Commemoration of Joshua

Today the church remembers the example of Joshua. From the Treasury of Daily Prayer:

Joshua, the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, is first mentioned in Exodus 17 when he was chosen by Moses to fight the Amalekites, whom he defeated in a brilliant military victory. He was placed in charge of the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:11) and was a member of the tribal representatives sent tot survey the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:8). Later, he was appointed by God to succeed Moses as Israel's commander-in-chief. Joshua eventually led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land and directed the Israelites' capture of Jericho. He is remembered especially for his final address to the Israelites, in which he challenged them to serve God faithfully (Joshua 24:1-27), concluding with the memorable words, "As for me and my household, we will serve t he LORD" (24:15).

Thoughts on Joshua from David Chytraeud (1531-1600), Lutheran Reformer:
Joshua the son of Nun was the minister and successor of Moses, and the leader of the people of Israel who led them through the dry bed of the Jordan into the land of Canaan. He had the same name as our Savior, Jesus Christ (since in Hebrew "Joshua" and "Jesus" are the same name), and he was a type of Christ, who led the children of the promise of Abraham through the Jordan of this life's troubles and of death into the restfulness of eternal life....When Moses died, on the first day of the 2493rd year since the world's creation, Joshua led the people of Israel into the land of Canaan, which was promised to their fathers. He won excellent and miraculous victories for God's chosen ones. Having conquered the kings of Canaan, he distributed the land and finally died at the age of 110. In Hebrew his name is "Yehoshua" or "Yosua," that is, "Savior," "Helper." In Greek his name is "Iesous" or "Iesus."

A prayer in his honor:
Lord Jesus Christ, Your servant Joshua led the children of Israel through the waters of the Jordan River into a land flowing with milk and honey. As our Joshua, lead us, we pray, through the waters of Baptism into the promised land of our eternal home, where You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.