Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 1

The LORD Commands Joshua

¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: ² "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea ^[a] on the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

One of the more challenging aspects of leadership in the Kingdom is to stand on God’s promises for other peoples’ lives. Often times the believer individually wrestles to stand on God’s promises for his or her own life. That struggle is compounded for the leader when he or she has to believe God for the promises of those in whom they lead. That is why a leader’s relationship with God is paramount, and his or her ability to trust God for the manifestation of the promises in his or her own life is vital for success. Looking at the opening chapter of the book of Joshua God gives the general 4 promises that coalesce around God’s plan for the Hebrews; however, they have a direct affect on Joshua. Let’s focus on their affects on Joshua. I am going to discuss them in a progressive manner starting with the promise that affirms Joshua’s relationship with God through the promise that specifically addresses the territory the Hebrews would possess. Starting with v5c “I will never leave you nor forsake you...” What a promise! The God who parted the Red sea, destroyed the Egyptian empire would personally be with Joshua—forever. This is the one truth that is vital not just for a Kingdom leader but for every believer in God. Its impact should eradicate all fear and anxiety. God is Joshua’s companion; therefore, Joshua should have security in his identity. For, if God is comfortable enough to hang with him eternally, it will not matter that much when fickle people forsake him. V 5b “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you…” What Kingdom leader would not want to hear that promise? God was going to support Joshua like he supported Moses. Thus this promise should result in Joshua’s confidence in his office. This promise is essential for Joshua’s future because there were many times when those who followed him questioned his decision making and resource management. Fortunately, Joshua had the privilege of seeing the Hebrews question Moses’ leadership even though Moses was simply following God’s directives. This fact coupled with God’s promise would steel Joshua’s resolve to lead. V5a “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.” Wow is that not amazing? God is declaring to Joshua there will be trials, but ultimately he promises that Joshua would come out triumphant. I would like to think this promise gave Joshua strength during the many battles that lay head. Often times we want to believe that because God is with us, the road would be easy. No, God did not even promise that to Jesus, but what God did promise to Joshua was that he would be victorious. What an amazing promise. V 3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot…” Here we see the promise of success. It is amazing that God would give such a powerful promise. Why? Because usually when humans know the outcome of the story we lose interest very quickly. However, neither a believer in Christ nor a Kingdom leader has the luxury of letting down his or her guard even for a second. Yes, God’s promise is sure, and he will give us the strength to succeed. But, this walk with God is a daily effort, and the leader must remember it’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey, which requires all our focus. All these promises affected both Joshua and the Jews. A leader who could hold on to these promises would directly affect them manifesting in the lives of those whom he or she leads. Therefore, the leader must first trust God for the promises in his or her own life before he can trust God for the promises of those whom he or she leads.