Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Joshua 22; Eph. 6:7; John 7:24; Numbers 25; Prov. 15:1; 1 Pet. 3:8-9

Memory Text: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1, NIV).

Living in a community can, at times, lead to disputes and tension. This is especially true in a community, such as the church, where people from different backgrounds and social strata—and sometimes brought up in completely different cultures—live and work together for a common purpose.

This week we will study Joshua 22 and a challenge that arose from a great misunderstanding among the people. At the beginning of the book, Joshua commanded some tribes to cross the Jordan and participate in the conquest, along with the tribes on the west side of the Jordan (Josh. 1:12-18). Now that the task is accomplished, they are free to return. However, at the east side of the Jordan, they build an altar that raises concern among the West Jordan tribes.

Why is it dangerous to jump to a rash conclusion about the behavior of others? How can we foster unity in the church? Why is it important to keep in mind the larger scope of our calling and not get caught up in distractions? These are some of the questions we are going to deal with this week.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 13.

Further Thought: 

“Christ’s mission was not understood by the people of His time. . . . The traditions, maxims, and enactments of men hid from them the lessons which God intended to convey. These maxims and traditions became an obstacle to their understanding and practice of true religion. And when the Reality came, in the person of Christ, they did not recognize in Him the fulfillment of all their types, the substance of all their shadows. They rejected the antitype, and clung to their types and useless ceremonies. The Son of God had come, but they continued to ask for a sign. The message, ‘Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ they answered by demands for a miracle. . . . The gospel of Christ was a stumbling block to them because they demanded signs instead of a Saviour. They expected the Messiah to prove His claims by mighty deeds of conquest, to establish His empire on the ruins of earthly kingdoms. This expectation Christ answered in the parable of the sower. Not by force of arms, not by violent interpositions, was the kingdom of God to prevail, but by the implanting of a new principle in the hearts of men.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 34, 35.

“The church needs faithful Calebs and Joshuas, who are ready to accept eternal life on God’s simple condition of obedience. Our churches are suffering for laborers. The world is our field. Missionaries are wanted in cities and villages that are more certainly bound by idolatry than are the pagans of the East, who have never seen the light of truth. The true missionary spirit has deserted the churches that make so exalted a profession; their hearts are no longer aglow with love for souls and a desire to lead them into the fold of Christ. We want earnest workers. Are there none to respond to the cry that goes up from every quarter: ‘Come over . . . and help us’?”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 156.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does biblical typology help you better understand the ministry of Jesus Christ on your behalf?
2. In what respect is our spiritual warfare like the conquest of Canaan, and how is it different?
3. Contemplate on the ultimate fulfillment of the Joshua typology. How does the picture of a world without pain, suffering, and death give us real hope in the daily struggles of life?
4. Joshua reflected the character of God to the extent that he foreshadowed the ministry of Christ. What are some practical ways that you can allow Jesus to reflect His character in you more completely?

Joshua and Us

Joshua, as a type, points beyond the ministry of Jesus Christ to a fulfillment in the life of the church, Christ’s body. In what sense do the wars Israel fought under Joshua foreshadow the spiritual struggles of the church? How are they different? See 1 Tim. 1:18, 2 Tim. 4:7, Eph. 6:10-12, 2 Cor. 10:3-5, and Acts 20:32.

The writers of the New Testament recognize the ecclesiological (church) fulfillment of the Joshua typology. The members of Christ’s body, the church, are involved in a spiritual warfare against evil forces; nevertheless, they enjoy the rest of God’s grace (Heb. 4:9-11) and the blessings of their spiritual inheritance.

What do these texts say about the ultimate fulfillment of the Joshua typology? 1 Pet. 1:4, Col. 3:24, Rev. 20:9, Rev. 21:3.

The final and complete fulfillment of the Joshua typology will be accomplished at the second coming of Jesus Christ (apocalyptic/eschatological aspect).

