AND JOSHUA ROSE EARLY
Joshua 3:1 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
Matt. 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Joshua is a picture and type of our Lord Jesus Christ. John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. His name in Greek IS “Jesus.” Listen to Hebrews 4:8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. This, of course, could not possibly have been our Lord. It is just a transliteration of the Hebrew “Joshua” into the Greek.
And our Lord, who instructs that God is a spirit, also informs us that his words are spirit and they are life! (John 4:24, 6:63). Therefore let us look for Christ, the Light, reflecting himself back into the shadows of the time of the law. (Heb. 10:1).
The lives of all the children of Israel shall never be the same after Joshua arises and goes over this Jordan. (Josh 1:2). And it will only begin as Joshua rises early on this morning. Everything that occurs hereafter will fall out only after this first action on his part! To the world it may seek so mundane, so ordinary that it is hardly worth mentioning. But since we are looking for Christ, everything is important!
If Joshua does not rise early the children will not be led into their promised land! And if our Joshua – the Lord Jesus – rises not, we are without faith, and our preaching is vain! 1Cor. 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. We are then yet in our sins! 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
For it is his resurrection that revealed the satisfaction of God on our behalf! Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
There are three distinct things which can be readily observed as happening at this time. First, Moses is dead! And secondly, Joshua is raised up in his place! Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
Moses was used of God to bring forth the law! John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. And Joshua was to keep the law of Moses in fulfilling his responsibilities. Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
So our Heavenly Joshua – the Lord Jesus – came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it! Matt. 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
There was nothing wrong with the law! For it is a reflection of the character of God! Romans 7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. The problem regarding the law is that none could keep it! And that is the point of its being given! It drives us to Christ, who kept the law perfectly for us! Galations 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Christ is the only solution to our inability to stand before God’s law! Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: There is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1), to the believer, for Christ has now condemned the sin in his own body! – All glory to the Lamb!
And these are the only two dispensations – the time of the law, and then, the time of grace! Just like your bible is divided into only two portions, the Old and the New Covenants, or Contracts, or Testaments! And the coming of the Lord Jesus made the distinct dividing line between the two! Hebrews 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. – And there won’t be a “third” earthly dispensation! Notice the spiritual implications of the phrase, In the end of the sabbath in our Matthew 28 verse listed above concerning Christ’s resurrection.
And finally, the third thing we observe is that there was brought in a Gentile bride! Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 6:25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
Every time that we read Rahab’s name it is usually always followed by the words, the harlot! But there is one time that this description is noticeably missing! And it is found in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; She turns out to be Boaz’ mother, and another Gentile, a Moab, Ruth’s mother in law! And Rahab’s great-grandson was Jesse, the father of King David! (Ruth 4:21,22).
And you will notice that those words of the previous description of her are here noticeable missing. For being brought into the lineage of Christ, the Messiah, old things are passed away, behold all things become new! She is now a new creation in Christ!
Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Pastor Gene Breed
November 9, 2011
