Tip of the Day, May 10
May 10 – Heb. 11:8, 13; “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went…These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”
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Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance tells me the word Christ isn’t in the Old Testament. This would lead me to believe it’s a Greek word, which it is, and that it would be out of context if located in the Hebrew literature. The time frame for the book of Enos is off. Enos lived in 420 BC. Ask the Mormon in your life why this word would show up in the BC era of the Book of Mormon.
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Enos 1:5-8; “And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed. And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away. And I said: Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.”
I remember hearing somewhere that Joshua’s name had a similar meaning to Jesus. Both meant “Messiah” or Anointed One. I think the Hebrews were looking for another Joshua or David. They weren’t expecting the Son of God himself.
Exactly! The Israelites were looking for another military or political leader who would get them out from under the Roman rule.
And yes, the meaning of Joshua is Anointed One or Yahweh delivered. Here is what the Holman Bible Dictionary has to say about his name:
JOSHUA (Jahsh ew uh) Personal name meaning, “Yahweh delivered.” 1. Leader of Israelites who first took control of Promised Land of Canaan. Joshua is one of the unsung heroes of the Old Testament. He, not Moses, led the people into the Promised Land. He was a person of such stature that he could succeed the incomparable Moses and compile a record of notable success (Josh. 24:31). The Hebrew variations of Joshua are Oshea (Num. 13:16); Hosea (Hos. 1:1). English versions differ in their transliteration of the Hebrew names. Its New Testament equivalent is Jesus.
Joshua was born in Egypt during the period of slavery. He was a member of Ephraim, the important tribe that later formed the heart of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He first appeared during the battle with the Amalekites during the desert travels. He was Moses’ general, who led the troops in the actual fighting while Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands (Ex. 17:8-13).
Joshua was Moses’s servant (Ex. 24:13). He was on the mountain when Moses received the Law (Ex. 32:17). He was also one of the twelve spies Moses sent to investigate Canaan (Num. 13:8). He and Caleb returned with a positive, minority report. Of all the adults alive at that time, only the two of them were allowed to live to enter the land of Canaan (Num. 14:28-30, 38).
The Lord selected Joshua to be Moses’ successor long before Moses’ death (Num. 27:15-23; Deut. 31:14-15, 23; 34:9). Joshua was a military leader, a political leader, and a spiritual leader. He was quiet and unassuming, but he was not buffaloed by his responsibilities or the task that lay before him. He was a battlefield genius, particularly in the areas of careful planning, strategy, and execution. He was a capable administrator for the nation, effective in maintaining harmony among people and groups. He was a spokesman to the people for the Lord. Though he did not receive the Law as Moses had, he communicated the Lord’s will and the Lord’s message much like Moses.
Joshua was at the helm of the nation during the conquest and the distribution and settlement of Canaan. He led in the covenant renewal at mount Ebal and Shechem (Josh. 8:30-35; 24:1-28). He was able to challenge his people by both word and example. His pattern is a hard one to better.
See Joshua, The Book of; Moses.
2. High priest of community who returned from Babylonian Exile in 538 B.C. See Jeshua 3.