Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 6:24-27

^24(N)They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the ^[a]house of the LORD.

²⁵However, ^(O)Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for ^(P)she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

²⁶Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time, saying, "^(Q)Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates."

²⁷So ^(R)the LORD was with Joshua, and his ^(S)fame was in all the land.

The ability to keep one’s word is of utmost importance for the Kingdom leader; without it the leader very quickly becomes impotent. For an individual in whom people are following because of their relationship with God, keeping one’s word is synonymous with honor. It could be alleged that the quality of one’s leadership is determined by the excellence of their character. From the perspective of the follower, it is nearly impossible to trust a leader who does not keep their word. Once trust is breached it is difficult to reestablish. The leader can not show partiality he or she must keep their word to everyone. It is just as important to keep your word to the lowly as it is to keep your word to the exalted. If this is done consistently, the leader has the creditability to hold others to their word, and more importantly God will support the prophetic utterance when it is given. Look at vs. 25 …Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared.” Joshua honored the spies’ oath and because of it Rahab the harlot – who is a biological decedent of Jesus Christ—was spared. Thus, Joshua honored the spies’ word given to the harlot; this simple act is indicative of the value Joshua placed on honoring one’s word. Furthermore in vs. 26 we see Joshua establishing a curse with an oath… Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho. The interesting thing is just as Joshua honored the word of the spies we see God honoring the oath of Joshua’s prophetic pronounced over Jericho, which illustrates the value God places on honoring one’s word. So we see, the capability to keep one’s word is paramount for the Kingdom leader; without it the leader quickly looses his or her ability to lead God’s people.