JOSHUA: The Next in Command

Artwork by Drew Pocza

Introduction       

           Last week we looked briefly at the life of Moses in our ongoing series entitled “Astonishing O.T. Heroes”.  I talked about the five qualities of leadership of Moses and looked at how they could be applied to Spiritual Leaders today.  Today we continue in our series as we move one to Moses’ successor Joshua.  Joshua was (and is) a special breed of a person.  We see throughout his life (especially in his younger years) God (with the assistance of Moses) was preparing him to take over as the leader of the nation of Israel after the death of Moses.  Joshua had some big shoes to fill.  Throughout the scriptures we read about the life of Joshua and see God had his hand upon this man and He accomplished some mind-blowing things through him.  It is true Joshua did have some huge shoes to fill but Joshua served a huge God and did all God had set out to accomplish through him.  He was a man of great faith and great vision and today I intend to look at some special qualities of Joshua that made him the man he was.

         

Background

          Before we begin I think it would be beneficial to look at the background of Joshua to give us a good perspective of the man who was next in line to lead the nation of Israel in this pivotal point in the nation’s history.  Joshua was unique in many ways but the area he was most unique was his loyalty to both God and Moses.  In retrospect as we read about him I find that he is the kind of person that every leader (or Christian for that matter) would want to have by their side.  He shared a relationship with Moses that none (other than God) could ever have; which ultimately led to him having the kind of relationship with God that Moses had.

          His story is interwoven throughout the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) but his epic stories are found in the book of the Bible that is entitled after his name.  He was a loyal mentee of Moses and was a huge encouragement in his life.  If we take a brief overview of his life we can not that he faithfully served as a spy in the land of Canaan, a military leader who fought and won great battles and eventually became a great leader who ushered the nation of Israel into the Promised Land.  Here are some key components of this man’s amazing life. 

1)     According to Numbers 11:28 Joshua was an assistant to Moses since he was a young boy.  We are actually first introduced to him in Exodus 17 when Moses sent Joshua out to defeat the Amalekites and he built an altar to the Lord there.  For most of his younger days Joshua was a military leader for Moses and was Faithful in serving him.

2)     He was appointed as Moses successor by God.  He was commissioned by Moses in the presence of the priest Eleazar who would be his counselor for war.

3)     At the ripe ole age of 120 Moses died in the land of Moab; not before God gave him a glimpse of the Promised Land that he was not able to enter.  For thirty days the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plain of Moab.  There was no other prophet like Moses in all of Israel’s History but we do know that Joshua (was a man full of the Spirit) and he was able through the help of God to accomplish all God set before him. 

Joshua:  The Faithful Mentee

          Every mentor is doing their job right when they have a faithful mentee or disciple at their side.  Moses is no exception.  In the earlier days of his life Moses was given an enormous God sized task to accomplish.  There is no question Moses could have ever accomplished what he did without God being present in his life.  I also believe that Moses needed loyal men and women around him to accomplish many of the tasks before him.  I have found that it is vital for any Spiritual leader(s) to have faithful and loyal people in their lives to both mentor and pour their lives into.  Moses had several… but none more loyal than Joshua.  I believe Joshua was Moses’ “go to guy”; if he needed something done and needed it done right and without any lip Joshua was his guy.  We do not read in the biblical accounts of Joshua ever questioning Moses’ strategies, commands and leadership no matter how outlandish they may have seemed.  He trusted Moses exclusively because he knew God was with him and He also knew that Moses was completely submitted to God. 

          For example, when Moses tells Joshua to gather an army together and go out and fight the Amalekites (Ex. 17) Joshua didn’t look at Moses like he had a third arm growing out of his body… Instead he says, “Yes sir!”  When Moses told Joshua to take some spies and check out the land of Canaan to see if Israel could overtake them.  He did as he was told and he was one of two men who came back with encouraging news about how he felt they could defeat the Canaanites. 

          Moses and Joshua had a special bond together.  Moses would take Joshua with him when he went to the tabernacle to worship God.  In Exodus 24:13 we see Joshua goes up to the Mountain of the Lord with Moses.  In 33:11 Joshua stays with Moses in the tent when the Lord speaks to him.

          Overall Joshua has a deep love and respect for Moses.  In return Moses poured his life into this young man and mentored him properly to become the next great leader of the nation of Israel and who would inherit the promise of God. 

