‘Put up thy sword into its sheath,’

(b) The parallel.

It is not to be forgotten that the work which the soldier did in type is the work which Christ does.  He is the true Moses who leads us through the wilderness.  But also He is the Captain who will bring us into the mountain of His inheritance.

But besides this, we too often forget the soldier-like virtues in the character of Christ.

We have lost sight of these very much, but certainly they are present and most conspicuous.  If only we will look at our Lord’s life as a real human one, and apply the same tests and terms to it which we do to others, we shall see these characteristics plainly enough.

What do we call persistence which, in spite of all opposition, goes right on to the end, and is true to conscience and duty, even to death?  What do we call the calmness which forgets self even in the agonies of pain on the cross?  What do we call the virtue which rebukes evil in high places and never blanches nor falters in the utterance of unwelcome truths?

Daring courage.       |
Promptness of action. | All conspicuous in Jesus. 
Iron will.            |

It has become a commonplace thing now to say that the bravery which dares to do right in the face of all opposition is higher than that of the soldier who flings away his life on the battlefield.  The soldiers of peace are known now to deserve the laurel no less than the heroes of war.

But who can tell how much of the modern world’s estimate of the superiority of moral courage to mere brute force is owing to the history of the life of Christ?

We find a further parallel in the warfare through which He conquers for us the land.

His own struggle (’I have overcome’), and the lesson that we too must fight, and that all our religious life is to be a conflict.  It is easy to run off into mere rhetorical metaphor, but it is a very solemn and a very practical truth which is taught us, if we ponder that name of the warrior Leader borne by our Master as explained to us by Himself in His words, ’In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.’

Ps. cx.  ’Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning:  thou hast the dew of thy youth.’

II.  The significance of the name.

Joshua means God is Saviour.  As borne by the Israelitish leader, it pointed both him and the people away from him to the unseen and omnipotent source of their victory, and was in one word an explanation of their whole history, with all its miracles of deliverance and preservation of that handful of people against the powerful nations around.  It taught the leader that he was only the lieutenant of an unseen Captain.  It taught the soldiers that ’they got not the land in possession by their own arms, but because He had a favour unto them.’