Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 4:14

14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

The obedient leader is the leader who brings glory to God. Obedience is the key…the theme of obedience is constant throughout the lives of any successful leader in the Kingdom of God. Without obedience God can not utilize a leader for the specific purposes of drawing people to Himself through the revelation of His unending grace. For example, Moses’ disobedience at Mount Horeb, where he hit the rock instead of speaking to it, resulted in him not being able to enter the Promised Land. In this instance we see that the Holiness of God is absolute. Even though Moses was “the meekest man on the earth” and that God had used him mightily, his disobedience had catastrophic consequences. However, we see Joshua’s obedience to God stand in distinction to Moses’ disobedience, and as a result of his obedience he entered the Promised Land unlike Moses. This does not mean that Joshua was a better leader than Moses; it simply means that Joshua’s obedience made him useful in fulfilling God’s purposes. Usually the only way a disobedient leader draws people to God is through a sense of reverence following the judgment (i.e.) Moses not entering the Promised Land as a result of his disobedience imparted more reverence into the heart of Joshua. Nevertheless, as a result of obedience, a leader will be exalted and the sole purpose of that exaltation once again is designed to bring glory and fame to God. We see in the text that Joshua has learned well from his predecessor. And, because of his faithfulness and the grace of God, he is now receiving the same exalted position in leadership that Moses did (vs. 14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses). Joshua did not perform half of the miracles Moses did, but his obedience resulted in the same level of status and glory as Moses had. The obedient leader glorifies God. Obedience is paramount for success in the kingdom…this theme is constant throughout the lives of successful leaders in the Kingdom. Obedience is essential in drawing people to Himself through the revelation of His unending grace.