And it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' attendant, saying,
The book of Joshua opens on a grave. The man who led Israel out of Egypt is gone, and God's first act is to speak to the man who served at his side. That opening line raises two questions. Why could the leader of the exodus not finish the journey? And why does God name his successor by his service rather than his rank?
Why the Lawgiver Could Not Finish
Moses died before the crossing. One writer traces this to more than Moses' own failure. The role he carried made the crossing impossible for him.
Their inheritance could not come by the law in any way. So Moses, the mediator of the legal system, could not lead the people over the Jordan — and that was true quite apart from his own personal failure. The picture would not allow it. So when Moses asked to cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that fine mountain and Lebanon, the Lord answered, "Enough from you; do not speak to Me of this matter again."
That is why the story of the land begins where it does. God chose that starting point. It teaches something about how anyone comes into blessing.
Our study of the book of Joshua must begin where God begins His teaching — "after the death of Moses." God's way is not for the law given through Moses to bring a single soul into spiritual blessings. Those blessings belong to Christ where He now is, in heaven.
Two Leaders, Two Pictures of Christ
Joshua is not a replacement for Moses so much as the next stage of one story. Each man pictures a different side of the same Saviour.
Moses brought Israel out of the land of Egypt. In that he pictures the Lord Jesus bringing His people out of this world, which lies under judgment. Moses the mediator and Aaron the high priest also picture Him leading His people through this wilderness world. Joshua brought Israel into Canaan. He pictures Christ risen from the dead, leading His people in spirit into the land of glory and into conflict with the enemy in the heavenly places.
The commission given to Joshua reaches further than victory. He was to settle the people in what they won.
Joshua continues what Moses began. Both picture the Lord Jesus, each from a different side. Moses leads me up to the death of Christ. Joshua leads me out of it in victory, carrying his spoils with him… Under the terms of this commission, Joshua was not only to lead them into possession. By dividing the inheritance, he was to give them a settled home. This pictured the last act of our Lord, which He spoke of on earth when He said, "I go to prepare a place for you."
"The Son of Nun, Moses' Assistant"
The verse names Joshua by his father and by his position under Moses. Older translations read "Moses' minister," which simply means a servant. The title matters, because the verse sets it against the title God gives Moses.
Moses and Joshua both speak of Christ. Moses speaks of Christ down here in the world, living among people. Joshua speaks of Christ acting by the Holy Spirit in His people — in spirit, not in person. So it is Joshua who leads into the land. Moses is the "servant of the Lord," a picture of God's perfect Servant in Isaiah 52:13. Joshua is "Moses' minister," serving and representing this personal Christ.
Joshua's earlier work at Moses' side already showed the shape of what was coming.
These early tasks are samples of the ministry of the man who was soon to subdue the nations of Canaan and divide their land as an inheritance among the people of the Lord… Peter was marked out beforehand to feed the sheep and the lambs of God's flock. Joshua was marked out to lead Israel. Both were put through their training first — and that is good for all of us.
What the New Chapter Demanded
The call that follows sends Joshua across the Jordan. That river carries its own meaning.
When Moses died, God called Joshua to "Arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them." For the people redeemed from Egypt, the wilderness was never the Lord's goal. It was only His road… The Jordan pictures our death and resurrection with Christ. The Red Sea pictures Christ's death and resurrection for us. Energy and courage were essential, and so was holding firmly to God's word. It is the same for the Christian: he is set free, and yet he is bound to obey God.
The people themselves were about to change character. What had been a journey was becoming a campaign.
They had been like a flock led through the wilderness (Ps. 77:20); they were about to be the Lord's soldiers led to fight His battles. God now looked for a soldier's character in Israel: obedience, energy, endurance.
Summary
- Death first. The book begins after a burial. The lawgiver could not bring the people into the promised land — not just because he failed, but because of what he stood for.
- Then grace. What law could not give, God gives. God calls the land what He is giving them, not what they earn.
- A trained servant. The verse names Joshua as Moses' assistant. His years serving at Moses' side had already trained him for the work God now gives him.
- A risen Leader. Moses pictures Christ bringing His people out. Joshua pictures Christ risen, leading them in — and then dividing the inheritance so they can settle in it.
- A soldier's road. Crossing the Jordan turns a led flock into an army. The same call that promises the land also demands courage and obedience to God's word.