Joshua as a Type of Christ

There were two men by the name of Joshua who served as types of Christ: Joshua son of Nun, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land to posses it, and Joshua son of Yehozadak, who was the first person chosen to be the high priest for the reconstruction of the Jewish Temple after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. Let's look at how each of them were types of Christ.

Joshua Son of Nun

First of all, it's interesting to note that Joshua's name is actually the same as Jesus, whose Hebrew name is "Yeshua." In the Septuagint Bible, written by the Jews in the Greek language, the name Ἰησοῦς or Iēsoûs (Greek name Jesus) is the standard Koine Greek form used to translate both of the Hebrew names: Yehoshua and Yeshua. The same is found in other Greek-language Jewish texts, such as the writings of Josephus and Philo of Alexandria. In other words, the Hebrew names Yehoshua and Yeshua, which are translated into English as "Joshua," are translated by Jews into Greek as Ἰησοῦς Iēsoûs, which is exactly the same Greek name for Jesus used in the original Greek language in which the New Testament was written. Therefore, when you read the English name "Joshua" in the Old Testament, you could translate it into English as "Jesus," and it would be in agreement with the Jewish Septuagint. Likewise, when you read the English name "Jesus" in the New Testament, you could replace it with the Hebrew name"Yeshua," and it would be in agreement with the Hebrew Bible.

In order to illustrate my point, perhaps the following table will help:

	Old Testament (Original language)	Old Testament (English translation)	New Testament (Original language)	New Testament (English translation)
Hebrew text	Yeshua (Heb., ישוע)	Joshua	--	--
Greek texts	Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς)	Jesus	Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς)	Jesus

Another way to show this to you is with the following chart:

	Hebrew	Greek	English
Joshua (son of Nun)	Yeshua (Heb., ישוע)	Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς)	Joshua
Jesus (son of David)	Yeshua (Heb., ישוע)	Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς)	Jesus

Joshua son of Nun is always referred to in English as Joshua, even though the Greek Septuagint and the Greek New Testament refer to him as Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς). Jesus son of David is always referred to in the English New Testament as Jesus, even though it translates the same Greek name Iēsous (Gr., Ἰησοῦς) as Joshua, when referring to Joshua son of Nun (Act 7:45 and Heb 4:8). While this distinction is helpful in English to distinguish between the two men by the same name, the original texts of the Old and New Testaments did not make this distinction. Therefore, it is grammatically correct to refer to Joshua son of Nun as Jesus son of Nun, and to refer to Jesus son of David as Joshua son of David, or better yet as Yeshua son of David, since this is actually His original Hebrew name.

Now that we have established from Scripture the fact that these two men had the same name, let's look at the meaning of their name. The name Joshua, or alternatively Yeshua, or Jesus, means Yehova (Jehova) saves or God saves. That's very powerful, because it means that no matter how desperate your situation, God is able to save you, Jesus is able to save you and rescue you from your otherwise  hopeless situation.

Having said that, let's see how the missions of Joshua and Jesus were similar to one another.

Joshua son of Nun was the strong, courageous man who led the Israelites into the earthly Promised Land to possess it as their inheritance (Jos 1 - 24). Likewise, Jesus is the One who leads His chosen people into the heavenly Promised Land to possess it as their inheritance in Him. But even though the Israelites were supposed to find rest in the Promised Land, they didn't find it in the earthly one. In fact, the apostle says:

"For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;" (Heb 4:8-9).

The reason the people of God in Joshua's day did not enter their rest was because of disobedience (Heb 4:6), and that is the same thing that will keep the people of God today from entering their eternal rest in heaven, even if they call Jesus "Lord". That's why the apostle warned us, "Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience" (Heb 4:11). The problem the Israelites had was that when they heard the message of the good news, they did not combine it with faith. That's why we must always be careful to combine the Word of God with faith, so that we might not only be hearers but doers of it. Therefore, if today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts (Heb 3:15).

Joshua son of Nun was a mighty warrior, who led the Israelites to victory in their military battles against their enemies. Likewise, Jesus is a Mighty Warrior who leads us into victory in all our battles against the enemy of our souls. According to the prophet Isaiah, the virgin's Son would be called "Mighty God," which is "El Gibor" in Hebrew (Isa 9:6-7).  The word "El" literally means God. This name, El Gibor, may also be translated, "God-man," "Mighty Man of war," or "Mighty Warrior."  I like all of them, and I think they all describe the Lord Jesus Christ well. But the two translations that show His connection to Joshua are "Mighty Man of war" and "Mighty Warrior."

Here are some Scripture passages about Jesus as our Mighty Man of war:

"And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Col 2:15)

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev 19:11-16)

For a full understanding and appreciation of the above passage, you really must read the rest of it in Rev 19:17-21 to see how He will go on to destroy all of His enemies. It's just like Joshua did in those ancient battles that he fought for the Lord, when he totally destroyed the enemy and left no survivors. Let's remember that while Jesus came the first time gentle and riding on a donkey, and came to die on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, He is coming back a second time riding on a white horse to take vengeance upon all of His enemies (Is 61:2).

