Do you ever feel like life has been unfair to you?
Sometimes I read parts of the Bible and think, “That’s not very fair of You, God!”
For example, when Moses, after bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt, leading them in the wilderness for 40 years, having regular conversations with God, carrying out all His commands while dealing with an increasingly stubborn and ungrateful group of people, was not allowed to enter the promised land. He could merely observe it from a distance (Deuteronomy 32:50-52).
How is that fair??
It isn’t, at least not if you take the story at face value. But when you take a moment to realise what it represents, it suddenly reveals a narrative of incredible generosity.
Moses represents the law. He was the one who received the law from God written on the stone tablets (Exodus 24). He became the judge of that law for the people, and it is often referred to as the Law of Moses.
Joshua, Moses’ successor, represents Jesus (their names are even the same in Hebrew). Joshua did not move away from the law, but went beyond it, pursuing God’s presence instead of His rules. Whenever Moses left the Tent of Meeting after seeking God, Joshua would stay (Exodus 33:11). He was a man after God’s heart.
Joshua, not Moses, is the one who will lead the people into the Promised Land. This shows that the law, though good and strong, cannot ultimately bring us all the way to the Promised Land. It is only through Joshua, or in our case, Jesus, that entry is made possible.
Would it have been fair to let Moses enter the Promised Land? No, technically, fair would have been if no one had been allowed to enter. After all, all the people sinned.
But once Joshua came into the picture, fairness was no longer the question. Through Joshua, the people were able to step into far more than they could ever have deserved.
The same is true for you. Jesus is your Joshua. He fulfilled the law so you could receive the promise of the Spirit (Matthew 5:17 and Galatians 3:10-14).
