation, crossing over to belief in God through Christ Jesus through the waters of the Word (the scriptures and specifically the words of Jesus Christ). This is a place that the law could never take us, but we must believe the Lord for His grace given through faith in His Son.

This “type” of salvation is made complete in the appointment of Joshua as the leader of the tribes of Israel and the one who must be followed over into the land of Canaan: Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel
. And he said to them: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, `You shall not cross over this Jordan.' "The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. "And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.”The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.'' Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.'' Deuteronomy 31:1-8


Remember, crossing over the Jordan is not the only way to enter the land of Canaan, and God could have taken the tribes of Israel another way, but the Lord wanted to use these historical circumstances to reveal things to us about His Son, His Kingdom, and the Christian life. It is not only the crossing of the Jordan which is a “type” of salvation, but the conquest of Canaan is a “type” of sanctification.

The tribes of Israel were to go through the land, not coveting the things which God declared to be dedicated to destruction, but in obedience destroying those things which would be temptations to sin.


 

farouk

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God also used inanimate objects as “types” as we find from the same passages of the Old Testament such as the account of the rock which was struck to bring forth water. This rock was itself a “type” of Christ. It was struck to bring forth water as a type of how Jesus would be crucified to bring forth the Holy Spirit for all those who thirst for righteousness.

The second time that Israel came to that place; Moses was to speak to the rock to bring forth water, as we speak to God through the person of Jesus Christ to ask for and receive His Holy Spirit. Moses, in his anger, struck the rock a second time rather than speak to it, and in doing this Moses failed to complete the “type” of the rock as Jesus Christ, and did not treat God as Holy.


In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul gives a brief explanation that the festivals and Sabbaths of the Law were no longer the essentials of our religious practice, being “types” which pointed to the spiritual reality to be found in Jesus Christ: Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17

The Author of the book of Hebrews goes into greater detail on the aspect of the ritual law under Moses being only a “type” pointing to the more perfect law to be found in Christ Jesus:
For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'' Hebrews 8:4-5 and: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Hebrews 10:1

When Moses was forbidden to cross over Jordan with the tribes of Israel, he himself became a type of the law that he delivered to the tribes of Israel: The crossing over of the river Jordan into the land of Canaan was itself a “type” of salvation, crossing over to belief in God through Christ Jesus through the waters of the Word (the scriptures and specifically the words of Jesus Christ). This is a place that the law could never take us, but we must believe the Lord for His grace given through faith in His Son.

This “type” of salvation is made complete in the appointment of Joshua as the leader of the tribes of Israel and the one who must be followed over into the land of Canaan: Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel
. And he said to them: "I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, `You shall not cross over this Jordan.' "The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the Lord has said. "And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them.”The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.'' Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”And the Lord, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.'' Deuteronomy 31:1-8


Remember, crossing over the Jordan is not the only way to enter the land of Canaan, and God could have taken the tribes of Israel another way, but the Lord wanted to use these historical circumstances to reveal things to us about His Son, His Kingdom, and the Christian life. It is not only the crossing of the Jordan which is a “type” of salvation, but the conquest of Canaan is a “type” of sanctification.

The tribes of Israel were to go through the land, not coveting the things which God declared to be dedicated to destruction, but in obedience destroying those things which would be temptations to sin.


@michaelvpardo Paul seems to be saying, Why go back to the types and shadows when fullness of revelation is now unfolded to us in Christ?