The Call of Joshua

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: I do not tell you this enough, Osher, but I am grateful for you. I've not known loyalty like yours. 00:00:12 Speaker 3: Thank you, Moses. I don't know what to say. You've been like a father to me, Hoshea. 00:00:18 Speaker 2: If you accept, I will give you a new name, a name to give you strength in our promise land, A name to remind you where your true strength lies in the face of whatever comes. I name you Joshua yahweh is Salvation. Let this name remind you, no matter the danger or uncertainty, that salvation is found only in the Lord. The Lord does not fail, does not falter, and does not abandon his promises. May Our God protect you and guide your steps, granting you wisdom courage above all else. Joshua, do you accept this even name your new calling? 00:01:05 Speaker 3: Hand? 00:01:06 Speaker 2: Pusinesssion? 00:01:07 Speaker 3: How much longer until we take the promised land? Are you ready? Ready? 00:01:13 Speaker 4: Are you ready to take up the land they've been promised? Will any of us? Have you truly been ready? 00:01:28 Speaker 5: The weight of a promise is heavier than a crown, and the one chosen to lead must bear with it with trembling hands. Shelloh, my friends from here in the Holy Land of Israel. I'm l Extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Today's episode brings us to a precipice. The Chosen People stand at the edge of a promise, but the weight of leadership is heavy. One question remains, who will lead them into that unknown land. Moses knows that his time on Earth is nearing its end, and God's command is clear. Moses will not enter the promised land. He will only gaze upon it from the mountaintop, A land promised but not his to possess, and his mantle. Well, it must pass. But to whom what happens when the one you've trusted for decades must step aside? The generation that left Egypt has perished, but a new generation has risen, born in the wilderness and destined for the land of their forefathers. And now a new leader must rise with them. Will the Chosen People follow or will they falter? 00:02:49 Speaker 1: Warmth was returning to the breeze, and Moses leaned heavily on his staff, letting its touch soothe his face. Feeling restless, he walked beyond the camp to stretch his legs and calm his nerves. Spring was coming, a signal of change and a new beginning. He had watched Eliezer and the priests handle the censer sufficiently, calculating tribal allotments for the promised land. The competence of the new generation impressed him. They hardly needed him now. Moses found that unbidden, as if drawn by some force, his gaze kept returning to the mountaintop that loomed before their camp. It was the mount that stood between their camp and the land of Canaan Mount. Nebo, Is it time? 00:03:45 Speaker 6: Lord? 00:03:47 Speaker 3: Have I done enough? 00:03:49 Speaker 1: The warm breeze of the morning again tickled Moses's face. He closed his eyes, leaned into its touch again, and waited for the Lord's response. 00:04:01 Speaker 3: Yes, Yes, the time is drawing near Moses. 00:04:06 Speaker 1: The confirmation hit him like a wave, and with it came relief, not quite acceptance, but at least the suspense of waiting had been lifted. With his eyes still closed, Moses took a deep breath and finally asked the question that had long tugged at his heart. Yet he had never been brave enough to utter aloud, Can I see first? 00:04:34 Speaker 7: Yes? 00:04:36 Speaker 1: Relief bloomed into something akin to hope in Moses's heart. He would set his eyes on the culmination of his life's mission. Before he passed from this mortal life, he would see the promised land. 00:04:51 Speaker 8: You will go up to the mountain range, to the mount called Nabo, and from there you will see the land I have given the children of Israel. After you have seen it, you will be gathered to your people as erin us. You will not enter because of your rebellion at Kadesh, but you will see it. You will see the land I have given the Israelites to your people, for they have always been your people, as I have always been your God. 00:05:28 Speaker 1: There was something in the certainty and finality of the Lord's words that transformed the hope in Moses's heart into the fruition of true acceptance. Somewhere along the way, Moses had started to mistake his mission for his identity. Because it was so tied up with his mission. He started to wonder if he only held value to the people as their leader. He even wondered the same about God. If he was no longer useful to anyone he had failed at his mission, What did that say of his value? Why was he still living? If he had outlived his purpose. But no, just as he had been drawn out of the water and chosen all those years