What's In A Name?

I've been studying a lot about the life of Joshua lately, in preparation for teaching some teen girls this summer at a Bible camp. I came across something really fascinating about Joshua yesterday, that I never knew before.

In Numbers 13:16 it says . . ."Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua."

So Moses changed Joshua's name - what is so fascinating about that?

Well, the interesting part surfaces when you look at the meaning of the names. Joshua's original name, Hoshea, means "deliverer". Boy, his parents sure hit the nail on the head with that name. Hoshea was such a great and mighty leader of the Israelites, delivering them from the idolatrous tribes that surrounded them on all sides, leading them to victory after victory, fighting and winning battles against nations that were stronger, bigger, and more heavily armed and fortified. Hoshea was definitely a deliverer!

But Moses obviously thought that he could do better than Hoshea's parents. He had a name in mind that was even more fitting.

Moses changed Hoshea's name to Joshua. And what does Joshua's name mean? It means "Jehovah saved".

Who knows the exact reason why Moses changed Joshua's name, but I like to think it was because Moses wanted to constantly be reminding Joshua where the victory came from - not from men, or weapons, or even Joshua's own strength, but from God alone. I like to think that Moses wanted to constantly be cultivating an attitude in Joshua that focused all the glory on God, giving Him tribute for anything good that came out of Joshua's life.

That is were I find the challenge - am I cultivating an attitude not only in my life, but in the lives of those around me, and particularly in the life of Juliette, that points directly to God. When we rejoice in the gifts that God has so graciously bestowed upon us, are we mindful to deflect the glory to where it is rightfully due - God Himself? When victories come will I be content to dwell on my own accomplishments, or will I be ready to point skyward and say like Moses, "Jehovah saved"?