Spiritual Quote of the Day (Elie Wiesel, on the ‘Great Melancholy’ of Moses’ Joshua)

“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.

Spiritual Quote of the Day (Book of Joshua, on How ‘God Will Be With You Wherever You Go’)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9 (New International Version)

Thanks to my friend Leslie for bringing to my attention this quotation. Not a bad thought for the first Sunday of the new year, don’t you think?

(The image accompanying this post is The Book of Joshua Chapter 1-1, from Biblical illustrations by Jim Padgett, courtesy of Sweet Publishing, Ft. Worth, TX, and Gospel Light, Ventura, CA. Copyright 1984. Released under new license, CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Spiritual Quote of the Day (Book of Joshua, on How ‘God is With You Wherever You Go’)

"Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."— Joshua 1:9 (Revised Standard Version)

The image accompanying this post is Victory of Joshua Over the Amalekites, a 1625 painting by Nicolas Poussin, now in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Quote of the Day (Book of Joshua, on How God Will Help Us ‘Be Strong and Courageous’)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”— Joshua 1:9 (New International Version)

The image accompanying this post is Victory of Joshua Over the Amalekites, a 1625 painting by Nicolas Poussin, now in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.