4 min read

Moses Handed the Mantle to Joshua Inside the Tent

God told Moses his time had come, and gave him one task first: bring Joshua to the Tent and stand beside him. The pillar of cloud would do the rest.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Warrior, Son of Valor, Minister in Prophecy
  2. God's Instruction to Moses
  3. The Same Words, Spoken Twice
  4. What the Pillar of Cloud Was Watching

Warrior, Son of Valor, Minister in Prophecy

Joshua ben Nun had been with Moses since he was young. He had fought Amalek while Moses held his arms up on the hill. He had gone up Sinai with Moses as far as the lower reaches and waited while Moses went further into the cloud. He had guarded the Tent of Meeting when Moses went out, staying inside after the presence departed, as if the place itself was worth watching. Every title the ancient texts give him, warrior, son of valor, minister to Moses in prophecy, guardian in his generation, reads not like honorifics but like an itemized record.

None of it was inherited. All of it was earned in proximity, in service, in the specific discipline of following a figure who spoke with God face to face and surviving that proximity with his own character intact.

God's Instruction to Moses

When God told Moses that his days were approaching their end, the instruction was specific and immediate. Take Joshua ben Nun. Bring him to the Tabernacle. Stand him there. The Lord will appear in the Tent in a pillar of cloud. Listen.

The Book of Jasher, drawing on traditions far older than its final compilation, records what happened. The Lord appeared in the Tabernacle, and the pillar of cloud came and stood at the entrance to the Tent. Not inside. At the entrance. Positioned between what was ending and what was beginning, between the era of Moses and the era that would require a different kind of leadership.

God commanded Moses to charge Joshua with the care of the people, to instruct him in what was coming, to lay on him the weight of what Moses had been carrying. And God spoke directly to Joshua as well: be strong, be courageous, for you will bring the children of Israel to the land I promised them, and I will be with you.

The Same Words, Spoken Twice

Then Moses turned to Joshua and said the same words. Be strong, be courageous. The Lord will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid.

The repetition is not accidental. What God said to Joshua, Moses said to Joshua. The two speeches overlap. What Moses was doing in that doubling was something he had never done for anyone else: he was transmitting not just a commission but the reassurance that had made his own impossible task survivable. The thing that had kept Moses moving through forty years of impossible circumstances was the knowledge that God would not abandon the task midway. He handed that knowledge to Joshua directly, in the same words in which he had received it.

What the Pillar of Cloud Was Watching

The pillar stood at the entrance. This is the detail that carries the most weight. Throughout the wilderness, the pillar had moved to show the people where to go and had stopped to show them where to stay. It had been a guide, a sign, a marker of divine presence. At this particular moment, it stood at the boundary of the Tent, between Moses inside and everything that was coming outside, and it watched the transfer happen.

Moses, who had performed signs that bent the laws of nature, who had led a nation out of bondage, who had received a law that would define a people for every generation after, stood beside a younger man and said: I give you everything I can give you, which is not my abilities or my history but the knowledge that the one who sent me will not abandon the one he is sending now.

MosesJoshuaProphecySuccessionLeadership
← All myths

From the tradition

Sources

3 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Jasher 87Book of Jasher

The Sefer haYashar, or Book of Jasher, a collection of Jewish legends and lore, gives us a glimpse.

Chapter 87 opens with a divine instruction. "At that time the Lord said to Moses, Behold thy days are approaching to an end, take now Joshua the son of Nun thy servant and place him in the tabernacle, and I will command him, and Moses did so." It's a poignant scene – the torch is being passed. Moses, aware his time is near, obediently prepares his successor.

Then, a powerful moment. "And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance of the tabernacle." Imagine the sheer awe of that moment! The divine presence, a tangible manifestation, filling the space as God commissions Joshua: "Be strong and courageous, for thou shalt bring the children of Israel to the land which I swore to give them, and I will be with thee." What a burden and blessing to inherit.

Moses, echoing the divine command, then reassures Joshua. "Be strong and courageous, for thou wilt make the children of Israel inherit the land, and the Lord will be with thee, he will not leave thee nor forsake thee, be not afraid nor disheartened." It’s a beautiful act of mentorship, of bolstering the next generation's leader. It is a lesson on how to pass on leadership.

