Come to Understanding

Come to Understanding

They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding,

and they that murmured shall learn doctrine. — Isaiah 29:24

So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense,

and caused them to understand the reading. — Nehemiah 8:8

November 14, 2009
Volume 8 Number 22

Call Joshua!

God tells us what He is going to do before He does it:

7 Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, but he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. -Amos 3

When Moses was about to die, Yahweh told him to "call Joshua:"

14 And Yahweh said to Moses, Behold, your days approach that you must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. -Deuteronomy 31

The children of Israel were about to enter into the Promised Land. Even though Moses had been their leader for the past forty years, he would not be the one to lead them in. They would be led into the Promised Land by Joshua!

This historical event of passing the leadership of God’s people from Moses to Joshua was also prophetic, foretelling what would happen in the future. The revelation of the future event began to unfold when Moses called a man who was named "Oshea" by the name "Jehoshua:"

16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua. -Numbers 13

The name "Oshea" means "salvation." The name "Jehoshua" reveals that the Savior is Yahweh. When Moses added "Jeh" to the name "Oshua" ("Oshea"), he proclaimed that "Yah is salvation."

The name of God in Hebrew is hwhy (YHWH) and its short form is hy (YH). The letter "J" in the name "Jehoshua" represents the Hebrew letter y (Y), known as "Yod." (The Greeks and the Romans changed the Hebrew "Y" in the name to an "I." After the letter "J" was developed, it eventually replaced the letter "I" in the name.) (see David Sacks, Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z, Broadway Books: New York, 2004, pp. 177-190). The Hebrew letter y (Y) is pronounced as a "Y" sound, as in "yes," rather than as a "J" sound, as in "jay." Therefore the name of God is likely pronounced according to the pattern shown in the word "Hallelujah," as "Yahweh" and "Yah."

The name "Jehoshua," is written in Hebrew as eswhy (YHWSHA). The Biblical Hebrew letter w (W), known as "Waw," when used as a vowel may also be pronounced as "u" or "o" (see Jeff A. Benner, The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, Virtualbookworm.com Publishing: College Station, TX, 2005, p. 42) (In modern Hebrew, the letter is known as "Vav"). Therefore, the name "Jehoshua" looks as though it should sound like "Yah-o-shua." However, the "h" and "w" were likely used as vowels pronounced together ("hw"), as a "diphthong," into one sound (See Come to Understanding, Vol. 8, No. 17, September 1, 2009). Consequently, the name "Jehoshua" would likely be rendered in English as "Yahshua," which is written as "Joshua" in the Old Testament and as "Jesus" in the New Testament of most English Bibles.) Therefore, Yahweh told Moses to "call Yahshua."

Moses knew that it was Yah that saved Israel as they miraculously crossed the parted Red Sea. He sang:

2 Yah is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 Yahweh is a man of war: Yahweh is his name. -Exodus 15

Isaiah wrote that Yah Yahweh has become his salvation:

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for Yah Yahweh is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation. -Isaiah 12

Yahweh chose Moses to lead about 600,000 men of Israel, as well as children (and women), out of Egypt:

37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, besides children. -Exodus 12

When Yahweh gave the law and commandments to Moses, Joshua was with him:

12 And Yahweh said to Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give you tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that you may teach them.

13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. -Exodus 24

Yahweh gave Moses the law in the presence of Joshua. Moses faithfully taught it to the people of Israel, but they were unable to keep it. Because of their unbelief and disobedience, they were unable to enter into the "Promised Land." Instead, they wandered about in the wilderness for forty years in a state of unrighteousness. Yahweh told Moses and his brother, Aaron, that the only men who would enter in would be Caleb and Joshua:

29 Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless you shall not come into the land, concerning which I swore to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. -Numbers 14

Yahweh said He would bring in the "little ones." None of the other 600,000 men who left Egypt would be allowed into the Promised Land. He would only permit entry to those who began the journey as humble children:

31 But your little ones, which you said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. -Numbers 14

This is also the way Yahshua (Jesus) described those who would be able to enter into the Kingdom of God. He said those of us who would want to enter in must be "converted" and humble ourselves to become as "little children:"

3 And said, Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 18

Unless we can humble ourselves before Yahweh to the level that we allow Him to have complete charge over our lives, we are tempted to think that our salvation comes from the strength of our own hands. Even Moses lifted himself up in pride before Yahweh, as he tried to demonstrate his power before the thirsty congregation of Israel. Once again, they complained because there was no water to drink. Consequently, Yahweh told Moses to speak to the Rock and it would issue forth water. In a prideful moment, Moses disobeyed Yahweh:

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?

11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. -Numbers 20

Moses didn’t believe that Yahweh could really produce water from the Rock without his help. Our strength does not lie in ourselves and neither does our salvation. The clear prophecy about the coming Messiah in Psalms 118 proclaims what Moses had momentarily forgotten:

14 Yah is my strength and song, and has become my salvation. -Psalms 118

The people of Israel demonstrated over and over again that they were unable to keep Yahweh’s commandments. Who could possibly keep them if even Moses failed to do so?

Hundreds of years after the life of Moses, Israel still could not keep the law. For this cause, the united kingdom of Israel was split into a northern kingdom (Israel) and a southern kingdom (Judah) (see 1 Kings 12). Each was carried away into captivity by another nation (see 2 Kings 18:11 and 2 Kings 25:21). Judah was finally allowed to return to their homeland, giving them the opportunity to finally learn to keep the law (see Ezra 1:3). They could not. Their priests, who should have been teaching people to keep the law, were the leaders in its corruption, causing the people to stumble:

8 But you have departed out of the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says Yahweh of hosts. -Malachi 2

The law cannot save (justify) us from our sins. It only shows us the hopelessness of trying to rely on our own works for salvation. Paul explains:

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. -Romans 3

As the people wandered in the wilderness of spiritual darkness, there finally appeared a "Great Light" to lead us into the "Promised Land" of the "Kingdom of Heaven:"

16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light has sprung up.

17 From that time Yahshua began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. -Matthew 4

Yahweh used the law of Moses to show us that we need His grace and truth, which came by Yahshua:

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Yahshua the Messiah. -John 1

Peter explains that there is only one name to call upon for our salvation:

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. -Acts 4

The "Promised Land," the "Kingdom of Heaven," is at hand. Moses has done his part. He taught us the law, which shows us our sin and our need for a Savior. There is now only one thing to do, "Call Joshua!" (Meaning, "Call Jesus!; Call Yahshua!) Yah has become our salvation!

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Scriptures are taken from the Proper Name Version of the King James Bible.