Numbers 13:16-20: a reflection

16These are the names of the men who Moses sent to spy out the land. Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. 17Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way by the South, and go up into the hill country. 18See the land, what it is; and the people who dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 19and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 20and what the land is, whether it is fertile or poor, whether there is wood therein, or not. Be courageous, and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.

As Moses sends out the twelve to explore the land, the account pauses to note a name change: Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. Hoshea means salvation; but Moses renames him Joshua, which means the LORD is salvation, placing the LORD at the heart of the name, declaring that salvation belongs to God. The change is small but significant: it points away from any thought that salvation comes from ourselves and to the truth that the LORD is salvation. And this name, Joshua, is the very name that in its Greek form is Jesus; so that this renaming quietly points forward to Jesus, in whom the LORD truly is our salvation. This shows that the LORD is salvation, a truth carried in the name Joshua and fulfilled in Jesus. The name Joshua means the LORD is salvation. Salvation belongs to God, not to ourselves. The name points forward to Jesus, in whom God is our salvation. The LORD is salvation, declared in the name Joshua.

Notice the meaning packed into this small renaming. Hoshea's name meant salvation; Moses changes it to Joshua, the LORD is salvation, putting God's name at the center and declaring where salvation truly comes from. It is not that salvation is a vague thing, or that it comes from human effort or strength; the name declares that the LORD is salvation, that salvation belongs to God and comes from him. This is a truth that runs through all of Scripture: salvation is of the LORD, not of ourselves. And it is worth noting that the name Joshua, the LORD is salvation, is the same name, in its Greek form, as Jesus. So this renaming quietly points forward to the one in whom the LORD is fully and finally our salvation: Jesus, whose very name means the LORD saves, and who came to save his people from their sins. When we hear that the LORD is salvation, we are pointed to Jesus, in whom God has come to save us. Salvation is of the LORD, not ourselves; and it comes to us fully in Jesus, in whom the LORD saves. Salvation belongs to the LORD, declared in the name and given in Jesus. The name Joshua points to Jesus, in whom the LORD is our salvation. In Jesus the LORD has come to save his people. Salvation is God's gift, not our achievement.

That is worth resting in, for salvation is of the LORD, not ourselves, a truth carried in the name Joshua and fulfilled in Jesus, in whom the LORD is our salvation. We can imagine that salvation comes from our own effort or strength; but the name Joshua declares that the LORD is salvation, that it belongs to God and comes from him, and this points forward to Jesus, whose name means the LORD saves. Salvation is God's gift. When you are tempted to trust in yourself for salvation, remember that the LORD is salvation, given fully in Jesus. Rest in the truth that salvation is of the LORD, not ourselves, a truth carried in the very name Joshua, which Moses gave to Hoshea, meaning the LORD is salvation, and which in its Greek form is Jesus; for the renaming puts God's name at the center and declares that salvation belongs to God and comes from him, not from human effort or strength, a truth that runs through all of Scripture, and it points forward to the one in whom the LORD is fully and finally our salvation, Jesus, whose very name means the LORD saves and who came to save his people from their sins, so that when we hear that the LORD is salvation we are pointed to Jesus, in whom God has come to save us, and we can rest not in our own effort or strength for salvation but in the LORD, who is our salvation and has given it to us fully in Jesus.

Lord, as Moses sends out the twelve to explore the land, the account pauses to note a name change: Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua. Hoshea means salvation; but Moses renames him Joshua, which means the LORD is salvation, placing you at the heart of the name, declaring that salvation belongs to you. The change is small but significant: it points away from any thought that salvation comes from ourselves and to the truth that you are salvation. And this name, Joshua, is the very name that in its Greek form is Jesus; so that this renaming quietly points forward to Jesus, in whom you truly are our salvation. Show me the meaning packed into this small renaming. Hoshea's name meant salvation; Moses changes it to Joshua, the LORD is salvation, putting your name at the center and declaring where salvation truly comes from. It is not that salvation comes from human effort or strength; the name declares that you are salvation, that it belongs to you and comes from you. This is a truth that runs through all of Scripture: salvation is of the LORD, not of ourselves. And the name Joshua is the same name, in its Greek form, as Jesus. So this renaming points forward to the one in whom you are fully and finally our salvation: Jesus, whose very name means the LORD saves, and who came to save his people from their sins. Take that to my heart, for salvation is of you, not myself, a truth carried in the name Joshua and fulfilled in Jesus. When I am tempted to trust in myself for salvation, help me remember that you are salvation, Lord, given fully in Jesus, so that I rest not in my own effort or strength but in you, who have come to save me in Jesus.