ago, he realized that had never stopped being true. He had been chosen, and not for anything he had done or would do. He was the Lord's and the Lord had been there all the long long before he asked Moses to save his people. God saved him. And what was more was that he had promised to be with him back on that first day in the fire, and it was just as true to day. Moses had just lost sight of the truth. God asked Moses to save his people, not become their savior. Though it had taken a lifetime for him to believe it, he had become one of them at last. Who he was was quite simple, after all, he belonged to God. Moved by gratitude and compassion, Moses once more interceded for the people he loved, to the God who loved them even more, Moses called on God's name, one that spoke to his intimate discerning nature. 00:07:24 Speaker 6: My God, you are the God of the spirits of all flesh, the God who gives breath to all and understands all people, My people who find themselves in rebellion again, he will surely feel enfold. Please put a leader. Appoint them, a leader who will understand their shortcomings and lead with a steady, faithful and one who, like your nature, knows that people according to their spirit, someone who will go out before them, so your people won't be like sheep. 00:08:17 Speaker 3: With meader shepherd. 00:08:19 Speaker 1: Moses again felt the comforting breeze and an unspoken affirmation in his heart. He also knew the name of who this leader should be, even before the Lord. 00:08:31 Speaker 8: Spoke, Joshua, Joshua, son of None. 00:08:36 Speaker 1: Of course, it had to be Joshua. There was no other. 00:08:42 Speaker 8: You will take Joshua before all the people. He will be standing before Eliezer, my high Priest, and you will lay your hands upon him, and he too will possess my spirit to guide him. You will commission him before the people. All is I will see that your authority has been passed to him, and they will obey him. 00:09:06 Speaker 1: Moses beamed. Perhaps he had always known, or known on some level that he had been preparing him for a time such as this. Joshua received moses summons around midday and hurried to his tent. When he entered, he found Moses alone and standing peacefully at attention. Joshua knew Moses better than he had ever known either of his parents, having served him for more than half his life, but he found moses expression inscrutable, absolutely unreadable. He was pleased about something, but something more complex lurked under the surface. 00:09:49 Speaker 6: Joshua, my son, please come in and sit. 00:09:55 Speaker 1: Joshua sat where Moses gestured and waited patiently for mo Moses to sit across the low table. Moses did not join him, but instead served him wine and bread. Joshua did not quite know what to make of this formal gesture. Joshua made to stand and help him. 00:10:14 Speaker 3: Please Moses, let meal you. 00:10:18 Speaker 1: Moses held out his hand and stopped him. 00:10:20 Speaker 3: No, allow me. 00:10:23 Speaker 1: Feeling rather awkward, Joshua waited while his one hundred and twenty year old master, the leader of the nation of Israel, served him a simple meal. 00:10:34 Speaker 6: There is a story passed down from Abraham that the high priest and King of Salem once served wine and bread to Abraham. Can you imagine a king serving a wandering sheepherder a meal? But I suppose that's true leadership, isn't it serving? 00:11:02 Speaker 1: When Moses was done serving the food, he sat across from him, lifted his cup and gestured for Joshua to do the same. 00:11:11 Speaker 3: To you. 00:11:12 Speaker 6: Joshua, thank you for your faithfulness. You've remained steadfast and loyal all these years, stewarding the small tasks I gave you as well as the vast. 00:11:28 Speaker 3: Thank you, Moses, you've been kind to me. It's an honor to serve you and the Lord. 00:11:33 Speaker 1: Moses inclined his head and both men drank. Moses was quiet for a moment. He clearly had more to say, but was unsure of how to say it. Joshua patiently waited. 00:11:48 Speaker 6: I have something to tell you, Joshua, two things. Actually, well, now that I've come to it, I am not sure to begin. 00:12:01 Speaker 3: It's all right, Lord Moses will hear anything you want to tell me. I know you will. 00:12:07 Speaker 6: Joshua, do you remember the day the Lord brought water out of the rock at Kadesh? 