Exodus 24:13

My Notes

What Does Exodus 24:13 Mean?

"And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God." Moses rises to ascend Sinai — and Joshua goes with him. The detail is easily missed: Joshua accompanies Moses partway up the mountain. He's not one of the seventy elders who stay at a lower elevation (v. 9-11). He goes higher than they do. Joshua is the only person between the seventy elders below and Moses at the summit — waiting on the mountain while Moses meets with God. For forty days.

The word "minister" (mesharath — personal attendant, servant) identifies Joshua's role: he serves Moses. Not yet a leader. A servant. The man who will eventually command Israel's armies and lead the conquest of Canaan is currently carrying Moses' bag. The serving comes before the leading.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What 'minister' (serving) role is currently preparing you for a leadership assignment you can't see yet?
• 2.How does Joshua waiting forty days on the mountain (without his own encounter) model patience in formation?
• 3.What does being positioned 'between the elders and Moses' teach about the in-between season of preparation?
• 4.Where is your serving role positioning you closer to God's presence than you realize?

Devotional

Moses went up. And Joshua went with him. The detail is small and the significance is enormous: the future leader of Israel is already positioned closer to God's presence than almost anyone else — and his title is: servant.

His minister Joshua. Mesharath — personal attendant, the one who serves. Joshua's job description at this point in the narrative isn't commander, leader, or visionary. It's minister. He serves Moses. Carries his things. Waits when Moses goes further. Stays when Moses enters the cloud. The future conqueror of Canaan is currently a bag-carrier. And the bag-carrying is the preparation.

Moses went up into the mount of God. Moses goes to the summit. Joshua goes... partway. The text doesn't specify where Joshua waits, but he's higher than the seventy elders (who stay at their level, v. 9-11) and lower than Moses (who enters the cloud alone, v. 18). Joshua occupies the in-between: higher than most, not yet at the top. Closer to God than almost anyone, but not as close as Moses. The position is his preparation, not his final assignment.

For forty days, Joshua waits on the mountain. While Moses receives the tablets, Joshua... waits. Not receiving revelation. Not meeting with God. Waiting. On a mountain. For his leader. For forty days. The waiting is the formation. The patience required to stay on a mountain for forty days without a personal encounter with God — just because your leader went further — is the patience that will later command an army across the Jordan.

The principle: proximity to the presence precedes authority for the assignment. Joshua's closeness to Moses (and through Moses, to God) on Sinai is the preparation for his closeness to God's command in the conquest. The serving positions you near the presence. The nearness forms the character. And the character, formed in serving, produces the leadership that serving prepared.

Joshua is a servant on the mountain. He'll be a commander in the land. The mountain comes first. The serving comes first. The waiting comes first. And the waiting on the mountain while someone else meets with God is the most important formation the future leader will receive.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture