The Foreshadowing of God’s Promises To Us That Were Fulfilled in Christ # 10

This Message Series will become a Book and will be ready for sale early 2024 called ‘17 Amazing Christ Types In The Old Testament’; here's the text for the Back Page: ‘In 2022 Jennifer and I went on our first trip to Israel. As our plane flew over the Saudi Arabian Peninsula approaching Israel, the flight path took us over Jerusalem; tears filled our eyes as we descended over Jerusalem and on to Ben Gurion Airport just out of Tel Aviv. We had an amazing time in Israel visiting many of the places and sites frequented by Jesus. From Israel, we went on to Scotland to visit the childhood home of Jennifer’s grandmother. Upon our return to New Zealand, we were determined to return to Israel in 2023 which we did. In 2023 we visited many of the places and sites we missed in 2022 and deepened our roots in Israel by planting a small tree in the Ben Shemen Forest where the Jewish fighters of the Yiftah Brigade sheltered before Operation Dani in Israel’s War of Independence May 14th 1948.  

Israel is the Holy Land where Jesus Christ was born, lived, died on the cross and rose from the dead. His life and ministry is recorded in the New Testament but was first foreshadowed in the Old Testament imprinted in the lives of several Old Testament characters who are technically known as Christ ‘types’.  

This Book explores the foreshadowing of God’s promises that were imprinted in those Christ ‘types’ and fulfilled in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 1:20a ‘For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ.’ 

Joshua was also a ‘type’ of Christ. 

Imprinted in Joshua, God was foreshadowing His promise to bring us into salvation through Jesus Christ   

Joshua was the assistant and successor to Moses.  

Exodus 17: 8-16; Exodus 33: 11; Numbers 11: 28a  

Because Moses disobeyed the command of God (at Kadesh), the Lord did not allow Moses to bring Israel into the Promised Land - Instead that responsibility was given to Joshua.  

Numbers 20: 1-13; Deuteronomy 34: 1-8 

1 Corinthians 10: 4 

Numbers 14: 30, 38; Numbers 27: 18-23; Joshua 1: 1-8 

In a sense Joshua ‘saved’ Israel when he brought them into the Promised Land – their place of ‘rest’. That ‘rest’ is a picture of our salvation in Jesus Christ, Hebrews 4: 9b ‘There is a special rest still waiting for the people of God’ and, Hebrews 4: 3a ‘only we who believe can enter His rest’. 

Romans 3: 26b ‘He (God) makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus’. 

So, in what way was Joshua a ‘type’ of Christ and what likenesses to Christ do we see imprinted in Joshua? 

Firstly, Joshua’s name means ‘the Lord saves’. Joshua’s given name at birth was Hoshea but was changed by Moses to Yehoshua which can be shortened to the familiar Yeshua. 

Numbers 13: 16 

Jesus Name means ‘the Lord saves’. Jesus given Name at birth was also the familiar Yeshua. 

Matthew 1: 21b ‘you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ 

Next, Joshua not only ‘saved’ Israel the Jewish Nation, but he also ‘saved’ Rahab the Gentile and her family who were resident in the Promised Land at that time.

Joshua 3: 14-16; Joshua 2: 1-13; Joshua 6: 22-25 (25) ‘So, Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day’.  

Later, Rahab married into the Jewish Nation, Salmon an Israeli, and she became the mother of Boaz, then she became the grandmother of Obed and the great-grandmother of Jesse and the great-great-grandmother of King David, and 28 generations later, Rahab became the great-ancestor of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of both believing Jews and Gentiles.  

Matthew 1: 5-16   

Galatians 3: 28 ‘There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Jesus Christ’ 

Next, by bringing Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua conquered the occupying nations and put them to shame. 

Joshua 6: 24 (Jericho); Joshua 8: 28-29 (Ai); Joshua 9: 26-27 (Gibeon); Joshua 10: 1-12: 24 (31 kings and their armies), Joshua 10: 24b ‘Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told’. 

(At the end of Joshua’s life, the Lord made a promise to Joshua that eventually all the Promised Land would be conquered Joshua 13: 6b) 

Likewise, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior conquered our enemies called sin and death and put the spiritual rulers and authorities to shame through the victory of the cross, Colossians 2: 15b ‘He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by His victory over them on the cross.’ 

And as the People of God shared in the victories of Joshua, we too share in the victory that Jesus has won for us!  

Romans 8: 37b ‘overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us’. 

1 Corinthians 15: 57 ‘But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ’, and 1 John 5: 4 ‘every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.’ 

Next, through Joshua, God performed some of the greatest miracles ever recorded in the Word of God; For example, during a battle against the Amorites, who were sun and moon worshippers, Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still so that he would have enough light hours to conquer them – this is called ‘Joshua’s Long Day’. 

Joshua 10: 12b-13 

This miracle was so significant that many other ancient cultures including Greek, Mexican and Pacific recorded it in their stories of Legend. 

And similarly, Jesus performed the greatest miracles of all including His own resurrection from the dead on the 3rd day, John 10: 18 “No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded.” 

John 2: 19; Romans 1: 4; Galatians 1: 1b 

Next, in bringing God’s people into the Promised Land, Joshua brought them into their inheritance that was first promised to the 3 great Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 

Joshua 21: 43-45 

Genesis 12: 1; Genesis 15: 18; Genesis 17: 8; Genesis 26: 2-5; Genesis 28: 3-4, 13-15; Genesis 31: 3 

And similarly, Jesus Christ has brought us into our inheritance; blessings in this life and blessings in the life to come in our Heavenly ‘Promised Land’, Ephesians 1: 14 ‘The Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people.' 

Galatians 3: 29; Matthew 6: 33; John 10: 10b; James 1: 17; Matthew 25: 34; John 14: 1-4; Revelation 21-22 

Next, Joshua faithfully accomplished the purposes of God, then died, Joshua 24: 29 ‘Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110’. 

Jesus also faithfully accomplished the purposes of God and at one time during Jesus' ministry, He was threatened by King Herod Antipas and in reply Jesus said, Luke 13: 32 “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish My purpose.” 

I just love that! 

Jesus was not afraid; in fact, He sent a message back to Herod Antipas mocking him by calling him a ‘fox’ (a fox is a sly calculating killer) and restating His faithfulness in serving the will of God, to “keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose.” What was Jesus' purpose on the 3rd day? To be raised from the dead for our salvation!  

Ephesians 1: 7 ‘In Christ and through His blood we have redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. In accord with the riches of His grace,’ 

Sadly, not all Israel entered the Promised Land, Moses and all the older generation died in the wilderness because of their unbelief, Hebrews 3: 19 ‘So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter His rest.’ Only Joshua and those who believed entered the ‘rest’ of the Promised Land. 

Are you saved; have you entered God's ‘special rest’? 

Hebrews 4: 3a ‘only we who believe can enter His rest.’ 

Hebrews 4: 11 ‘So let us make every effort to go into that resting place. Those people died in the wilderness because they did not believe. So let us take care that the same thing does not happen to one of us.’ Worldwide English Version