Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr MASIMBA MAVAZA

The True Joshua

Lesson 10

Memory Text: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11, ESV).

Introduction

In the book of Joshua, there is a sense that the life of its main character points beyond itself to a reality that is much greater than the man himself. We see this principle all through the Bible, such as with the land of Canaan, a symbol of our eternal hope in a new earth.

And, of course, the earthly sanctuary service pointed to a greater reality: “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Heb. 9:11, NKJV).

But the question arises: In what way does Joshua point to a future fulfilment? How can we be sure that such an interpretation of the book is legitimate?

What are the biblical principles that control the application of the book of Joshua to New Testament realities and to end-time events?

This week, we will look at principles of biblical interpretation concerning typology. We will study how the Bible itself contains indicators of typology and how the life of Joshua foreshadows the ministry of the Messiah and points to symbolism fulfilled in the church as well as in the consummation of human history.

SABBATH: Jesus is present in the book of Joshua.

The life of Joshua: His role as a leader, conqueror & mediator for the Israelites points to a greater fulfilment found in Jesus Christ.

That is, Jesus is the High Priest of good things to come. The earthly sanctuary service pointed to His ministry for us (Heb. 9:11).

Canaan itself serves as a symbol of our eternal hope in a new earth.

The lesson will tell us how Joshua is a type of Christ, how we can trust this interpretation & how Joshua is linked to the NT & end-time.

Biblical Typology

SUNDAY:

Typology is the study of the OT persons, events, or institutions that serve as a future hint of specific details fulfilled in Christ and/or gospel realities.

Type (Greek typos) meets antitype” in the NT. That’s, the antitype fulfils the purpose of the type (Rom. 5:14, 1 Cor. 10:1-13, Heb. 8:5, and Heb. 9:23).

God designed the biblical type to shape future copies (antitype).

The NT writers accurately linked a type to an antitype by validation in prophetic writings; an example is David (Ps. 22:1, 14-18; Jer. 23:5; Isa. 9:5-6; 11:1-5; John 19:24).

Type and Antitype

MONDAY:

None can just decide what a biblical type is or its fulfilment in the NT & end-time.

The Bible is consistent.

The 3 types of antitypical fulfilment are 1.

The life of Christ (the Christological fulfilment), 2. in the experience of the church (the ecclesiological fulfilment), and 3. at the end of time (eschatological fulfilment).

These types are fulfilled in the 3 phases: Israel (Matt. 2:15, Gal. 6:16, Rev. 7:4-8, 14), Exodus (Matt. 2:19-21, 2 Cor. 6:17, Rev. 18:4), and the Sanctuary (John 1:14, 2:21, Matt. 26:61, 1 Cor. 3:16-17, 2 Cor. 6:16, Rev. 3:12, Rev. 11:19, Rev. 21:3, Rev. 21:22).

Joshua, the Type

TUESDAY:

Joshua is like a new Moses who repeats important events from the Exodus as he leads the 2nd generation of Israelites.

Both leaders had a special meeting with God & helped Israel gain fame.

They performed miracles, talked of the need for circumcision & Passover, & gave farewell speeches to renew the covenant (Exod. 3:1-2; Josh. 1:1-3; Num. 13:1-2; Josh. 2:1; Exod. 3:5; Josh. 5:15).

Moses’ prophecy, “a prophet like me”, was partially fulfilled by Joshua & fully in Christ (Deut. 18:15-19, 34:10-12, John 1:21, Acts 3:22-26, 7:37).

The True Joshua, the Antitype

WEDNESDAY: The wars of Joshua had the aim to settle the Israelites in the Promised Land & give the people an inheritance.

Jesus also gained victory over sin & death & gives us inheritance in His kingdom (Isa. 49:8).

Joshua’s life is linked to Jesus’ ministry: as Joshua entered Canaan after 40 years in the wilderness, Jesus began His ministry after 40 years in the wilderness & His heavenly ministry after 40 days in the wilderness of this earth (Acts 1:3, 9-11; Heb. 1:2).

His baptism in the River Jordan links to the crossing of Jordan (Matt. 3:13-17).

Joshua and Us

THURSDAY: Joshua is a figure that points to Jesus & the church’s mission.

The wars fought by Israel under Joshua symbolise the spiritual challenges faced by the church today, showing how they are linked.

