The Gospel in Joshua

God gives and Israel inherits is the formula that is repeated from the beginning to the end of Joshua. The spotlight is not on Joshua's courageous moral example or on timeless principles of conduct, but on God's fulfillment of a historical promise. Even Joshua's name ("Yahweh Saves!") points away from himself to the real hero of the story. Joshua is a story of grace.

Israel was not the ultimate seed of God's promise but was rather God's instrument for providing him. God's gracious covenant with Abraham involved key promises including a temporal land and nation and an everlasting inheritance for all nations through his descendant Christ (Gal 3:16). Entering the land is a gracious gift (Dt 7:6-9; 9:4-8), while remaining God's holy nation depended on Israel's obedience to the covenant. This echoes Adam's testing in Eden, with the consequent promise of life or death, blessing or curse, enjoyment of God or exile (Ex 19:4-8; 24:3, 8; Dt 11:17, 26; 28:1-68). Even after heeding the serpent, Adam and Eve received God's gracious promise of a Savior, the seed or offspring who would crush the serpent's head (Gen 3:15). Would this seed be Israel? Was Israel the fulfillment of God's promise? Though there was genuine faith and obedience under Joshua, yet ultimately Israel transgressed the covenant (Hos 6:7).

Christ--the true Seed of promise descending from Israel--secured the everlasting promise through an obedience not displayed in Israel (or in the church). Because of Christ, God's people remain secure from the consequences of all their transgressions and Satan's power by trust in Him alone. Jesus conquered Satan; he did what Adam and Israel failed to do (Col 2:15), which Paul contrasted in Galatians 3-4 between "two covenants"--the law and the promise, the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem, and which is also contrasted through out Hebrews (Heb 11:16; 12:18-24). With Christ as the faithful servant and mediator, the new covenant "is enacted on better promises" (Heb 8:6).

Holy war? The conquest in Joshua has been mistakenly invoked by Christian empires and nations to justify Christian holy war. Others criticize this holy war as being incompatible with the God of peace in Christ. How do we understand this?

Christ conquers in saving grace by his Word and Spirit, rather than in military exploit (Eph 6:12-17). Believers now spread the gospel not by violence but through faithful witness that often involves enduring opposition--and even violence--of the world. Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to execute holy war on Samaritans who had rejected the gospel (Lk 9:51-56). Jesus similarly instructed the 72 to fulfill their mission not by force but by preaching (Luke 10-12), giving them "authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy" (Lk 10:19), who is Satan--the real Enemy behind the earthly enemies--whose head is being crushed (Lk 10:17-20; Rom 16:20).

The war to end all wars. Through Joshua's conquest we discern the power of God's might through an incredibly flawed nation. But in the Seed who would come through Joshua's people, we see the true purpose and end of God's conquering promises. Unlike the wars of old that led only to more bloodshed and misery, Christ's global judgment and victory when he comes again will truly be the war to end all wars (Mt 3:11-12; 24:27-25:46; Rev 17:1-20:15).

The Gospel in:

1. Genesis: The foundation stories of Genesis set the stage for understanding the gospel.
2. Exodus: Exodus records the greatest redemption event in the Bible prior to Christ's incarnation.
3. Leviticus: It's ideas and concepts (priesthood, atonement) find their fulfillment in the person and work of Christ.
   
4. Numbers: God delivers us from bondage and leads us through the wilderness to the promised land.
   
5. Deuteronomy: The Law (chs 5-26) is surrounded by grace (1st 4 and last 4 chs).
• The Words Moses Spoke (Dt 1:1-46). A sermon delivered in Manila in Mar 2013.
  

ESV Gospel Transformation Bible.