'THE LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF JOSHUA'



"JOSHUA HIS LEADERSHIP QUALITIES"

Joshua 24:29-31

INTRODUCTION

1. It is impressive to note the great influence that Joshua had with those of his generation

Joshua 24:29-31 (ASV)

29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old.

30 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in the hill-country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain of Gaash.

31 And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and had known all the work of Jehovah, that he had wrought for Israel.

Of course, much of that influence was due to God being with him

and doing many "great works"

Such as the parting of the Jordan River, the fall of Jericho, the

day the sun and moon stood still

But credit must also be given to Joshua, for from the very beginning

the promise of God's support was based upon Joshua's faithful

obedience to the Word of God

Joshua 1:1-9 (ASV)

1 Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses.

4 From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border.

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I swear unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goes.

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goes.

Joshua therefore stands before us as an example of what it takes to

be a great leader

Every generation needs good leadership, especially in times of

struggle and doubt

For those who lead, or who might one day serve as leaders, Joshua

serves as a role model

For those who follow, he serves as an example of what we should

look for in our leaders

[In this lesson, we shall consider more closely those qualities of

Joshua that served to make him the great leader that he was, so that we know what to expect in those who would lead today. We begin by noticing that Joshua was]

A MAN OF HUMILITY

BEFORE HE WAS A LEADER, HE WAS WILLING TO SERVE

For forty years he served under Moses in the Wilderness

He was known as "Moses' assistant", "his servant"

Exodus 24:13 (ASV)

13 And Moses rose up, and Joshua his minister: and Moses went up into the mount of God.

Exodus 33:11 (ASV)

11 And Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent.

Great leaders are people who have no problem with serving others

If that is their lot in life; it helps prepare to them to lead

EVEN AS A LEADER, HE WAS WILLING TO SERVE

Though having been magnified by the Lord himself

Joshua 3:7 (ASV)

7 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

Joshua 4:14 (ASV)

14 On that day Jehovah magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

He was still willing to serve One greater than himself

Joshua 5:13-15 (ASV)

13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

14 And he said, Nay; but as prince of the host of Jehovah am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

15 And the prince of Jehovah's host said unto Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou stands is holy. And Joshua did so.

Great leaders do not let praise go to their head;

They are humble enough to know when it is time to serve once again

A MAN OF FAITH AND TRUST IN GOD

AS DEMONSTRATED WHEN SENT TO SPY OUT THE LAND

Ten of the twelve spies demonstrated their lack of faith in God

Numbers 13:25-28 (ASV)

25 And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days.

26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sent us; and surely it flows with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

28 Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.

But despite the "peer pressure" he must have felt,

Joshua along with Caleb, demonstrated his faith in God

Numbers 14:6-9 (ASV)

6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent their clothes:

7 and they spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceeding good land.

8 If Jehovah delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which flows with milk and honey.

9 Only rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not.

AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE FALL OF JERICHO

The Lord gave him the instructions to take the city

Joshua 6:1-5 (ASV)

1 Now Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.

2 And Jehovah said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor.

3 And ye shall compass the city, all the men of war, going about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.

5 And it shall be, that, when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall go up every man straight before him.

Only full trust and faith in the Lord could have led Joshua to

follow such instructions, but he did!

Hebrews 11:30 (ASV)

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days.

[Great leaders realize they cannot place their faith in men they must look to God! Closely related to this is another quality of Joshua that made him a great leader]

A MAN OF GOD'S WORD

HIS SUCCESS WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO HIS ADHERENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD

To ensure success, he had to fulfill all the Law as given by Moses

Joshua 1:7 (ASV)

7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goes.

To ensure that he did, he was to meditate upon the Law day and

night

Joshua 1:8 (ASV)

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

TIME AND AGAIN, WE SEE THAT JOSHUA WAS TRUE TO THE WORD...

In reminding the two and half tribes of their responsibility

Joshua 1:12-16 (ASV)

12 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,

13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God gives you rest, and will give you this land.

14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them;

15 until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God gives them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sun rising.

16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sends us we will go.

In renewing the covenant at Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim

Joshua 8:30-35 (ASV)

30 Then Joshua built an altar unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

31 as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, and sacrificed peace-offerings.

32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote, in the presence of the children of Israel.

33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the home born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners that were among them.

A summary of Joshua's devotion is found in

Joshua 11:15 (ASV)

15 As Jehovah commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua: and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that Jehovah commanded Moses.