Joshua’s life reflected so much of God’s character that certain aspects of his life took on a prophetic character foreshadowing the activity and person of the Messiah.

For us, today, the Messiah has already come. His ministry does not need to be prefigured, but we still have the privilege of reflecting His character—the glory that Christ longed to share with His disciples (John 17:22) and that can become ours by contemplating the character of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). The more we contemplate Jesus, the more we reflect the beauty of His character. This is so foundational to what our daily walk with Christ should lead to. This is why time in the Word, every day, is so important. This is why, too, we should also spend time dwelling on the life and character and teachings of Jesus. By beholding, yes, we do become changed.

Joshua, the type, asked the Israelites: “ ‘How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you?’ ” (Josh. 18:3, NKJV). How would Jesus, the antitype of Joshua, phrase that question today?

The True Joshua, the Antitype

The story of Joshua must be seen through the prism of typology. The wars conducted by Joshua are historical events, constituting an essential segment of Israel’s history. The goal of these wars is to settle the Israelites in the Promised Land, where they can enjoy their allotted inheritance in peace and establish a new society based on the principles of God’s law.

Later, Old Testament authors, such as Isaiah, present the work of the Messiah as also consisting of allotting the “desolate inheritances [to His people]” (Isa. 49:8, NIV), using the same terminology that is so frequent in the book of Joshua. As the task of Joshua had been to apportion the land to the Israelites, so the Messiah, portrayed as the new Joshua, assigns the spiritual inheritance to a new Israel.

Read Hebrews 3:7-4:11. How does the New Testament confirm that Joshua, the new Moses, is himself a type of Jesus Christ?

The authors of the New Testament presented many aspects of the ministry of Jesus Christ in terms of Joshua’s work. As Joshua stepped into Canaan after 40 years in the wilderness, so the “antitypical Joshua,” Jesus, entered His earthly ministry after 40 days in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13) and His heavenly ministry after 40 days in the wilderness of this earth (Acts 1:3, 9-11; Heb. 1:2).

After Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan (His “crossing of the Jordan” [Matt. 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11]), the gospel writers quote from Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1, from a Messianic psalm and from a song about the Suffering Servant of Yahweh (Matt. 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22). Consequently, through His baptism, Jesus is presented as the Divine Warrior who will—through a life of faithful obedience, even unto death—wage the wars of Yahweh against the evil forces. His life and death on the cross brought about the casting out of Satan, led the conquest over our spiritual enemies, offered spiritual rest to His people, and allotted an inheritance for the redeemed (Eph. 4:8, Heb. 1:4, Heb. 9:15).

What does it mean to be able to “rest” in what Christ has done for us? That is, how can we have assurance that Jesus has defeated Satan in our behalf?

Joshua, the Type

In the light of biblical typology, what is the significance of the multiple parallelism between the lives of Moses and Joshua? See Exod. 3:1-2; Josh. 1:1-3; Num. 13:1-2; Josh. 2:1; Exod. 3:5; Josh. 5:15.

As we discovered in the first week, Joshua is presented as a new Moses who, in the life of the second generation, repeats the most significant steps of the Exodus from Egypt. Just as Moses was, he is commissioned by a personal encounter with the Lord. Under the leadership of both, Israel’s fame among the nations inspires fear. Moses led Israel in crossing the Red Sea, while Joshua led Israel in a miraculous crossing of the Jordan. Both leaders are reminded of the necessity of circumcision and the importance of the Passover. Manna begins to fall in the time of Moses, and it ends with Joshua. Both are commanded to take off their sandals. The outstretched hand of both signals victory for Israel. Moses gives instructions for the division of the land and the institution of cities of refuge. Joshua fulfills the instructions. Both give a farewell address to the nation and renew the covenant for the people at the end of their ministry.

Study Deuteronomy 18:15-19, Deuteronomy 34:10-12, John 1:21, Acts 3:22-26, and Acts 7:37. Who fulfills the prophecy of Moses about a prophet like himself? How does Joshua fit into the picture?

