“After this, Y’hoshua the son of Nun, the servant of Adonai, died; he was 110 years old. They buried him on his property in Timnat-Serach, which is in the hills of Efrayim, north of Mount Ga‘ash.”-Joshua 24:29
After many tough years of leading God’s people, we’re told Joshua passed away at the ripe old age of 110 years.
However, understand 110 is a symbolic number.
So chances are that Joshua didn’t exactly die when he was 110 years old or on his birthday.
He could’ve been a few months younger or older than 110.
When I say 110 was symbolic I’m referring to the Egyptian perspective because down in Egypt the number 110 was viewed as the perfect lifespan representing the fullest length of time one could live.
However, we know that Moses passed away when he was 120 years old.
According to the Torah, the number 120 represents a blessed and fully complete span of life.
This difference also shows where Joshua and Moses stood in the pecking order of things.
While Joshua’s leadership was great, it had not reached the level of Moses.
Moses was still considered the greater one.
But we shouldn’t discount Joshua’s status.
He was given the title “Servant of Adonai”.
This was an incredible honor to be given at his death.
The title “Servant of Adonai” was a title only reserved for Moses until Joshua succeeded him.
Here’s the thing.
During the days when Joshua was Moses’ assistant and all the way up until his death, Joshua’s title was “Servant of Moses”.
However, now at his death, to have that title switched over to “Servant of Adonai” was an awesome honor.
So make no bones about it.
The impact Joshua had on the new nation of Israel is incomparable.
He is the one who brought Israel into the Promised Land.
Because of this, it is no exaggeration to say that in all of the “Old” Testament, his accomplishments are practically unmatched.
And if the truth be told, later King Solomon would represent a sort of “anti-Joshua” or a perfect example of ungodly worship.
Joshua literally poured his heart and soul into developing Israel’s next generation of leaders who would carry the mantle moving forward.
As evidence of this take a look at verse 31.
“Israel served Adonai throughout Y’hoshua’s lifetime and throughout the lifetimes of the leaders who outlived Y’hoshua and had known all the deeds that Adonai had done on behalf of Israel.”
So we can see that soon after Joshua breathed his last, those he had trained and mentored did a good job in continuing to serve and lead Israel.
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