We continue this week by looking at Joshua the servant. God was preparing him for a greater work and it really began in this place.

Later in life, Joshua probably looked back and thanked God for the lessons he learned from his very humble teacher, Moses.

I don’t think there is another role that warms God’s heart as much as servanthood. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about it. Let’s take a look…

Look up the following passages and write out what you learn about serving others.

Matthew 20:20-28:

Galatians 5:13:

Ephesians 6:7-8:

1 Peter 5:2-3:

According to 1 Peter 5:4, how will God reward servants?

The Bible teaches us that in God’s kingdom, servanthood ranks higher than everything else.

Something tells me that the places of honor in heaven will be filled by great servants—those who walked in humility, just like Moses. I’m not asking God for a place of honor, but I am asking Him to help me become a better servant.

I’m asking Him to create in me a deeper passion for others, and that I would learn how to take the place of a servant.

What is your prayer right now? Write it out in a notebook.

Of course, we don’t know what kind of servant Joshua was, but this next passage just might give us a little more information.

Read Exodus 33:7-11 and summarize briefly.

The Tent of Meeting was the first stationary place where God would come down and meet with Moses. It was before the erection of the Tabernacle. But what stood out to me is that Joshua was a young servant and he never left the Tent.

Why do you think he stayed there?

Let’s think about this for a minute. Joshua witnessed spectacular things in this tent. Moses may have been the one that God spoke to, but Joshua saw the pillar—or the presence of God—with his eyes and he heard the voice of God.

Don’t you wish you could have been present for at least one of these encounters?

This was the holiness and majesty of God displaying great movement right before their eyes. And Joshua was a young student just taking it all in.

A sponge!

How did Moses speak to God (Exodus 33:11)?

Since God is spirit and Moses learns that he cannot look upon God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20), we can take this phrase face-to-face to mean “intimately.”

Hence, God and Moses were friends.

Think of a good friend. What do you enjoy about that friendship? Is it easy? Is it fun? Can you talk about anything? Write down your thoughts.

Yesterday, I went to church with my dear friend, Michelle. As we walked through the hallway, she introduced me to this beautiful lady. Michelle’s friend wanted me to know that Michelle is one of her very best friends. I said to her, “Well, she’s my BFF.” She then looked at me and said, “She’s my double BFF.” We laughed.

Here’s the great thing about my friendship with Michelle: it’s easy.

I can be myself without fear of judgement. There’s no jealousy. There is never a lull in our conversation as we always have stuff to talk about. We have so much fun together. And the most important thing is we have one common denominator: Jesus Christ.

Here’s what I know. I want my friendship with Jesus to be even better than the ones I share with intimate friends.

I want to talk face-to-face with Jesus, like Moses talked to his Father.

What did Jesus pray for (John 17:11)?

Will you strive for this kind of intimacy with Jesus? How?

Let’s quickly return to our story in Exodus 33. What do you think Joshua learned about God in the Tent of Meeting?

How do you think it prepared him for his future work?

The pillar of cloud represented the presence of God. Obviously Moses and Joshua learned that God was always with them and that He would lead them every step of the way—through the wilderness and on into the Promised Land. Imagine how this impacted a young man who would one day succeed Moses.

Just imagine…

What does this mean for your life?

I hope you’re enjoying your study in Joshua. Please tell others to join our Bible study blog so they can benefit from it too. 

Until Next Time,