Joshua: Leader of Israel

16th in a series on how men and women in the Bible

deal with waiting, disappointment and unemployment

Joshua: Leader of Israel

Are leaders born?  Are they made?  I remember my sixth grade teacher asking the class who they thought were leaders in our class.  And I distinctly remember one brash young man laughing at the idea that I might be a leader.  At eleven years old why did I care? I should not have been surprised or hurt, but I was.  By why?  What qualities did I desire or did I think a leader possessed?  As we transition from the book of Exodus to Joshua two young men stand out above all the others: Caleb and Joshua.  And yet it’s Joshua who rises to become the successor of Moses.

Did Joshua have gifts and skills that Caleb didn’t or was he simply chosen by God?  Sometimes in our jobs it seems like it’s just being in the right place at the right time.  Others may get promoted over us and we have a choice as to how to react.  I wish we knew more about Caleb, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt that he gladly served Joshua because he could see God’s hand upon him.

Joshua had successfully served as Israel’s military leader and Moses’ aide.  He had been privy to conversations between God and Moses on the mountain and in the tent when God’s presence came in a cloud.  We read in Deuteronomy 34:9,  “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.”  

In the interplay between the gifts that God gives us and how we handle those gifts, I believe that there has to be a sense of cooperation between God’s sovereign choice and our actions.  Too many great men of God have fallen to dispute this.  Pastors and leaders who I have admired and who were obviously gifted by God in skill and wisdom chose to succumb to the baser qualities of human nature.  The beauty of the gospel is that we can be restored to communion with God, but the consequences of our actions will not be erased.

Of course, Joshua was human and at least one time he forgot to inquire of the Lord when the Gibeonites deceived him.  But in most cases Joshua succeeded in honoring God throughout the conquest of the Promised Land.  It wasn’t easy.  Several times, it’s repeated, “Be strong and courageous.”  Why be strong and courageous?  Enemies, deception, fear….all forcing the people of Israel to fully depend upon God.

In the midst of having victory after victory, one man chooses a life of deception.  Achan disobeys the Lord’s command by keeping some of the riches from one of their battles.  Joshua had to pass judgment, according to God’s Law, and Achan was stoned to death.  We can’t fully understand the implications and the historical context, but the point is that God’s holiness had been compromised.  A severe penalty was required.

The best thing that can be said of Joshua occurs in chapter 11, “As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.” 

In Joshua’s farewell speech he reminds them of their history.  For the past 40 years God has not failed you.  You must continue to be strong and courageous.  Every day you must choose whom you will serve.  You can’t do it yourselves.  Remember the consequences of disobedience.  

His speech in Joshua 24 is harsh.  He knows all too well the failures of his people.  He demonstrates the need of daily dependence upon God for strength to resist the temptation to fall into the practices of the cultures around them.  God’s sovereignty could certainly have protected them, but the way it seems that God works, He wants us to demonstrate our love for Him through obedience. His unconditional love is always there, but to experience His ongoing conditional love there must be a regular practice of submission, confession, repentance and worship.  

Practical Application:

1. If you believe you are a leader, by whose principles do you lead?  
2. Has someone been recognized or promoted over you?  Can you be a Caleb and serve them seeking their good and the good of the business?
3. When you make mistakes do you readily confess and repent?   What remains unfinished in your life in this regard?
4. I believe it does matter what people think of you.  Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”  
5. How will you need to be strong and courageous today demonstrating a faith in God and a desire to serve Him wholeheartedly?  

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. 

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15