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By Mike Caton

Exodus 32:17, “When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, ‘There is the sound of war in the camp.’”

I wonder about the noise Moses and Joshua heard as they were coming down from the mountain. Obviously, there was shouting, it says so right here. When there is a lot of shouting, it can be hard to determine exactly what is going on. Happy shouts don’t sound all that different from mad shouts, from scared shouts, from sad shouts, and so forth, especially if you can’t understand the words. But what else might they have heard? Music? Trumpets have long been used in military battles to signal troops. Maybe there was just a roar, as all of the sounds blended and mixed together.

Joshua’s thought was that this was the sound of war. Israel didn’t have many friends at this point, and as they left Egypt such a large group of people would certainly be threatening to those whose territory they passed through. We will see evidence of that as they continue their journey to the promised land. Maybe Joshua thought some other nation had attacked them. That would be a legitimate fear of a leader who had left his people alone. Even though Moses and Joshua were doing what God had told them to do, Joshua might have been concerned about leaving the people. What might happen if they were attacked, for example. But on a much less drastic scale, what if they had questions that needed answering, disputes that needed settling, and so forth. I think we can see a glimpse of Joshua’s good character here as well.

It seems clear Joshua loved those folks in the same way Moses did. And that is what will make him a good leader. He assumed his people were in trouble, not that they were doing something wrong. Joshua looked for the best in people. That is a trait we ought to develop as well. Sure, we will be disappointed from time to time, but better to be hopeful towards others than condemning.

Father, help me see folks with your eyes. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works as a full time AEMT with Hyde County EMS. Follow Mount Olive Church of Christ on Facebook for daily devotions.

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