But the church’s struggles are more about faith and belief rather than physical battles (1 Tim. 1:18, 2 Tim. 4:7, Eph. 6:10-12, 2 Cor. 10:3-5, and Acts 20:32).

The final and complete fulfilment of the Joshua typology will be accomplished at the second coming of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:4, Col. 3:24, Rev. 20:9, Rev. 21:3).

Reflect Christ always!

Further Thought

FRIDAY: People in Jesus’ time did not grasp His mission.

Their traditions and rules blocked them from seeing God’s true message.

When Jesus came, they failed to recognise Him as the fulfilment of their expectations & instead focused on asking for miracles.

They wanted a powerful Messiah who would conquer earthly kingdoms, but Jesus taught that God’s kingdom grows through changing hearts, not through force.

The church today needs dedicated workers who will share the gospel & help those who are lost, those still trapped in false beliefs.

—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 34, 35 & Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 156.KeywordsType – In Greek, it is typos.

Antitype – In Greek, it is antitypos.

OT – Old Testament

NT- New Testament

Joshua & Jesus – The name Joshua, or Yehoshua in Hebrew, means “The LORD is salvation.”

This is directly parallel to the name Jesus, which is the Greek form of Joshua.

Both names emphasise the role of divine deliverance and salvation, underscoring the typological connection between Joshua and Jesus.

The OT & NT – Joshua’s life was a partial fulfilment of the prophecy made by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18).

However, the prophecy made by Moses was not fulfilled in its ultimate sense.

In its ultimate sense, the prophecy could be accomplished (or fulfilled) only by the Messiah. He knew the Father intimately (John 1:14, 18); He was true and revealed God truthfully (Luke 10:22, John 14:6, Matt. 22:16).

God indeed put His words in His mouth (John 14:24). So, both the life of Moses and that of Joshua become types of the coming Messiah, Jesus.

Moses’ Prophecy – Joshua’s life was a partial fulfilment of the prophecy made by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18).

However, the prophecy made by Moses was not fulfilled in its ultimate sense.

In its ultimate sense, the prophecy could be accomplished (or fulfilled) only by the Messiah. He knew the Father intimately (John 1:14, 18); He was true and revealed God truthfully (Luke 10:22, John 14:6, Matt. 22:16).

God indeed put His words in His mouth (John 14:24). So, both the life of Moses and that of Joshua become types of the coming Messiah, Jesus.

The Divine Warrior – After Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan (His “crossing of the Jordan” [Matt. 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11]), the gospel writers quote from Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1, from a Messianic psalm and from a song about the Suffering Servant of Yahweh (Matt. 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22).

Consequently, through His baptism, Jesus is presented as the Divine Warrior who will—through a life of faithful obedience, even unto death—wage the wars of Yahweh against the evil forces.

His life and death on the cross brought about the casting out of Satan, led the conquest over our spiritual enemies, offered spiritual rest to His people, and allotted an inheritance for the redeemed (Eph. 4:8, Heb. 1:4, Heb. 9:15).

The Church of Christ – The NT writers affirmed the ecclesiological (church) fulfilment of the Joshua typology.

The members of Christ’s body, the church, are in a spiritual warfare against evil forces.

The Second Advent of Christ- For us, today, the Messiah has already come.

His ministry does not need to be prefigured, but we still have the privilege of reflecting His character—the glory that Christ longed to share with His disciples (John 17:22) and that can become ours by contemplating the character of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18).

The more we contemplate Jesus, the more we reflect the beauty of His character.

This is so foundational to what our daily walk with Christ should lead to.

This is why time in the Word, every day, is so important.

This is why, too, we should also spend time dwelling on the life and character and teachings of Jesus.

By beholding, yes, we do become changed.

Discussion Questions

📌 How does biblical typology help you better understand the ministry of Jesus Christ on your behalf?

📌 In what respect is our spiritual warfare like the conquest of Canaan, and how is it different?

📌 Contemplate on the ultimate fulfilment of the Joshua typology. How does the picture of a world without pain, suffering, and death give us real hope in the daily struggles of life?

📌 Joshua reflected the character of God to the extent that he foreshadowed the ministry of Christ. What are some practical ways that you can allow Jesus to reflect His character in you more completely?For November 29—December 5 Happy Sabbath!