Parallels Between Moses and Joshua

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Noel-Marie Kot
RS 51 / Section #4426
Judith Remmes
18 May 2013
Paper
Orchestrated Succession
Never again was there a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10). In the Old Testament, we witness the divinity and righteousness of the most faithful man to ever serve the Lord. Moses’ relationship with God was superior to that of any other prophet in the Bible. God reinforces this by claiming that out of all of His prophets, Moses was the most faithful and therefore, was given the most power (Numbers 12:6-7). Chosen to protect and lead the Israelites, Moses performed miracles and glorified God’s name, ultimately playing a crucial role in spreading His authority throughout the known earth. Still only a mortal, however, Moses’ death would one day come to pass. On the eve of his death, Moses asked God to provide a successor to lead the people after his demise (Numbers 27:16-17). God directed him to Joshua, whom He had already been preparing for many years; God’s spirit was in him. Though Joshua was initially uncertain about his ability to guide the Israelites, God told him over and again that he was indeed capable of this task, just as Moses was. In the Old Testament, Joshua and Moses were made to seem parallel in order to instill confidence in Joshua, gain the trust of the Israelites, and build Joshua to be not only the new leader of the Israelites, but also Moses’ ultimate successor.
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“Moses said unto Joshua, ‘Choose us out men, and go out and fight…’ So Joshua did as Moses had said” (Ex. 17: 9-10). Because of this and other innumerable exhibits of unwavering loyalty, Moses and Joshua were absolutely two of the most faithful servants to ever follow Yahweh. Although God knew that Moses and Joshua were spiritually charged, mirror images of each other, the Israelites did not. The parallels between Moses and Joshua had to be striking in the eyes of the Israelites in order to inspire their respect as their new leader, and confidence as their new protector. The only way this could be accomplished was for God to deliver similar miracles and victories to Joshua just as he delivered to Moses…And so, that is what He did.
Joshua was present when God filled seventy leaders with His Spirit (Numbers 11:17). When there were men prophesying at the camp, Joshua called unto Moses to reprimand them because he was not comfortable with reproaching his elders; Joshua was also concerned about Moses’ honor (Numbers 11:28-29). Joshua was then chosen by Moses to be one of the twelve spies sent to watch the land (Numbers 13:8). Out of the twelve spies, only Joshua and Caleb returned with good news. When Joshua and Caleb were informed about the negative report given by the rest of the men, they tore their clothing and urged the Israelites not to rebel in disobedience against the Lord (Numbers 14:6–9). Because Caleb and Joshua were the only ones with enough faith in God to follow his order, they were, consequently, the only ones who had permission to enter the Holy Land. This event acted as a piece of evidence for the Israelites that righteousness was indeed alive in Joshua (Numbers 14:38). It was necessary to show the people, and Joshua, that this was God’s plan. It was necessary to show the Israelites that these men,
Kot 3 although two entities, were each appointed by God and striving for the same destiny.
In the book of Joshua, God instructs Joshua to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land — this is Joshua’s first truly significant task (1:1-3). God said unto Joshua, “Moses is dead, now therefore arise...take all of the Israelites over the Jordan to possess the land which God had promised them” (Joshua 1:3-5). But Joshua was afraid, and unsure of his abilities. So, in order to instill confidence in Joshua, God said unto him, “I will begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know, as I was with Moses, so I shall be with thee” (Joshua 3:7). At this point, it is unmistakable that Joshua will soon be fulfilling the highest requests of the Lord, just as Moses had done before him. Joshua gained courage and assumed his role as the leader and protector of the Israelites. Throughout the book of Joshua, Joshua tells the Israelites, “The Living God is among you” the same way Moses persistently reminded them; he told the Israelites that God was with them to protect and provide for them (3:10). The breakdown of Joshua in the text not only depicts the connection between Moses’ and Joshua’s leadership, but shows us that God was devising this succession; each man fought and conquered the enemies of the Israelites, working to lead them into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1–18).
Joshua first appears in the Old Testament in Exodus where he is chosen by Moses to head the Israelites in battle against the Amalekites (17:8–16). At the time, the Lord was training Joshua as a combatant, for it was imminent that he be fully equipped with the proper tools before leading the Israelites into the land. After this, Joshua is mentioned again in Exodus, where he joins Moses in Mount Sinai to retrieve the Ten Commandments – this is where Joshua became Moses’ assistant, and Moses became
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Joshua’s mentor (24:13). When Moses smashed the two tablets in Exodus 39:19, Joshua was beside him. He guarded the tent where Moses met with the Lord (Exodus 33:11). All of the exposure to Gods direct dealings with Moses that Joshua was fortunate enough to observe allowed his spirit to evolve and encouraged his closeness with Moses’ and his (almost) untouchable status. Before Moses’ death, and only after Joshua had evolved and proven himself, God was more than willing to inaugurate Joshua to an even greater position as his faithful servant and leader and protector of the Israelites. Although this occurred prior to Moses’ death, the inauguration process was reinstated over again until it was permanently established in Joshua 1:1-18.
Because the Lord was willing to send His Spirit unto Joshua, we can confidently draw that He was certain about Joshua’s leadership skills, just as he was with Moses. Moses and Joshua stood before the priest, Eleazar, and bespoke Joshua before all of the Israelites. Moses laid his hands on Joshua and bestowed upon him some of his own power. From that point forward, no man could distrust that Joshua was the successor of Moses after his death, and the true leader of the Israelites. All God-given authority and power that was initially given to Moses, by God, was subsequently transferred to Joshua after Moses’ death. Joshua was appointed by God to be Moses’ successor and replace him after his death. Therefore, essentially, everything Moses was, (i.e., all authority, powers and responsibilities) were transferred to Joshua. For this reason, the parallels between Moses and Joshua were not only many, but were virtually identical. Because of Joshua’s lack of confidence, the Israelites lack of faith, and Moses’ inevitable demise,

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Works Cited
The Holy Bible. King James Version. Chicago: Oxford, 1996. Print.

Cited: The Holy Bible. King James Version. Chicago: Oxford, 1996. Print.