Moses and Joshua, the Law and Jesus Christ

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Studying the Old Testament is vital for Christian growth. While Old Testament laws such as not eating pork are gone but the moral law still remains the same. The Old Testament is what may be called the ever-evolving Bible. Before we have the Bible with all 66 books today - they had the Pentateuch as the first Bible before the prophetic books were compiled centuries later. The journey from Genesis to Deuteronomy became the first compiled Bible. The death of Moses soon gave them another leader in Joshua.

I personally think Vernon McGee's commentary is easier to understand and more entertaining than Matthew Henry's. McGee had written this in relation to Joshua 1:2:
As we have seen, Moses was not essential to lead the children of Israel into the land. In fact, he could not bring he could not bring them into the Land of Promise. Moses represented the Law and the Law cannot save us. The Law is a revealer and not a redeemer. It shows us that we are sinners. The Law was never a savior. Moses could not lead Israel into the land because of his failure. The problem was not with the Law but with Moses just as the problem is with us. The Law reveals that we have fallen short of the glory of God. "Moses my servant is dead." Only Jesus our Savior, our Joshua, can lead us into the place of blessing He has for us.

Moses and the purpose of the Law 

Moses had a huge amount of screentime in the Bible in contrast to Joshua. We first see Moses as a baby in Exodus. We don't know much about his palace life until he was 40 years old. Last we knew is that Hebrews 11:23-24 where Moses chose not to be called the son of the Pharaoh's daughter, having chosen to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the sins of pleasure with a season. It's highly possible Moses gave reforms that proved popular to the afflicted slaves but not to the Pharaoh of his time. I would assume that the Pharaoh during this time was probably the son of one of his foster mother's brothers. Then we see Moses return to Egypt as an 80 years old man who was possibly facing a younger king. Moses led the Exodus and the people in the wilderness. Joshua wasn't mentioned until Exodus 17:9. Joshua was 40 years old in the wilderness and 80 years old when he finally succeeded Moses. There's more space devoted to Moses than Joshua in the Scripture.

What does comes into your mind with Moses? Some might consider the phrase "The Ten Commandments". Moses received God's Law in Mt. Sinai to teach people right from wrong. The purpose of having laws is to teach people what to do and what not to do. It's not appreciated because people want to do what they want. Having laws keeps us in order. It's like traffic and pedestrian lights. It would be downright stupid to cross on a red light because the front is so full of cars driving. Would you want to risk getting run over? Go ahead and cross! Do you want to remain safe? Then I tell you that you must follow safety rules. God's rules are needed for that reason. If it wasn't for the Law then how could I see that I'm a sinner? Romans 3:10-19 and James 2:101-11 reveals the sad fact that we've all broken God's Law at some points in our lives!

The failure of Moses is the same as the failure of the Law. What does the Law do? It is a prescription paper that you must follow and heed to. Can a doctor's prescription cure you? It cannot. Galatians 3:24 says that the Law was the schoolmaster that brought us to Christ. Martin Luther gave such metaphors to describe it as a hammer that shatters our righteousness, a whip that drives us to the cross, and a mirror to reveal our sin. My understanding of the law was still shallow except in saying, "Without the law, I can't learn right from wrong. Without the law, I'd hate to imagine what dangers will happen to me." Then I realized, "Without the Law, I cannot know Christ."

Moses can be viewed as this. He was leading people towards the promised land yet he could not enter. I still remember the incident where he struck the rock out of anger in Numbers 20:10-11. He was commanded to speak to the rock. He struck it more than once or twice. Somehow, the law does all it can to get us to behave. Have you ever seen some people who dare to defy authority and repeat the same offense even after they've been punished severely? That can be a picture of Moses. Moses had done so many punishments from making people drink the ground golden calf to ordering the deaths of rebels. Yet, the rebellion still went on and on. Sometimes, I want to think about 1 Corinthians 15:56 that says the strength of sin is the law. It doesn't matter how the law punishes sin - some people will just continue to be hardheaded. Why do you think even a strict country still has jails operative? Why do you think crime rates can't be zeroed down even in countries with high peace and order? It's because the strength of sin is the law!

Joshua of the Old Testament and Joshua of Nazareth

 If we are going with the Hebrew, Jesus of Nazareth would be Joshua of Nazareth. Please note that I don't buy the lie that Jesus is equivalent to Zeus. Rather, we've got Jesus as the Greek form of Joshua. Joshua and Jesus are synonymous with Yahweh or Jehovah saves. Naming God the Son as Jesus was to show him as a Savior. Some say Moses was a type of Christ. Moses did foreshadow Christ in the sense that he was in danger of being killed during his infancy and he became a deliverer. Joshua became another type of Christ. Later, the Messiah would be named Joshua though He is called Jesus under the Greek language.