00:12:16 Speaker 1: Joshua's heart hammered in his chest. A memory flared, urgent and persistent the Prophecy. Though he had tried to forget the words countless times and bury them deep under the depths of denial, the words from the prophecy from almost forty years ago rang in his mind. A prophet had told him that he would lead the nation one day, although Joshua paid little heed to the thought. He was too fiercely and presently devoted to Moses. Nor was Joshua a man driven by personal ambition for status. Joshua realized Moses was waiting for his acknowledgment. Breathless, he answered him. 00:12:59 Speaker 6: Yes, I remember I he I disobeyed the Lord that day. I I rebelled against our God, and because of this rebellion, I am not permitted to enter the Promised Land. 00:13:20 Speaker 1: Even as he said the words, Joshua realized the weight of what had been spoken to him. What he had known, what he had always known but refused to accept. His face must have betrayed that truth, because Moses leaned over the table and peered deep into his eyes, searching, you know, Ah, it doesn't matter. Relief flooded through Joshua. He didn't know how he would explain what he knew anyway, but then the gravity of moses words hit him. He could not fathom the grief and devastation weighing on his Moses. He finally found his voice again and reached across the table to grasp Moses's hand. 00:14:10 Speaker 3: I am so sorry, Mosses say, I truly am. What will happen now? 00:14:16 Speaker 1: Moses placed his free hand on top of Joshua's and clasped it firmly. He held his gaze and nodded gently, me, of course you. Moses's face broke into a genuine smile. Etched in pride, Joshua struggled to comprehend as he reeled at this revelation. 00:14:41 Speaker 6: Yes, Joshua, you will lead the Israelites. You will lead them into the Promised Land. 00:14:54 Speaker 1: A dawn the next day, all of Israel gathered to witness Joshua's commissioning. He stood before Eliezer and the entire priestly order, with the nation looking on the tabernacle and the towering cloud pillar. The presence of the Lord formed a majestic, supernatural backdrop. Eliezer prayed a simple blessing over Joshua, who knelt before him. Moses' heart swelled with pride as he envisioned the great things this humble and worthy man would accomplish for Israel in the service of the Lord. 00:15:34 Speaker 7: May the Lord bless you and protect you. 00:15:38 Speaker 1: Feeling prompted by the Lord, Moses stepped forward and laid his hands on Joshua as Eliezer continued to speak over him. 00:15:47 Speaker 7: Mayz the Lord make his face to shine upon you. 00:15:52 Speaker 1: As soon as his hands touched Joshua's shoulders, Moses felt the overwhelming and undeniable stir of the Lord. Moses did not look up, but he could sense that the witnesses could feel it as well. Moses added a quiet prayer of his own to his nephew's blessing. 00:16:12 Speaker 9: Yoeh, he with Joshua as you have been with me, and be gracious unto you, for you will not leave him or abandon him. 00:16:24 Speaker 7: May the Lord look with favor upon you. 00:16:28 Speaker 6: Have him not turned to the right or the left, And let not your Lord depart. 00:16:35 Speaker 3: From his mouth, and give you peace. Help him be strong. 00:16:40 Speaker 2: And courageous to not be afraid or discouraged for you or with him wherever he goes. Amen. 00:16:56 Speaker 5: Before we get to Moses's successor, I want to talk about number. We're studying the Book of Numbers, but I want to talk about numbers of people. Here we find God commanding Moses, in their fortieth year in the desert, to take a census of the chosen people. But the Book of Exodus gives the number of Israelites who left Egypt, and at the beginning of the Book of Numbers, God had commanded a census. So why has God commanded that another census be taken? Now? Why were so many counts needed, and why was a census needed at all? Surely God knew exactly how many Israelites there were at any given moment, and if Moses needed to know those numbers will, surely God could have just shared them with him, as God did with the laws that he gave to Moses. The Great Bible commentator Rashi shares a very interesting idea about this. Rashi says that God counts the Chosen people over and over again because of his love for them. God knows the number of his chosen people, but it's his love for them that compels him to count them over and over again, each one sacred. It's this special love for God's chosen people that is truly shared by our Christian friends all over the world and inspires you to pray for and support Israel with such passion and sincerity, isn't it. Now Back to Moses and Joshua. When Moses prayed for a successor. He wasn't asking for just anyone. Moses knew the weight of leadership, the burden that comes from carrying a nation on your shoulders. Now, Moses was looking for someone who is spiritually ahead of the Chosen people, a leader who could go out before them and bring them in. Moses was looking for a shepherd to lead the Chosen people to still waters, to safety, to life. But what does it mean to be a shepherd? Moses asked God to appoint a leader who would know the people