THE JOSHUA GENERATION

               

The original form of this name was Hosea. From Hosea, it was changed to Hoshea; and from Hoshea to Jehoshuah; and from Jehoshuah to Jeshua; and from Jeshua to Jeshuah; and from Jeshuah to Yehoahua; and from Yehoshua to Jesus and from Jesus to Osee -Num. 13:8, 16; Heb. 4:8; Acts 7:45; Rom. 9:25. The name means salvation, Jehovah saves, Jehovah is salvation, and God who is salvation. Jesus is the English form of the Greek ''isous'', and the Hebrew ''Yehoshua or Joshua'' meaning Saviour or God who is salvation. Hence this is the generation of Jesus.

THE EMERGENCE OF THIS GENERATION

This generation was first physical but now it is spiritual. The physical one emerged from the old generation who came out of the land of Egypt. They came from the old generation who saw the wonders of God in Egypt, the Red sea, and the wilderness but proved very stubborn and rebellious. They are the sons of the generation who were too old to obey God and His servants Josh. 5:6-7. Though this generation was physical, they represented the spiritual one- The Jesus generation- Heb. 2:9-11. Joshua or Jesus generation is indeed the chosen generation- 1 Pet. 2:9.

THE GENERATION THAT POSSESS THE PROMISED LAND

Joshua generation is a generation that brings good report and no evil report- Josh. 2:23-24. They are the generations that have bound themselves with an oath to obey God and their godly leader- Josh. 1:16-18. They are a generation of faith and not sight- Josh. 3:11-17. They are men of action and order-Josh. 3:1-6. They establish a testimony that becomes a godly legacy for the coming generation- Josh. 4:9, 20-24. Their enemies fear them but they do not fear their enemies- Josh. 5:1. They have a direct commission from God to go and possess the land with promise and assurance of Divine backing- Josh. 1:1-9. They know the secret of power, strength, courage for the possession of the promise land and they are: The studying of God's word; The meditation upon the word; The confession of the word with the mouth; and the keeping of the word in daily life.

The promise others fail to possess they succeed to possess it with mark of distinction and excellence.

THE CIRCUMCISED GENERATION

The Lord gave the law of circumcision to Abraham as the mark of the covenant the Lord made with him. It is to be mark o f identification of the seed of Abraham in all their generations. The Joshua generation had not been circumcised because they were born during the forty years of wilderness-wandering. Only Joshua and Caleb who were the  survivors of the old generation were circumcised. The Lord commanded Joshua to new circumcision of the flesh represents that of the heart- Rm. 3:23-29; Col.2:-11. The spiritual circumcision of the heart is what every member must accept as what must be done -Deut. 30:6. The evidence of true circumcision is shown in Cor. 7:19;Gal. 5:6; 6:15.