Why did God pick Joshua instead
of Caleib to replace Moses?
Something to keep in mind is: we view things with a 20/20 human, very earthly thus limited perspective. God views things with an infinite, divine all knowing perspective.
Numbers 27:15-18
Then Moses said to the Lord, "O Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all mankind, [before I am taken away] please appoint a new leader for the people, a man who will lead them into battle and care for them, so that the people of the Lord will not be as sheep without a shepherd." The Lord replied, "Go and get Joshua (son of Nun), who has the Spirit in him,...
Living Bible
And Moses spoke unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which may of out before them , and which man lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which as no shepherd. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;...
King James
Moses replied, "You are the Lord God, and you know what is in everyone's heart. So I ask you to appoint a leader for Israel. Your people need someone to lead them into battle, or else they will be like sheep wandering around without a shepherd." The Lord answered, "Joshua son of Nun can do the job. Place your hands on him to show that he is the one to take your place.
Note: Moses asked God to appoint a leader who was both courageous (could lead in battle) and caring. The Lord responded by appointing Joshua. Many people want to be known as leaders. Some are very capable of leading in battle and reaching their goal. Others care deeply for the people in their charge. A good leader is both goal-oriented and people-oriented.
Qualifications: 1)God appointed him (Numbers 27:18-23, 2)He was one of only two living eyewitnesses to the Egyptian plaques and he Exodus from Egypt, 3)He had been Moses' personal assistant for forty years, 4)Of the twelve spies, only he and Caleb showed complete confidence that God would help them conquer the land.