Leadership lessons from Joshua

The Leaders heart

Num 11:26-29

²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"

²⁹ But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"

If you had to ask, “What is the most important quality a leader could have in the Kingdom of God?” the first response you should hear is ‘a pure heart before God.’ In this Scripture, we are given major insight into the heart of this future leader. We see in Numbers 11 God is granting Moses’ request to appoint seventy elders to help him with the burden of leading the people of Israel. God commands Moses to have the seventy elders stand around the tabernacle. And, as God descended upon it in the cloud, He would put His Spirit, which rested upon Moses, onto the seventy. Moses obeyed God and as the Spirit that rested upon Moses was placed upon the seventy, they began to prophesy. However, two of the seventy did not leave the camp and go to the tabernacle; Eldad and Medad. Yet, just as the Spirit had fallen upon the Elders around the Tabernacle so too did the Spirit of the Lord fall upon Eldad and Medad in the midst of the camp. A young man, whose name is not mentioned, thought the phenomena need to be reported to Joshua immediately. Upon hearing that Eldad and Medad where prophesying Joshua tells Moses to stop them. Interestingly, Moses keenly realizes the motivation of Joshua’s request—Jealousy. Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something. Moses In vs. 29 reveals Joshua heart. Moses said, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" What was Joshua jealous of? He was jealous that he was losing the exclusivity that he perceived he had with God. And, this insecurity is a killer to any leader, but especially so for the Kingdom leader. The last half of Moses’ response to Joshua’s request clarifies the issue. Moses says, “I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" Moses was saying God’s heart is for everyone to enjoy a personal intimate relationship with Him. This point is highlighted even further when you understand what the meaning of two Elders names who prophesied outside the camps were. Eldad means Love of God and Medad means Object of love. What God was teaching Joshua was that the people who are inside the camp, the “average people”, were loved just as much by Him as “the leaders” who were around the tabernacle representing the nation. Point: the condition of the Kingdom leader’s heart directly affects the establishment of God’s kingdom upon the earth.