Faith Amongst Grasshopper HeartsSample

Being with God

We've seen that Joshua was mentored in the areas  of leadership and war (particularly that war also has a spiritual  dimension). Today we consider two passages that describe Joshua's spiritual tutelage.

Joshua didn't go to seminary or Rabbi school - he learnt about God by being with God. 

When  Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, he left  Aaron and Hur to watch over the people, but Joshua went up on to the  mountain while the people trembled at God's presence at a safe distance.

One  can't help but wonder if the Israelites would have made the Golden Calf  if Joshua was around... Or maybe Joshua had to experience the  incredible presence of God so that when he descended with Moses, he  would see how pathetic the golden calf really was... 

Later, when  the tent and tabernacle that God had spoken about on the mountain had  been built, Moses would go to the Tabernacle where God would speak "face  to face" with Him as "a man speaks with his friend". Can you imagine  the intimacy of those encounters?

Joshua seems to have functioned  as the gatekeeper to the Tent. One can imagine that people with  ambitious intentions would want to be able to claim that they too had  heard from God.

But Joshua was not only a gatekeeper - he would  have been there to see Moses go into the holy of holies and seen him  come out. Even if he saw and heard nothing else, I am sure that the  anticipation, joy, contentment and resolution would have been evident in  Moses as he went into and came out of the Lord's presence and it would  have left a lasting impression on Joshua.

I believe that even if  Joshua did not hear God's words to Moses, he would have sensed God's  presence. This would have shaped his heart and soul...

(We see a similar journey in the life of a young Samuel growing up in the Lord's presence in the tabernacle at Shiloh...)

The best way to learn about God is to be with God and His people...