Joshua himself is now leading the people into the Promised Land. Okay, I admit that Joshua himself was a sinner too but our Joshua the Christ knew no sin. Jesus Himself would fulfill the sinless life that Joshua of the Old Testament couldn't. Then we read in Joshua 5:13-15 of an interesting account. We see that Joshua meets a man holding a sword. Joshua is curious to find out who this man is. The man says, "Nay but as Captain of the host of the LORD am I now come." Joshua bowed down to him. If this was just another angel - that angel would have told Joshua to stand up. Instead, we see that this Captain is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Any normal angel would have told him to stand up. Any angel of God would refuse worship. Only fallen angels would receive worship falsely. This was not any ordinary angel. This is the special Angel of the LORD who is divinity manifested as a special angel. It's no wonder why some theologians believe that Michael the Archangel is the eternal Son of God and not some created angel.

I have my reason to believe that Joshua 5:13-15 talks about Jesus before His incarnation. Jesus already declared in John 8:58 that He came before Abraham. Do you remember when the Lord appeared to Abraham in Mamre in Genesis 18? God the Father didn't appear in human form. God the Son did. God the Son appeared to Abraham and sat at the tent door. Abraham had the opportunity to meet a pre-incarnate Christ in human form. You can see that the Lord Jesus was referencing His visit to Abraham. Our Lord Jesus before He became born of a virgin and lived the fully sinless life already gave a preview of things to come. In Genesis 18 we read that our Lord Jesus was announcing the birth of Sarah's son and the destruction of Sodom. Reading that chapter - I can only think of our Lord Jesus because He is God. Knowing Jesus came before Abraham means He also came before Mary His beloved earthly mother. How can we think of elevating Mary above Jesus when it was He who created and chose her for that purpose? In Joshua 5:13-15 we have the Lord Jesus giving his assurance to Joshua. It's a contrast between the Joshua who'd later fail in the battle of Gibeon and the Joshua who would live the sinless life because He is the eternal Son of God.

The interesting fact about this Captain of the Lord's host is how he also previews the coming end of the world. Revelation 19:11-16 has Jesus leading the armies of God in the battle of Armageddon. Joshua was about to lead the battle against the Canaanites as God had instructed their end for their sins. The difference is the Israelites failed to destroy them all. In Jesus' arrival, all those who had followed the Antichrist will be destroyed and obliterated by the armies of Heaven. The Captain held the sword. The very sword today of every believer is the Word of God. Anybody who says that Jesus or the Son of God didn't exist until the New Testament must be dreaming. God the Father couldn't be talking to angels as some "Christian" anti-trinitarian movements want to tell us. On the contrary, God the Father can't be God the Father without God the Son. The Old Testament mentions the Spirit of God. The perfect unity is there. The Trinity is written all over the Old Testament so I wonder why some cults still try to explain it away with the out-of-context citing of verses!

The Law and Christ compared as a conclusion

I had mentioned earlier that the Law teaches us right from wrong. That's what Moses did. He was teaching the people right from wrong. Rules are there to protect us by teaching us right from wrong. Why do you think we've got rules about no entry or no smoking? Why do you think we've got rules about traffic regulations? Why do you think we've got rules against littering? It's for the good of society. Although I wouldn't recommend watching the movie "The Ten Commandments" or any religious movie - these movies still give us a picture of why laws are needed. The scenario at the Golden Calf (Exodus 32) is not a pretty picture. I can imagine how many people were dancing naked before the Golden Calf. Moses went nuts after seeing that the people were sinning. He was just pleading God to spare them. Maybe, he probably wished he didn't. I can't imagine the mess Moses had to deal with.

So how does Christ fulfill the Law? Can anybody live and fulfill the Law? Jesus tested the rich young ruler who thought he kept all the Law. The rich young ruler walked away because of his love for money. How often do you think you've prioritized money over God? I would say I've done it many times and I have to repent of it every time like every other sin! Jesus needed to fulfill the Law for this reason - if He sinned then He can't be the perfect sin sacrifice. God being God can't sin. Jesus being the second Person in God can't sin. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One (1 John 5:17, which is missing in other translations). 2 Corinthians 5:21 mentions the truth that Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us. The Savior had to be sinless in order to save sinners.

