“Joshua, the perfect disciple. Obedient and humble.
The man whose devotion to his master can serve as an example to all. God’s
chosen, just as Moses had been. The servant become leader, whom God and Moses
do not cease to encourage—so much so that we wonder why he had such a need. Is
it because, in his humility, Joshua felt so inferior to Moses that he believed
himself inadequate, unqualified and even unworthy to complete a task that only
his master was capable of completing satisfactorily? Joshua will inherit
political and religious authority from Moses but not his prophetic style. God
accomplished miracles for Joshua. He went so far as to upset the laws of nature
by ordering the sun to stand still, but Joshua’s speech lacks the magic that
emanates from the words of the prophets.
“A great melancholy emerges from his life story, a
sadness that stays with him to the end of his days. Is it because his life
unfolds in the midst of noise and fury?”—Jewish novelist, essayist, Holocaust
survivor and Nobel Peace laureate Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), “Joshua: Silent at
the Tent Door,” Bible Review, December 1998
The image accompanying this post is of Joshua, Israel’s
leader after the death of Moses—played onscreen by John Derek in the 1956 blockbuster,
The Ten Commandments.
