The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 71

wns nhont t.o fight the Amalekites (Num. there twel ,c men out of the people to cl\rry xiii. R, JC,; Dent. xnii. 4.4), into ,Tehosbua, twelve stones over with them, as our Jesus or ,Toshna (either " God shall save," or thence began to choose His twelve npostles, •' Goci's salvati,m "). It is not st1tted in those foundation-stones in the Church of Holv Writ 1/'hcn the name Joshua was God (Rev. xxi. 14). Joshua. smote the given. In Exod. nii. 9, where Joshua is Ame.!ekitcs and subdued t}r Cauannites, by 1rnr.:1ed for the first time, he is called by the the first me.king wny to enler the lnnd, by name Moses gave him, and is mentioned the second giving possession of it. And incident.ally as a person well kno-wn to the Jesus in like manner goeth in and out ,uiter and bis renders. The 1·eader need before us a.go.inst our spiritual enemies, hard)Y be reminded that in the form Jeshua subduing sin and Satan, and so opening and (Gr. :l,J"ou,) it was the name of our B.lessed clearing our way to heaven;_ deatroying the Lord Himself, and that the Name which is last enemy, ueatb, and so giving us posses- now abo,e all other names is used of Joshua· sion of eterne.! life." Pearson quotes Justin in two places in the New Testament, in Acts ll!;e.rtyr, Tertullian, Theodoret, and others Yii. 4.'i. in Heb. fr. 8. It was a common name as justifying bis view of the history. Theo- in later times, as Col. iv. 11 and Acts xiii. 6 doret, moreover, in his • Questions on will ser,c to show. In later Hebrew, as in Joshua.,' remarks on the coincidence be- !\eh. Yiii. 17, Joshun is called Jeshua, and the tween· Josh. i. 17 and John v. 46. And rn1.rnes of Joshua and Jeshua are given in- Origen, in his first • Homily on J oshna,' discriminately to the high priest, the son of remarks on the fil.ct that the first time the Joseclech, who was oontempore.:ry with the sacred name meets us in tbe Book of God, building of tbe second temple. For Joshua. it is as the ieader of an army (Exod. xvii. 9). a,; a type of Christ the reader may consult a Another way in which Joshua was a type of deep passage in 'Pearson on the Creed,' Art. Christ is this, Under Moses there are con- II .. from which some of tbe most striking stant murmurings and disputings, for "the parts are here quoted :-" First, it was he law me.de nothing perfect" (Heb. vii. 19). alone, of all which passed out of Egypt, wbo Under Joshua a.II is confidence and triumph, wns designed to lead the children of Israel for " by one offering Jesus bath perfected into Canaan, which land, as it is a type of for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb. x. heaven, so is the person which brought the 14). Moses' m1ll1Bter. This word is princi- Israelites into tbat place of rest e. type of pally used of service in the house of God, Him who only can bring us into the presence Thus it is used of Aaron and· his sons, of God, and there prepare onr mansions for Exod. xxviii. 43; xxxix. 41, &c.: of Samuel, us. Besides, it is further observable, not 1 Sam. ii. 11 ; iii. 1, &c. : of the priests and only what J osbua did, but what Moses could Levites, 1 Cbron. vi. 32; xvi. 4; Ezek, xiv. not do. The band of Moses and Aaron 5 ; Joel i. 9, &o. In these places it seems brongbt tbeI!l out of Egypt, but left them to. be equivalent to the LXX. ~lll.rovpy6,. in the wilderness. Joshua., the snccessor, But it is by no means confined to such ser- onlv could effect that in which Moses failed. vfoe. In Exod. xxxiii. 11, where it is'e.p- Mo;es must die that Joshua may succeed plied to Josbne., it is rendered in the LXX. (Hum. iii. 20-22). The command of cir- by /Jep,hrwv, and it is quite clear that cnmcisiou was not given to Moses, but to Joshua's service to Moses was not exclu- J oshna; nor were the Israelites circumcised sively of a religious character. Some com- in the wilderness under the conduct of Moses mentators have suggested the word aide-de- and Aaron, but in the hwd of Cane.an nnder camp, but this would be eque.lly incorrect their successor. Which spee.keth Jesus to in the opposite direction, since Joshua's be tbe true circumciser, the author of services (see Exod. xxiv, 13; xxxiii. 11) another circumcision than tbat of the flesh were clearly not rendered only in time of (Rom. ii. 29; Col. ii. 11). If we look on war. The word is used of Abishe.g the Joshua. as the 'minister of Moses,' be is Shune.mite, 1 Kings i. 4, 16; and of even in that a type of Chriet, ' the minister Elisha, 1 Kings xix, 21. of the circumcision for tbe truth of God.' Ver. 2.-Mosee my .~erva.nt is dea.d. If we look on him as tbe successor of "\Vben you see Jerusalem overthrown, the Moses, in that ha represented Jesus, inas- altar forsaken, no sacrifices, no holooe.usts, much as 'the law was given by Moses, but no drink offerings, no priests, no Levitice.! grace and truth came by J esns Christ.' If ministry, when you see e.U these things we look on him as judge and ruler of Israel, cease, say it is because Moses the servant of there is scarce an action which is not pre- God is dead, and Jesus the Son of God ob- 1ictive of our f:iavionr. He begins his office tains tbe leadership " (Origen, Hom. 2 on at the Lanks of Jordan, where Christ was Josh,). This Jordan. Ca.lied" this" because liaptized and enters upon the public exer: it was now close to them, just as we he.vt eise of His prophetical office ; be choosetb " this people," " this Lebo.non " (see not; Cll, I. 1-4.] THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.