What does it mean to be under the law and under grace? Romans 3:31 says that faith doesn't void the Law. Rather, faith fulfills the Law. Wait, aren't we under grace? The statement to be under Law may mean under the condemnation of the Law. Why do you think you end up paying a fine every time you do a civil offense? It's because you're under the law and you're condemned by it. You can try and excuse yourself saying you're not a murderer or a thief. However, if you've stolen candy from someone then you're a thief. If you've lusted after another woman then you've already broken God's standard for adultery. James 2:10-11 shows what it means to be under the law. You are condemned by the law. You are not only under the law's supervision. However, life changes when you are under grace. The very idea that you can sin under grace is quickly condemned. Titus 2:11-14 and Romans 6 reveals this. God's grace enables you to have a new life under the Law. The Law which has become a burden becomes a delight. David sang many times how he delighted in God's Law. Paul also later revealed his delight of God's Law in Romans 7:22.

The contrast can be seen in tithing vs. cheerful giving. Personally, I do still believe in tithing a tenth of your income to support God's work. The Old Testament has tithing to do this - to supply the work of the Old Testament priesthood. What does Malachi 3:10-11 mean by having meat in the storehouse? Now, this doesn't mean giving of tithes makes you a billionaire. On the contrary, willingness to God's ministry in tithes and offerings to support your pastor's needs is thinking for eternity. The burden of the Old Testament was tithing. How often do you think it's easy to grumble about giving the tenth of your income? I believe God was angry that people chose to value the temporal over the eternal. Many non-tithers are richer than those who tithe - including pastors who scam people into giving them money so God will bless them financially. 2 Corinthians 9:7 would give us a good picture of what it means to be under grace. Tithing is no longer mentioned. Instead, we have the principle of cheerful giving. Tithing that started out as a burden becomes, "Lord I love you that much that I will give you the tenth of my income for your ministry!" Then it goes on with, "Lord, I want to go beyond the tenth, here accept 40% of my income which 10% is the tithe." All in all, tithing gets abolished in exchange for cheerful giving. What started out with just giving a tenth ends up becoming bigger under the grace of God. That's why I'm against pastors who coerce tithes and offerings because it goes against cheerful giving.

The same goes for wanting to follow the Law. I remembered how I used to hate Bible studies when I was still not saved. I found the Bible to be nonsensical back when I was still a Roman Catholic who was nearly becoming an atheist who thought of becoming a Muslim. I really hated the Bible because it knew about my sins. However, my attitude towards the Bible changed after I was saved. Although there were times I felt too mad to read the Bible but I end up picking it up because I want to. I viewed Bible studies just as something in order to graduate. Many of my Roman Catholic classmates are still sadly Roman Catholic. One Buddhist classmate of mine in high school supposedly got converted to Christianity but returned back to Buddhism and went to join the Freemasons. Another attended youth fellowship for four years but still remained Roman Catholic. However, a former enemy of mine went from Roman Catholic to born again Christian with his older brother. He was passionate about God's Word that he couldn't stay in Rome. I got too passionate about God's Word that I couldn't agree with my former religion either that even a Roman Catholic university couldn't de-convert me.

Why do I thank Jesus for fulfilling the Law? It's not just my hope from Hell but also from sin. Jesus came to deliver His people from their sins which in turn delivers them from Hell (Matthew 1:18). It would be foolish to teach a Savior only from Hell but not from sin. I came to the conclusion that receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior means receiving Him as your Lord. Paul was delivered from a lifestyle of evil the moment Jesus chose him in Acts 9. People in the Book of Acts turned away from their sinfulness the moment the Gospel was preached. There's no such thing as receive Jesus as Savior but not Lord or salvation without change. Jesus fulfilled the Law and died on the cross to crush the power of sin (Hebrews 2:14). That death on the cross was meant to deliver people from sinful lifestyles and not to continue in them. Yet today you've got people who think that they can live life the way they want after getting saved. Hebrews 6:6 considers it that such people make it look like that they're crucifying Jesus all over again even if it was a horrible act never to be repeated again.

The Law of God can only tell me what to do and what not to do. Jesus enables me to do what the Law wants me to do. Why do I end up resisting my adulterous thoughts? It's because the Holy Spirit gives me the fear of the LORD continuously. I have the grace and the power of God to say no to sin. Resisting sin is already more delightful than a burdensome task by the grace of God. I want to follow the Law not because I have to but because I want to. Back then, I just did what I had to do to avoid punishment. Now, I follow the Law not just to avoid punishment but the greater reason is because of He who wrote the Law!

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