1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.” ~ Joshua 1:1-2
So, now the people of Israel are without a leader, this is where Joshua comes in. Joshua wasn’t from the Tribe of Judah, but from the Tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:1-16). He wasn’t one of the heads of the tribes either. The head of the Tribe of Ephraim was Elishama. So, what made Joshua stand out? He was dedicated to Moses and to God.
When the LORD would come down in the Pillar of Cloud on the Tent of Meeting and the people would rise up, stand outside their tents facing the tent of Meeting and worship, after they were done, they would go on about their day, Moses himself would go into the camp, but Joshua would stay at the Tent of Meeting in the presence of the LORD. He would not leave it.
When the spies went into the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the first time and 10 out of the 12 bring a negative report, only he and Caleb kept faith in the promise that the LORD had given them that land. Now, here’s what I believe set Joshua apart from the rest.
When they first left the land of Egypt, the LORD told Moses to consecrate the people and then He would meet them after 3 days. When the LORD came down great fear and terror filled the hearts of all the people.
The LORD had just spoken the Ten Commandments to the People of Israel. There was fire, thunder, lightning, a loud trumpet, and the mountain itself was smoking. The people were afraid (Exodus 20:18-21). Now when Moses went up to the mountain, he remained there for 40 days and 40 nights. The people then said to Aaron, Moses’ brother, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Exodus 32:1). And what does he create? A golden calf.
They didn’t want a replacement for God Almighty, but for Moses. They didn’t know what happened to him. They just saw that frightening sight on Mount Sinai and heard the thundering voice of God. So, they needed to replace Moses, the mediator between God and them. They had just spent 430 years in the land of Egypt. And during that time, they had become influenced by the Pagan gods of the Egyptians (Ezekiel 16:26).
So, they created a golden calf in the image of the Egyptian god, Apis. Apis was the mediator between man and the greater gods. Now, out of fear they had just rebelled against the LORD’s commandments that they had just received from His own mouth. The very first two commandments they broke 40 days after receiving it. When the LORD told Moses to go down to correct the people, all the people were there except one person. Joshua. Joshua remained at the foot of the mountain patiently waiting for Moses to come down. In fact, Joshua said to Moses, ‘it sounds like war in the camp,’ but Moses had to correct him, ‘no, it sounds like singing.’ Joshua did not defile himself with pagan worship once removed from Egypt.
Every action we choose causes a physical and spiritual reaction. It either pushes us towards or away from our call. Joshua didn’t realize that each step he made led him to have to fill the shoes of Moses at the time he was making them, but God was watching him. He was preparing him for greatness. The LORD is preparing you for greatness as well, are you walking in steps necessary to see that greatness?
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Step To Greatness.