The prophet Isaiah prophesied it like this:

"See, the Name of the LORD comes from afar, with burning anger and dense clouds of smoke; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a consuming fire. His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray. And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people playing pipes go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel. The LORD will cause people to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail. The voice of the LORD will shatter Assyria; with his rod he will strike them down. Every stroke the LORD lays on them with his punishing rod will be to the music of tambourines and harps, as he fights them in battle with the blows of his arm. Topheth has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it ablaze." (Isa 30:27-33)

"The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior He will stir up his zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over his enemies." (Isa 42:13)

The apostle Paul wrote:

"God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you." (2Th 1:6-10)

King David wrote:

"Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty— he is the King of glory." (Psa 24:7-10)

Let's worship this King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. May we all commit ourselves to obey Him as the Israelites did to Joshua by saying, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go." (Jos 1:16b)

Joshua son of Yehozadak
Another man named Joshua who was a type of Christ was Joshua son of Yehozadak. He was a high priest spoken about in the book of the prophet Zechariah, who wrote:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?' Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, 'Remove the filthy garments from him.' Again he said to him, 'See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.' Then I said, 'Let them put a clean turban on his head.' So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by. And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here. Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch." ' " (Zec 3:1-8)

In this passage, the Lord of hosts clearly states that Joshua the high priest and His friends seated before Him are men who are symbolic. For the Lord says He is going to bring in His servant the Branch, which refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Other prophecies that referred to Messiah as the Branch are found in Jer 23:5; Isa 53:2; Zech 3:8; and Zech 6:11-12. Zechariah prophesied of "a Man whose name is Branch" when he wrote:

"Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD." ' " (Zec 6:11-12).

We know that just as the Lord set an ornate crown of silver and gold on the head of the high priest Joshua, He also set a crown upon the head of Jesus son of David, our great High Priest. He is the man whose name is the Branch. He was called a Nazarene, because He was raised in the town of Nazareth, which means "City of the Branch". The term branch refers to a shoot, blossom, figuratively, a descendant. In particular, the Branch, Jesus Christ, was a descendant of David.

Now that we have established the fact that the high priest Joshua was a symbol or type of Christ, let's look once again at the prophecy about Him in Zechariah. It says:

1. Satan standing at the right side of Joshua the high priest to accuse him. (Zec 3:1). Of course, we know that satan is the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10), so that is what he does. This scene reminds me of the passion of Christ when he was standing before Pilate and the whole assembly was accusing Him (Lk 23:1-5).

2. "Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel." According to Roland Buck in his book Angels on Assignment, the angel here was the angel Gabriel, and Joshua the high priest represented Jesus. He was clothed in filthy garments, because He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21). The Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Is 53:6).

3. The angel Gabriel ordered those who were standing before Jesus to "Remove the filthy garments from Him." Again he said to Him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."

4. Then the prophet Zechariah said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.

5. Gabriel, the angel of the LORD, admonished Joshua or Jesus, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here."

Nobody else but Jesus Christ walked perfectly in the Lord's ways without sin and perfectly performed His service. Therefore, nobody else but Jesus Christ will govern the Lord's house and have charge of His courts. And as Zechariah says elsewhere, Jesus will build the temple of the Lord (Zech 6:12).

Of course, the apostle writing to the Hebrews explicitly taught that Jesus is our great High Priest, which again connects Him with Joshua (Jesus) the high priest in the book of Zechariah. He wrote:

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Heb 4:14-16).

Closing Words
By looking at these two men named Joshua in the Bible, whose names can alternatively be translated as "Jesus," we can clearly see that they were types of Christ. They were men symbolic of the Lord Jesus. Both of them were leaders, one being a mighty warrior and the other being a high priest. Joshua son of Nun prefigured the way that Christ would conquer our enemies and lead us into our rest in the heavenly Promised Land. And Joshua son of Yehozadak prefigured how Jesus as our high priest would take upon Himself all our filthy iniquities and exchange them for His own righteousness for us, so that we might be able to approach God's throne of grace in His heavenly courts with confidence, in order to receive mercy and find grace to help us. He is the Branch who will build the temple of the Lord, and we who follow Him with pure and sincere devotion are that temple.

Studying types of Christ like this can help us grow in our love and knowledge of the Lord. I trust this has helped to accomplish that very goal in your life as you have read this article. I hope you will come back again later to enjoy more articles on the types in the Bible.

Attribution notice: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image of Joshua from Answers in Genesis may be subject to copyright, used per Fair Use Act for commentary and educational purposes only.

Author's note:  Also see Moses as a Type of Christ, David's Mighty Men as Types of Christ, David -- A Man After God's Own Heart, Boaz as a Type of Christ, The Sufferings of the Prophets as a Type, Adam as a Type of Christ, Isaac as a Type of Christ, Noah's Ark a Type of Christ, The Temple as a Type of Christ, The Passover Lamb as a Type of Christ, The Typology of the Tabernacle, The Typology of the Jewish Feasts, and Hagar and Sarah as Types. You can access the Main Directory for Biblical Typology, or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.