Exodus 24: There is a saying that goes like this: be ready, willing, and able. Joshua was all three. So Moses set out with Joshua, his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of God. [Ex. 24:13] Just as God prepared a Jethro for Moses to guide him in his leadership responsibilities, so God prepared an assistant or attendant for him for his day-to-day duties. That man was Joshua, meaning “God is salvation.” He was Moses’ attendant or servant and in Hebrew, it is “sharath,” and means just what it says; to minister.
Continuing on in the story we read: Moses added a note to the elders: “Wait for us in this place until we return to you.” [Ex. 24:14] Notice Moses said “we,” not “I.” Moses and Joshua became a team, and Joshua ministered to him as the need arose. The scripture shows us that he was a man later commissioned, ordained, and charged with the responsibilities of Moses’ office. Joshua also was divinely inspired: “The Lord replied to Moses, “Take Joshua, son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.” [Num. 27:18] Like Daniel and Joseph, throughout his life he remained faithful and stood for righteousness in a time when evil was seeking to reign supreme.