Moses and Joshua are both known as great leaders, but sometimes I don't think that we realize the commonalities and connections between these two godly men. Here are a few of the parallels and connections in the life of Moses and Joshua as God works through them to lead his people from the land of Egypt to the land of Promise:
Moses comes to a place where he is “on holy ground” (Ex 3)
--Moses celebrates Passover with Israel (Ex 12)
----Moses leads Israel across the Sea (Ex 14)
------Moses ascends the mountain with Joshua below (Ex 32)
--------Moses delivers the covenant before Joshua and the people (Ex 34)
----------Moses and Joshua in the wilderness with the people (Numbers)
--------Moses reviews the covenant before Joshua and the people (Deut)
------Moses ascends the mountain with Joshua below (Deut 34.1-4)
----Joshua leads Israel across the Jordan River (Josh 3)
--Joshua celebrates Passover with Israel (Josh 5.10-12)
Joshua comes to a place where he is “on holy ground” (Josh 5.13-15)
Isn't it interesting how their lives focus on God's time with his people in the wilderness? (The above structure is called a chiasm by biblical scholars.) The Passover with Joshua may not seem like a large matter at first, but when you consider that it had not been celebrated for years (none of the males had been circumcised, Josh 5; see the rules in Ex 12) this makes the parallel more striking.
In addition, here are some interestingly similar events:
Both led the Israelites across a boundary (geographical and spiritual) of water
Both won a great battle with their hands extended up before God (Moses with a staff, Joshua with a javelin)
Moses led the first celebration of Passover in Egypt; Joshua led the first celebration of Passover in Canaan
It’s not that history repeats itself; we know better than that. We are not in some huge Hindu cycle of history. It’s just that the fight for truth, justice, and the kingdom way frequently connects us with places, or practices, or people, or opponents like ones encountered by those who have gone before us. May God give us the wisdom to learn from the experiences of those who have gone before us without thinking that their answers are sufficient for our moment.