But Moses doesn't just address Joshua. He turns to all the children of Israel: "You have seen all the good which the Lord your God has done for you in the wilderness. Now therefore observe all the words of this law, and walk in the way of the Lord your God, turn not from the way which the Lord has commanded you, either to the right or to the left." He reminds them of their journey, of God's unwavering support, and implores them to remain steadfast.

The Book of Jasher emphasizes that Moses taught them "statutes and judgments and laws" and "the way of the Lord and his laws; behold they are written upon the book of the law of God which he gave to the children of Israel by the hand of Moses." What’s emphasized here is the importance of remembering, teaching, and practicing the traditions so central to their identity.

Finally, the inevitable. "And Moses finished commanding the children of Israel, and the Lord said to him, saying, Go up to the Mount Abarim and die there, and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother was gathered." It’s a stark, simple sentence, heavy with finality. There’s a sense of acceptance, of fulfilling his destiny.

"And Moses went up as the Lord had commanded him, and he died there in the land of Moab by the order of the Lord, in the fortieth year from the Israelites going forth from the land of Egypt."

And then, grief. "And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days, and the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were completed." Thirty days of mourning – a evidence of the profound impact Moses had on his people. The Book of Jasher paints a picture of not just a leader, but a shepherd, a guide, a father figure whose absence was deeply felt.

What does this passage from the Book of Jasher leave us with? Perhaps it's the reminder that even the greatest leaders must eventually step aside. Perhaps it’s the importance of preparing those who come after us. Or maybe it's simply a meditation on the bittersweet nature of endings, and the enduring power of memory and legacy.

Full source
Jasher 88Book of Jasher

The story continues, of course! And Chapter 88 of the Book of Jasher to see what happened as the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua.

The Book of Jasher (or, in Hebrew, Sefer haYashar) is an ancient text referenced in the Bible itself – (Joshua 10:13) and (2 (Samuel 1:1)8) both mention it. While not considered part of the canonical Hebrew Bible, it’s a fascinating source for expanding on biblical narratives and exploring Jewish history and legend.

So, what does Chapter 88 tell us?

Well, right after Moses' death, God speaks to Joshua, son of Nun, with a powerful message: "Rise up and pass the Jordan to the land which I have given to the children of Israel..Every place upon which the sole of your feet shall tread shall belong to you." It’s a bold declaration, a promise of inheriting the land flowing with milk and honey. God reassures Joshua, "As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee." But there's a condition: Joshua must be strong and courageous, observing all the laws that Moses commanded, turning neither to the right nor to the left. In other words, stick to the path, and success will follow.

Joshua, now the leader, gets right to work. He commands his officers to prepare the people for crossing the Jordan River in just three days. He also sends two spies to scout out the city of Jericho. They return with good news: "The Lord has delivered the whole land into our hand, and the inhabitants thereof are melted with fear because of us." Talk about a confidence boost!

The Israelites cross the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and camp in Gilgal, near Jericho. They celebrate Passover, remembering their liberation from Egypt, as prescribed in the law of Moses. And here's a significant moment: the manna, the miraculous food that sustained them in the desert, ceases. Now, they'll eat the produce of the land of Canaan. A new chapter begins.

Jericho, however, is a problem. It's tightly shut up, no one going in or out. So, God gives Joshua a rather unconventional battle plan. For six days, the fighting men are to march around the city once a day, priests blowing trumpets. On the seventh day, they march around seven times. Then, at the sound of the trumpet, the people are to shout, and…the walls will fall down.

Sound a bit… unbelievable? Yet, that's exactly what happens! Joshua follows God's instructions to the letter. On the seventh day, after the seventh circuit, he commands the people to shout. "…the walls of Jericho fell down," the verse says, "and all the people went up, every man straight before him, and they took the city."

But there's a catch. Everything in the city is to be considered accursed, or herem in Hebrew, meaning devoted to God for destruction. The people are warned not to take anything for themselves, lest they bring a curse upon the camp. All the silver, gold, brass, and iron are to be consecrated to the Lord's treasury. They utterly destroy everything in Jericho, man, woman, young, old, even the animals. Only the precious metals are spared for the treasury.

Joshua then pronounces a curse: whoever rebuilds Jericho will lay its foundation with the loss of his firstborn son and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest. A pretty serious warning!

Tragedy strikes. Someone disobeys. Achan, from the tribe of Judah, takes some of the accursed things – a beautiful garment, silver, and gold – and hides them in his tent. This act brings the anger of the Lord upon Israel.

