Example Of Joshua As The Fulfillment Essay

Joshua’s role in the Old Testament book of the same name (King James Version) was that not only of successor to Moses, but also that of the one who would complete what was left undone by Moses and that of the one through whom God (YHWH, Yahweh) would fulfill his promise to the Israelites (Josh. 1:2-5). Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and near to, but not into, the Promised Land. Joshua was to complete that journey. Joshua (and the Israelites) are exhorted repeatedly to “Be strong and of a good courage” (Josh. 1: 6 et seq.), that is, to simply keep their part of the Covenant with God by following the Law. A number of occurrences in Joshua’s life mirror those of the life of Moses. For example, the Red Sea was parted for Moses, while the River Jordan was parted for Joshua (Josh. 3:16-17). Moses sent out a reconnaissance party, as did Joshua (Josh. 1:1-2). Joshua ordered the “second circumcision” (of the new generation born in the wilderness) (Josh. 5:3) as Moses had ordered the first.
Joshua was ostensibly the military leader of the Israelites. Like Moses, he received a vision from God and was told to remove his sandals (Josh. 5:15). He received God’s word as to how the city of Jericho was to be surrounded and destroyed and passed it on to the priests, who did as they were told, (almost) to the letter (Josh. 6). He was in fact the messenger of God.
However, like Moses, Joshua was bedeviled by the infidelity of his people. Joshua had instructed the people, “in any wise, keep yourself from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed” (Josh. 6:18), except for the gold, silver and metal vessels taken from Jericho, which were to be consecrated to God. Achan appropriated such items to himself (Josh. 7:20-21), as a consequence of which, the Israelites lost their courage against the men of Ai and fled (“the hearts of the people melted, and became as water” [Josh. 7:5]). Joshua, as had Moses before him, bemoaned the fate of his people to God (Josh. 7:7-8) as had Moses before him. God revealed to him that the loss of courage was due to the actions of one in their midst (Achan) who had failed to heed God’s word and keep the covenant with him. He had, in effect, failed to “Be strong and be of good courage” by his disobedience. After the cleansing of Israel by the destruction of Achan, the Israelites defeated Ai, against whom Joshua stretched out his spear (Josh. 8:25-26) (as had Moses), and all the kings and cities of Canaan and the surrounding region in short order.
Even this triumph was not perfectly completed, however. The Israelites had been instructed to totally destroy their enemies, yet Rahab the harlot was spared due to the aid she rendered to Joshua’s spies (Josh. 6:25). By ruse, the princes of the tribes entered into a compact (“a league”) with the Hivites from Gibeon (Josh. 9:16). Joshua could merely order them to be kept as bondsmen (Josh. 9:23). The Israelites failed to burn some of the cities they had defeated (Josh. 11:13). Some of the Anakims were left in Gaza and elsewhere (Josh. 11:22). The Geshurites and Maachathites were left among the Israelites (Josh. 13:13). The Jebusites were permitted to remain with the tribe of Judah in Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63). The Ephraimites failed to drive out the Canaanites at Gezer (Josh. 16:10). The tribe of Manasseh did not completely drive out the Canaanites but collected tribute from them (Josh. 17:12-13).
Before he died, Joshua addressed the people, as had Moses before him, again exhorting them to “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses”. He cautioned them that what remained among them of the foreign lands they had conquered would serve as temptations, as “scourges”, “snares” and “thorns” (Josh. 23:13) that would alienate them from God if they succumbed to them (which of course they did).
Finally, the name “Joshua” is believed to be the equivalent of “Jesus” in the Hebrew language. Joshua is seen as a prefiguring or foreshadowing (a “type”) of Jesus, who would complete and perfect the incomplete and imperfect work of Joshua by delivering man, not into an earthly promised land, but into eternal salvation.