And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom. — Probably we should connect this with the preceding verse, “The days of mourning for Moses were ended,” and ended more naturally because Joshua proved so well able to meet the wants of the people.
Moses had laid his hands upon him. — See Numbers 27:18; Numbers 27:23. It is the first example of “ordination” in Holy Scripture.
And did as the Lord commanded Moses. — Not “commanded Joshua.” Joshua would not separate himself from the law given by his Master. Is it not true that when the Israel of God hearken to the true Joshua, they must needs do as the Lord commanded Moses?[11]
[11] It may be worth while to remark that nowhere does this phrase occur so often as in the record of the setting up of the tabernacle in the last chapter of Exodus. Seven times it is written there that all was done as the Lord commanded Moses. Is it not a figure of the “true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man” — the temple of His Body, which was prepared “to do Thy will, O God”?