Joshua:  The Faith-Filled Leader

          As we have just seen Joshua was a loyal servant, assistant and successor to Moses.  However he was not just a loyal man to Moses he was also a loyal and dependant leader of God (just like his mentor).  As a leader Joshua had to be both a faithful servant but as well as a faith-filled man of God.  As we read accounts of his life we see as a leader Joshua had a full plate both as a Spiritual leader and a military leader.  Overall he had to make some pretty tough decisions regarding sin in the camp of Israel and faced some pretty obscure challenges that were placed before him that required a faith that seemed extraordinary.  There are four key distinctions about Joshua I would like to note about him that made him the faith-filled leader he was.

1)     Joshua was a man of his word.  Integrity and honesty are key to being a faith-filled leader.  In a day and age where leaders will say anything to either appease the people, get more votes or to get out of a sticky situation it is helpful for us as Christians and as leaders to be men and women of our word.  In Joshua 2, Joshua sent out two spies to check out the land of Jericho.  As they were in the city word got out that there were two Israelite spies Rahab the prostitute took it upon herself to protect and hide them men from the authorities.  As the men were about to leave her house she asked that she and her family be spared when the Israelites attacked.  They agreed and ss a sign to not harm anyone in the house Rahab would hang a scarlet chord from her window.  In Joshua 6:22 Joshua tells the spies to go and get Rahab and her family out of the destruction.  He remembered the promise that was made and he kept it.

2)     Joshua was a man of faith.  Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult positions where the odds seem to be stacked against us and certainly Joshua felt this way at the wall of Jericho.  God instructs Joshua as to how he is to destroy this giant wall before him.  The strange thing is his arsenal did not consist of canons, TNT, battering rams and M-16’s.  Instead it contained trumpets, the Ark of the Covenant and peoples voices. 
     God instructed Joshua, the men of the army and seven priests to walk around the city wall for six days and the seven priests will have seven trumpets that they will carry before the Ark.  However on the seventh day they are to walk around the city seven times and on the seventh time the priest’s will blow the horns and the people will shout with all their might and the walls will fall down.  I can honestly say my response probably would not have been that of Joshua’s.  I would have said, “Huh?  Come again Lord?  Did I miss the part about explosives and big guns?”  Joshua’s obedience showed his faith in God and the Lord did all he said he would as a result.

3)     Joshua had to make tough calls.  There are perks to being a leader but there are certainly downfalls.  Leaders find themselves in positions where they have to make decisions for the better of the majority rather than the benefit of one.  In chapter 7 after the great battle of Jericho Joshua goes to war with Ai and fell to this small village losing thirty six men in the battle.  Why?  Because of the sin of one man named Achan.  When Israel was plundering Jericho Achan decided he wanted to keep some plunder for himself (which was prohibited).  This one sin was to God as a sin of rebellion unto the whole nation.  Before Joshua knows what is going on he cries out to God and asks why they lost this battle.  God informs him about the sin that is present in nation.  Soon he finds out it is Achan who has stolen some of the plunder.  Upon hearing this news he has to make the tough call as to how to deal with this sin in the presence of God.  A death sentence is proclaimed on Achan and his family as punishment for his sins.  I am certain Joshua didn’t enjoy making this call but he knew the severity of sin and this sin could not go unpunished.

4)     Joshua was a man who prayed big faith-filled prayers.  This is something we should not be afraid to do as well.  God is a God who can accomplish the impossible and Joshua was not afraid to ask God for the impossible.  In Joshua 10 once again Joshua was engaged in battle.  The battle was taking longer than usual and evening was fast approaching and Joshua prayed for the sun to stay still and the Lord did as Joshua asked.  It takes a man (or woman) of faith to pray big faith-filled prayers.

Conclusion

          There is so much more to the life of Joshua that I was unable to touch on today.  I would encourage you to grab an insert on the back table for some more information and some additional suggested reading to help gain a better understanding of who Joshua was.  As I have read through his stories and prayed over what to say I am encouraged to invest my life, time and energy into a Joshua in my life.  I look at his loyalty to both God and his mentor and desire to be and to have a Joshua involved in my life.  As followers of Jesus Christ it is imperative that we be men and women of our word, be people of faith, make tough calls when it comes to the glory of God and be men and women who are willing to pray big faith-filled prayers.