Next, Joshua sends men to scout out the city of Ai. They report that it's a small city, easily taken with just a few thousand men. But in the ensuing battle, the Israelites are defeated, and thirty-six men are killed. This is a major blow, and Joshua is devastated. He tears his clothes, falls to the ground, and cries out to God, "Why, O Lord, didst thou bring this people over the Jordan?"

God reveals the reason: the Israelites have sinned by taking the accursed things. He demands that they destroy the accursed things from among them, or He will no longer be with them. Joshua assembles the people and uses the Urim (a method of divination using sacred lots) to identify the guilty party. The lot falls on Achan.

Achan confesses: he saw the beautiful garment, the silver, and the gold, and he coveted them. He admits to hiding them in his tent. Joshua retrieves the stolen items and brings Achan, his family, and all his possessions to the Valley of Achor. There, they are burned with fire, and Achan is stoned to death. The place is named the Valley of Achor (meaning "trouble") because Achan’s sin brought trouble upon Israel. Only then is the Lord's anger appeased.

With the sin purged, God assures Joshua of victory over Ai. He instructs Joshua to set an ambush. Joshua follows God's plan. The Israelites pretend to flee, drawing the men of Ai out of their city. The hidden Israelite soldiers then seize the undefended city and set it on fire. Trapped between the two Israelite forces, the men of Ai are utterly destroyed. The king of Ai is hanged.

The Israelites take the cattle and spoil of the city for themselves, as God permitted. The total number of people killed in Ai is twelve thousand.

Word spreads about the Israelites' victories at Jericho and Ai. The kings of Canaan band together to fight against Israel. However, the inhabitants of Gibeon, fearing for their lives, resort to trickery. They pretend to be from a distant land and ask Joshua to make a covenant with them. Joshua and the Israelite leaders, without consulting God, make a treaty of peace with them.

Later, they discover that the Gibeonites are actually their neighbors. The Israelites are bound by their oath not to kill them, so they make them hewers of wood and drawers of water, essentially turning them into servants.

When Adonizedek, king of Jerusalem, hears about Gibeon's alliance with Israel, he gathers four other kings to attack Gibeon. The Gibeonites appeal to Joshua for help. Joshua and his army march all night and surprise the five kings.

The Lord throws the Amorite kings into a panic and the Israelites inflict heavy losses, pursuing them to Beth Horon. As they flee, God sends hailstones from heaven, killing more of them than the Israelites do with their swords.

And then comes one of the most famous moments in the Book of Joshua. As the day is drawing to a close, and the Israelites are still pursuing their enemies, Joshua cries out, "Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou moon in the valley of Ajalon; until the nation shall have avenged itself upon its enemies."

And the sun stands still! The text says it remained in the middle of the heavens for "six and thirty moments," and the moon also stood still. "There was no day like that," the Book of Jasher proclaims, "before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel." A truly miraculous event.

So, what do we take away from this chapter? It's a story of faith, obedience, and the consequences of disobedience. We see the incredible power of God at work, but also the very human struggles of the Israelites as they navigate their new land. Joshua emerges as a strong leader, but even he makes mistakes, highlighting the importance of always seeking divine guidance. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even after great victories, vigilance and adherence to God's will are essential for continued success. The journey is far from over.

Full source
Ben Sira 46:1Ben Sira

Yehoshua Ben Nun – Joshua, son of Nun – a figure who embodies that very idea.

Ben Sira, in his wisdom, paints a vivid picture of Yehoshua. He calls him "a warrior, son of valor." Not just any warrior, but one born from bravery itself. It’s a powerful image, isn’t it? But it’s the next phrase that really gets to the heart of who Yehoshua was: "minister to Moshe in prophecy." Yehoshua wasn't just following orders; he was intimately connected to the prophetic word, serving as Moshe's right-hand man. He was in the room where it happened, so to speak.

What was the result of his dedication? Ben Sira tells us he "was made a guardian in his days, a great salvation to His chosen ones." That’s quite a legacy. He became a protector, a shield for the Israelites. He wasn't just a leader; he was their salvation.

So, what can we learn from this brief but powerful description? Perhaps it's the recognition that true strength lies not only in valor on the battlefield, but also in unwavering service and dedication to a higher calling. Yehoshua's story reminds us that even in the shadow of greatness, one can forge their own path of significance. It reminds us to consider the figures in our own lives who, though perhaps less visible, are instrumental to the successes we enjoy. They, like Yehoshua, are worth celebrating.

Full source