From Servant to Leader
The central figure of today’s message is Joshua. Joshua was the successor of Moses, the father of the wilderness journey, and became the leader who brought the people of Israel into the land of Canaan. However, the Bible tells us that Joshua did not begin as a great leader, but rather as Moses’ servant (Exo 24:12-13).
In Exodus 12, it is recorded that the Israelites observed the Passover and left Egypt on the 14th day of the 1st month of 1446 BC. Then, in Exodus 19:1, it says they arrived in the Wilderness of Sinai on the 1st day of the 3rd month. After that, Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 24 describes the scene where Moses goes up to Mount Sinai to receive the stone tablets. It mentioned that Joshua was Moses’ servant at that time, which shows that Joshua had already been serving Moses as his aide since the time of the Exodus.
Then, how did Joshua become a leader appointed by God?
- He Went Up to Mount Sinai with Moses
Today’s passage (Exo 24:13-14) records that Joshua went up to Mount Sinai together with Moses. God had called the seventy elders and held a covenant meal with them. Then He commanded Moses to come up to the top of Mount Sinai, explicitly instructing that even the other elders-Aaron and Hur-did not to go up the mountain. However, Joshua was permitted to accompany Moses up the mountain. This reminded us of how Jesus, though He had twelve disciples, would sometimes only take Peter, James and John with Him during significant moments. For instance, Jesus took only Peter, James and John with him to the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt 17:1-2).
Likewise, when Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, He also took only Peter, James, and John with Him (Mark 14:32-34). Why did Jesus take only these three disciples? Because they were the ones He could trust the most-those who had the greatest potential to understand His heart. In the same way, Moses taking Joshua up to Mount Sinai shows how much Moses trusted him.
Then how can we become people whom God can trust? First, it is by faith. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Second, it is by faithfulness. 1 Cor 4:2 says that what is required of stewards is that they be found faithful.
When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the first tablets of the Ten Commandments, he fasted for 40 days. If Joshua accompanied him, did Joshua also fast during those 40 days? Think about it: how could a servant eat while his master was fasting before God? Although the Scripture does not explicitly mention it, many theologians agree that Joshua likely fasted along with Moses.
- Joshua Received New Name
When the Israelites left the Wilderness of Sinai and reached Kadesh, they requested to explore the land of Canaan. One representative from each tribe was chosen-twelve spies in total. Among them, the representative from the tribe of Ephraim was Hoshea, the son of Nun, later known as Joshua (Num 13:8; Num 13:16).
From verse 8, we learn that Joshua’s original name was Hoshea. Before sending him out as a spy, Moses renamed him as Joshua. Hosea means “salvation”, whereas Joshua means “the LORD is salvation.” This renaming reminds us of when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter.
Giving someone a new name in the Bible signifies a new mission or calling. So when Jesus renamed Simon as Peter, He also declared a new mission: to build His church upon this “rock” (John 1:42; Matt 16:18).
After spying out the land, the other spies gave a report focusing on the giants, the descendants of Anak, and the danger they posed (Num 13:32-33). Was this false report? No, it was factually accurate-but it was a report based only on physical sight, not on faith.
Unlike the others, Joshua gave a report of faith (Num 14:6-9). The core message of his report was this: Even though the situation looks difficult, the God who saves is with us-so we can overcome. Because Joshua acted in faith, God appointed him as the leader of Israel (Num 27:18).
- Joshua Was a Self-Motivated Worker
In the past, Korea was an agriculture-centered society. The upper-level farmer (sang-nong) is one who goes out to the field to weed before any weeds are even visible. No one has to tell him to do it. He acts on his own initiative. The mid-level farmer (jung-nong) starts working only after the weeds have already grown. He does exactly what is expected of him, no more, no less. The lower-level farmer (ha-nong) doesn’t even pull the weeds when they’ve clearly taken over. He doesn’t tend to his own field, and yet he likes to criticize and meddle in other people’s fields.
What kind of worker was Joshua? Exo 33:11 & Exo 32 describe how, while Moses was receiving the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, the Israelites had fallen into idolatry. Then in Exodus 33, Moses pitched the tent of meeting outside the camp and spoke with God there. Verse 11 tells us that Moses left the tent after finishing his conversation with God. But Joshua stayed.
The tent of meeting symbolized the presence of God. Thus, some interpret Joshua’s remaining there as a desire for deeper fellowship with Lord. However, considering that the tent of meeting was not a place anyone could simply enter at will, and that Joshua was still in the role of Moses’ assistant, a more accurate interpretation is that Joshua stayed to clean and maintain the tent after Moses left. In other words, even though Moses didn’t command him, Joshua knew that the tent was to be kept holy and clean. So he took the initiative to tidy and care for it.
From this, we can see that Joshua had the attitude of the upper-level farmer-he worked on his own initiative. Joshua was a self-motivated worker.
Dear saints, if we desire to become leaders for God, we must go beyond simply doing what we are told-we must begin to work on our own, with discernment and dedication. God calls us to be faithful. a
Let us become faithful people. Let us become self-motivated workers. When we do, I believe that God will raise up you and me as His great leaders and bless us to live as people of calling and purpose.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 