according to their spirit. U's the phrase elohee harufrote lejol bassar, the God of the spirits of all flesh. This rich Hebrew phrase speaks of God as the one who understands each unique soul and each individual spirit. Because we know that no two people are alike, no two hearts carry the same burdens, and no two minds think the same thoughts. A true leader must know this. They must bear the burdens of each and every person they lead according to their unique spirit. I think about this a lot as a mother. Each of my children, my four children are so different. What makes one child feel seen and loved doesn't do the same for another. They each need something different from me, from my husband, and from the world. My Abba, Rabbi hil Eckstein of Blessed Memory, always taught me to understand that each person, each soul, is a world unto themselves. Whenever we would go to bring food boxes to an elderly person together, he taught me to sit down, look at them in the eyes, listen to their individual story. If they need a hug, give them a hug. If they need to hold their hand, hold their hand, and if they just need a smile, give them a smile. Everyone needs something else, and this is what Moses was asking for. He was asking for a leader who could see into the hearts of the people, who wouldn't lead them as a faceless crowd, as numbers, but as individuals who are precious in God's eyes. Now, Moses probably had his own ideas about who should take over. Maybe he wanted one of his sons to rise up, or or he could have chosen Caleb, who had proven himself to be brave and faithful. But God chose Joshua. Why Well, Joshua wasn't flashy, he wasn't a bold warrior like Caleb, or a chosen son of Moses. But Joshua was steady, slow and steady, Like the old fable about the tortoise and the hair, slow and steady wins the race. That was Joshua, always there, always by Moses's side, always faithful in the small things, and never seeking the spotlight. You see, God didn't need a hero, he needed someone who would be faithful. And when God told Moses to choose Joshua, he instructed Moses to give him some of your authority, but not all of it. Why well, the Hebrew word for authority here is hood, which literally translates as majesty or glory, not just authority. The Jewish sages have a beautiful teaching about this. They say that Moses was the sun, but Joshua would be the moon. The sun shines so brightly that no other light can be seen, but the moon allows other lights to shine as well, like the stars. Joshua's strength was in allowing others to rise to shine. A true leader doesn't cling to power. A true leader shares power, and a true leader lifts others up. Moses understood that, and that's why he passed the mantle with grace, giving Joshua space to become the leader. That he was called to be. In the end, this story isn't just about Moses or Joshua. It's about God's faithfulness, his intimate knowledge of every spirit, his care for every heart. Just as Moses prayed, God appointed a shepherd for his people, and Joshua, Oh steady, faithful Joshua, was exactly the leader that they needed. I see this as a deep call to each of us to lead not with power, but with humility, to see others according to their spirit, and to allow them to shine. God doesn't always give us everything we want, but God does fulfill his promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to himself. And the call of Joshua isn't the fulfillment of the Chosen People's desire for a strong leader. He's the fulfillment of God's promise for a faithful one. And as the Chosen People's journey continues, Joshua's first task isn't just to lead them, it's to continue their mission. Moses's role was to bring the people to the edge of promise, and now Joshua's role is to take them the rest. 00:23:58 Speaker 2: Of the way. 00:24:00 Speaker 5: For those of us who feel the weight of responsibility, whether in leadership or in daily life. This story reminds us that we're not asking to be strong in ourselves. You don't need to be the next Moses or even the next Joshua. You need to be faithful to what God has placed before you. Joshua wasn't chosen for his perfection, who was chosen for his faithfulness? And you too, my friends, are called something larger than yourself. But you're not alone because God goes with you, just as he went with Joshua. 00:24:36 Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with y Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max bod Zach Shellavaga and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Exstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotten, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore, music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yeile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review,