Joshua’s life was a partial fulfillment of the prophecy made by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18). However, the prophecy made by Moses was not fulfilled in its ultimate sense. In its ultimate sense, the prophecy could be accomplished (or fulfilled) only by the Messiah. He knew the Father intimately (John 1:14, 18); He was true and revealed God truthfully (Luke 10:22, John 14:6, Matt. 22:16). God indeed put His words in His mouth (John 14:24). So, both the life of Moses and that of Joshua become types of the coming Messiah, Jesus.

How central is Jesus to your own walk with the Lord? Why must Jesus, and what He has done for you, be the foundation of your whole Christian experience?

Type and Antitype

Interpreters of the Bible cannot arbitrarily decide on what constitutes a biblical type, or how that particular type is fulfilled in the New Testament and beyond. The Bible itself provides some controls and principles as to the application of biblical typology.

Similarly, the New Testament unfolds the antitypical fulfillment of a type in three distinct phases: (1) in the life of Christ (the Christological fulfillment), (2) in the experience of the church (the ecclesiological fulfillment), and (3) at the end of time (the eschatological fulfillment).

We can find these types and antitypes all through the Bible, and they are very helpful in showing readers how to understand the Bible and what truths the Word of God is teaching about Jesus, salvation, and the ultimate hope that we have.

Look at the following Old Testament types: Israel, the Exodus, and the sanctuary. How is each fulfilled in the three antitypical phases: the Christological, the ecclesiological, and the eschatological?

1. Israel
2. The Exodus
3. The Sanctuary

“Since Scripture has a single divine Author, the various parts of Scripture are consistent with each other. . . . All the doctrines of the Bible will cohere with each other; interpretations of individual passages will harmonize with the totality of what Scripture teaches on a given subject.”—Raoul Dederen, ed., Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000), p. 65.

What do you do when, at times, you find it hard to understand the meaning of certain passages?

Biblical Typology

Study the following Scriptures that refer to types and try to define what biblical typology is: Rom. 5:14, 1 Cor. 10:1-13, Heb. 8:5, and Heb. 9:23.

These biblical passages use the term “type” (Greek typos) or “antitype” (Greek antitypos) to refer to the way the New Testament writer defined the relationship between an Old Testament text or event, and its meaning in his own time, or in the future.

Typology is a specific interpretation of persons, events, or institutions that prefigure Jesus or other realities contained in the gospel. The type corresponds to the antitype as a mold or a hollow form that reflects the original form, even if the latter, the antitype, more fully fulfills the purpose of the type. Thus, the biblical type was shaped according to a divine design that had existed concretely, or conceptually, in the mind of God, and it serves to shape future copies (antitypes).

It is crucial to understand that the writers of the New Testament did not randomly attribute a typological meaning to some Old Testament texts in order to make a point. An Old Testament type is always validated in the prophetic writings before it acquires an antitypical fulfillment in the New Testament.

Look at how David appears in the Old Testament, and then how he is prefigured in the New. What lessons can we learn about how typology works from this example?

1. David (Ps. 22:1, 14-18):
2. The new David (Jer. 23:5; Isa. 9:5-6; Isa. 11:1-5):
3. The antitypical David (John 19:24):

By looking at these texts, we discover that the Old Testament itself provides the key for identifying and applying types in the Scriptures. That is, New Testament writers, whose Scripture was the Old Testament, were inspired by the Holy Spirit to use the Old Testament types to reveal “present truth” (2 Pet. 1:12), especially about Jesus and His ministry.

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Cor. 10:1-13; Matt. 2:15; Josh. 1:1-3; Acts 3:22-26; Heb. 3:7—4:11; 2 Cor. 10:3-5

Memory Text: “Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11, ESV).

