God's generous salvation.

Joshua 11:23
So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.

As I’ve alluded to in the past and surely will do again, the Old Testament of the Bible has Jesus concealed while the New Testament is Jesus revealed. When we look in the Bible, it’s not just lessons on how to live a good life we should be seeking. Instead we should be seeking the Life, that is, Jesus Christ. We should be on a mission every time we open up the Bible to seek Jesus in all that we read.

Take this passage as an example. Joshua has been conquering city after city with the Israelite army because that’s what God told him to do. And he did it exactly how he was told. He didn’t change the plans, he didn’t alter the strategy, he didn’t question the mission. Joshua simply yielded to God’s hand of authority and led his people, under that authority, to victory after victory.

I love how Joshua’s conquest of the land of Canaan parallels Jesus’ conquest of the entire world of sin. Joshua, whose name means “God’s generous salvation”, enters the picture just as the patriarch of the Law (Moses) dies. Joshua followed all of the instructions left by Moses and also yielded himself to the authority of God, completing each additional task or assignment as they came up. Jesus also followed all of the instructions (Law) of Moses, and like Joshua, also yielded Himself to the authority of God and His additional plans for winning.

By being a leader who was willing to follow, Joshua brought the Israelite nation through battle after battle with only victory. But really it was God who brought him though each battle. When the army went out to fight, God always went before them to strike fear in the hearts of the enemies. He made sure victory for Israel was inevitable. Jesus did the same thing. He led His disciples, but followed His Father.

When Christ went to the cross, He finished the work. He won the the final battle. He took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had told Moses (He fulfilled the Law). When He was finished conquering, when God’s wrath had been fully poured out on Him at the cross and victory was won, Jesus passed it on to us as an inheritance. Finally, the land rested from war. In Joshua’s case, this was a rest from physical war and fighting with a literal enemy. In our case this is a rest from the spiritual war. The war within us between darkness and light has been won by the spilled blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus, God’s generous salvation, has led us to victory in our battle against the enemy, Satan. He has given us His power and authority over the Devil. He has covered us with His righteousness. He has redeemed us from the curse.

“Come to me, all you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest”--Jesus Christ