Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. Joshua appears as Moses' assistant at the moment of the great ascent — the one who will lead Israel into the land is being formed by proximity to the covenant mediator. The ascending of Moses with Joshua mirrors the earlier sending of Joshua to fight Amalek while Moses prayed on the hill. Leadership succession in Scripture is consistently built on apprenticeship: Elijah and Elisha, Moses and Joshua, Jesus and the twelve. Deuteronomy 34:9 says Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him — the formation that begins with ascending the mountain together results in the transmission of wisdom and authority.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse