Joshua
His first name was Hoshe’a the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, but Moses called him Joshua (Numbers 13:16). He was born in Egypt. As the assistant of Moses, he played a major role in the Exodus out of Egypt. And he was given the order by Moses to select and command the Israelites in their first battle after exiting Egypt which was against the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16).
At Mount Sinai, Joshua accompanied Moses when he ascended the mount to talk to God (Exodus 24:13) and receive the Ten Commandments, the civil law, and instruction to building the tabernacle. He was with Moses when he descended from the mountain and heard the Israelites’ celebrations around the golden calf (Exodus 32:17).
The Bible also tells us that God’s servant was chosen to be one of the twelve spies sent to explore and give a report of the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:16-17). Only he and Caleb gave a good report and expressed faith in God’s willingness and ability to give them the land. But the other ten spies expressed fear from the inhabitants and their negative report caused the Israelites to lose faith and hope in God. As a reward for their steadfast trust in God, he and Caleb were allowed to enter the promised land whereas all the rest of the people that doubted God’s power were to perish in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22-24).
God appointed this faithful servant to succeed Moses as leader of the Israelites (Josh. 1:1-9). In Numbers 13:1–16, and after the death of Moses, this leader led the Israelite tribes in the conquest of Canaan and distributed the land among the different tribes (Numbers 13:1-16; all the book of Joshua). This mighty man admonished, encouraged, inspired, and led the children of Israel to the promised land. He died at the age of 110 (Josh. 24:29).
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In His service,
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