In the book of Joshua, there is a sense that the life of its main character points beyond itself to a reality that is much greater than the man himself. We see this principle all through the Bible, such as with the land of Canaan, a symbol of our eternal hope in a new earth. And, of course, the earthly sanctuary service pointed to a greater reality: “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation” (Heb. 9:11, NKJV).

But the question arises: In what way does Joshua point to a future fulfillment? How can we be sure that such an interpretation of the book is legitimate? What are the biblical principles that control the application of the book of Joshua to New Testament realities and to end-time events?

This week, we will look at principles of biblical interpretation concerning typology. We will study how the Bible itself contains indicators of typology and how the life of Joshua foreshadows the ministry of the Messiah and points to symbolism fulfilled in the church, as well as in the consummation of human history.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 6.

Discussion Questions:

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Controversy Ended,” pp. 672-678 in The Great Controversy.

“We shall be saved eternally when we enter in through the gates into the city. Then we may rejoice that we are saved, eternally saved. But until then we need to heed the injunction of the apostle, and to ‘fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it’ [Hebrews 4:1]. Having a knowledge of Canaan, singing the songs of Canaan, rejoicing in the prospect of entering into Canaan, did not bring the children of Israel into the vineyards and olive-groves of the promised land. They could make it theirs in truth only by occupation, by complying with the conditions, by exercising living faith in God, by appropriating his promises to themselves.”—Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, February 17, 1898.

“In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called ‘a country.’ Hebrews 11:14-16. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. There the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 675.

1. Think about the Promised Land as a symbol of the abundant life that Christ promised to His followers in John 10:10. How do the benefits of living in an abundant land portray the blessings of salvation?
2. What is the relationship between being citizens of a land and living a certain lifestyle? How does one affect the other? What are some of the implications of being citizens of God’s kingdom?
3. As humans, we are constantly disappointed by the promises of others and sometimes by promises we make to ourselves. Why can you trust God’s promises?
4. How can we make the promise of the new earth part of our future in a real and concrete way, even now?

The Land Restored

Read Jeremiah 24:6; Jeremiah 31:16; Ezekiel 11:17; Ezekiel 28:25; and Ezekiel 37:14, 25. What was the promise of God concerning the return of Israel to the Promised Land and how was it fulfilled?

During the Babylonian exile, the Israelites experienced not only the sad reality of being rootless but also the promise that their relationship with God, though made concrete through the promise of the land, was not conditioned on, and limited to, possessing the land. When the Israelites confessed their sins, repented, and looked for the Lord with all their hearts, God fulfilled His promise again, and brought them back to their land as a sign of their restoration. That is, He was still their God, even while they were not in the land.

However, as the promise that Israel would possess the land forever was conditional (Deut. 28:63-64; Josh. 23:13, 15; 1 Kings 9:7; 2 Kings 17:23; Jer. 12:10-12), so was the promise to re-settle and make Israel prosper in the land after the exile. At the same time, prophets of the Old Testament pointed to a restoration that a future Davidic king would bring (Isa. 9:6-7; Zech. 9:9, 16). This promise was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, in whom all the promises to ancient Israel would have their fulfillment.

In the New Testament, the Promised Land is not mentioned directly, but we are told that the promises of God have been fulfilled in and through Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20, Rom. 15:8). Thus, in the light of Christ, the land is reinterpreted, and it becomes the symbol of the spiritual blessings that God plans to give to His faithful people here and now (Eph. 2:6) and in the hereafter.

The ultimate fulfillment of the divine promise of rest, abundance, and well-being in the land will take place on the new earth, liberated from sin and its consequences. In that sense, as Christians, our hope is based on Christ’s promise that He will return and, after a 1,000-year period in heaven, establish His eternal kingdom on the earth made new. This will be the ultimate fulfillment of all the promises about the land.

Read John 14:1-3, Titus 2:13, and Revelation 21:1-3. What ultimate hope is found for us here in these verses, and why does the death of Jesus guarantee us the fulfillment of this hope?