Even at the end of his life, he encouraged the nation to heed

God's Word

Joshua 23:6 (ASV)

6 Therefore be ye very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside there from to the right hand or to the left;

Joshua 23:14-16 (ASV)

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which Jehovah your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof.

15 And it shall come to pass, that as all the good things are come upon you of which Jehovah your God spake unto you, so will Jehovah bring upon you all the evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which Jehovah your God hath given you.

16 When ye transgress the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them; then will the anger of Jehovah be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

[Faith comes from the Word of God (Ro 10:17), so we really can't

expect one to be a man of faith without being a man of God's Word.

For those who would lead, they need to heed the charge God gave Joshua Closely related to being a man of faith and trust is being]

Joshua 1:8 (ASV)

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

1 Timothy 4:13-16 (ASV)

13 Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching.

14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

15 Be diligent in these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.

16 Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee.

A MAN OF PRAYER

WE SEE HIM PRAYING FOR HIS PEOPLE'S FAILURES...

Following the defeat at Ai

Joshua 7:6-9 (ASV)

6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust upon their heads.

7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish? would that we had been content and dwelt beyond the Jordan!

8 Oh, Lord, what shall I say, after that Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies!

9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and will compass us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do for thy great name?

In which he and the elders pleaded with God in behalf of Israel

WE SEE HIM PRAYING IN THE MIDST OF WARFARE...

As Israel is routing the kings of the south

Joshua 10:9-14 (ASV)

9 Joshua therefore came upon them suddenly; for he went up from Gilgal all the night.

10 And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel, and he slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, that Jehovah cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more who died with the hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

12 Then spake Joshua to Jehovah in the day when Jehovah delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that Jehovah hearkened unto the voice of a man: for Jehovah fought for Israel.

Trusting not in their own strength, he looks to the Lord for Help

[If Joshua had not been a man of prayer, the aid of the Lord would not have been provided. When leaders need all the help they can get, they need to be men of prayer! Finally, it should be clear from what we have already seen that another quality of leadership found in Joshua is that he was]

A MAN WHO PUT GOD FIRST

BEFORE THE BUSINESS AT HAND

Even in the middle of a military campaign

Joshua 8:30-35 (ASV)

30 Then Joshua built an altar unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

31 as Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man had lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, and sacrificed peace-offerings.

32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote, in the presence of the children of Israel.

33 And all Israel, and their elders and officers, and their judges, stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the home born; half of them in front of mount Gerizim, and half of them in front of mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded at the first, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners that were among them.

Though it gave their enemies time to join together in

opposition Joshua still put God first and kept His commandment

concerning the blessings and coursings

BEFORE OTHERS

He cared not what others might do or think, he would serve the

Lord!

Joshua 24:14-15 (ASV)

14 Now therefore fear Jehovah, and serve him in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt; and serve ye Jehovah.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve Jehovah, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Jehovah.

His strong stand influenced others for good

Joshua 24:16 (ASV)

16 And the people answered and said, Far be it from us that we should forsake Jehovah, to serve other gods;

CONCLUSION

1. It was qualities such as these that made Joshua the strong leader

that he was

a. He was a man of humility

b. He was a man of faith and trust in God

c. He was a man of God's Word

d. He was a man of prayer

e. He was a man who put God first

But he was not alone in these things, as it appears that others of

his generation were much the same

Joshua 24:13 (ASV)

13 And I gave you a land whereon thou had not labored, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein; of vineyards and olive yards which ye planted not do ye eat.

As long as the elders who had been contemporary with Joshua

survived, the nation as a whole served the Lord

So we are not talking about supernatural qualities, but those

which each and every person is capable of possessing!

Finally, consider some similarities between Joshua and Jesus

Their names are the same (Joshua is Hebrew, Jesus is Greek),

which means "savior"

Joshua was the leader of the Israelites into the promised land of

Canaan; Jesus is our leader into the promised land of heaven -

John 14:1 (ASV)

1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me.

As Joshua pointed the people to the Word of God, so did Jesus

Matthew 7:21 (ASV)

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.

As Joshua was an agent of both grace (cf. Rahab) and damnation

so Jesus is both savior and judge of all men, who metes out death

as well as life

Matthew 25:34 (ASV)

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

Matthew 25:41 (ASV)

41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels:

Have you humbly submitted to the One who should be the Commander and

Leader of your life?

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