Joshua did not depart

So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. – Exodus 33v11

I enjoy history. Part of that enjoyment is studying the lives of the history makers to try and figure out what moulded them to be the people they were. What happened for good, or bad, that worked in them. What were the history makers like when they were children and young adults?

We have a hint here about one of the history makers of the Bible. Joshua would go on to bigger and better things, but we have a chance to see him here as a young man. While Moses was meeting with God and going back and forth to the people we see young Joshua plugging away in the tabernacle.

I don’t know much about what he did there, but I think it is an early indication of the kind of man Joshua was. He was always in service. He was what Paul would later call a ‘faithful man’ while instructing Timothy in who to teach and train up to serve the Lord.

‘Not departing’ in a key character trait for any person, but especially for God’s people. I wonder if it could be said of us that we did not depart from our place of service.