Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 6:1-2

¹ Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.”

One of the most crucial skills a Kingdom leader must have is the ability to see through God’s eyes. This means many times the Kingdom leader cannot depend on graphs, stats, analysis, or even his or her own sight. But, the leader must by faith see what God sees and respond accordingly. This is a precarious situation at best. How many times did we see under Moses’ leadership the Hebrews relying on what their five senses conveyed instead of what God said? Imagine the difficulty of leading three million people and half of them are grumbling because the leader is making decisions based upon data they cannot sense. Do you think doubt ever crept into the Joshua’s mind? Do you think Joshua ever second guessed himself? Do you think the people ever thought, “Here we go again”? Look at Joshua 6 vs. 1-2: Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. It’s time for a little background speculation here—it is argued that Jericho is where civilization originated. Moreover, there are many other scholars who believe the Nephilim (giants) lived in Jericho as well. Regardless of the facts, Jericho was a walled and fortified city and in vs. 1 it states that the gates were securely barred and no one went out or in. Thus the possibility of discouragement was prevalent because (1) the nomadic Israelites did not have the resources for a prolonged siege and (2) sieges have a high casualty rate. Nevertheless, look at what God says, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands…” Here in lies the crux of the matter, the people see the problem, but God sees the conclusion, thus it’s the responsibility of the Kingdom leader to get the people to look through God’s eyes and not his or her own. A vital ability a Kingdom leader must have is the knack of perceiving through God’s eyes. Often the Kingdom leader cannot depend on his or her own vision. But, the leader must by faith see what God sees and respond in view of that.