Joshua 1:9-18 THE MAN GOD USES. Leadership demands a faithful man. Joshua did the small things right before doing big things. He was willing to live and work in the shadow of Moses. He acted in faith during the battle of the Amalekites. He ministered to Moses on Mt. Sinai. He wasn’t part of the worship of the golden calf. He was one of the faithful spies. He was an encourager of Moses. Moses laid his hands on Joshua. He had learned from Moses and followed his steps. He had learned to obey God, and believed God in spite of what common sense would tell. The walls of Jericho fell after a whole week of no action. His wisdom is obvious as they move through the land.
Leadership demands a call to lead. Joshua had heard God say, “I will be with thee.” Men who have experienced God and have been humbled, who desire only the glory of God – have learned the secret of power. They have no rival claims. A leader also needs knowledge of the Word of God. He must learn the Word to be able to teach it to others in a way they can understand. Leaders are called to be channels through which God works to bring blessing to His people. He will have to cancel all other reasons for leadership other than what he believes to be God’s will and needs to be a practitioner of holiness.
Effective leadership is often the product of good preparation and encouragement. The persons we pattern ourselves after, will have a definite effect upon us. A person who we know is committed to God provides the best model for us. Four requirements for leadership are: the leader needs to be conscious of the presence of God with him [v.5]. This takes care of discouragement, compromise and uncertainty because we rely on the Lord for assurance. He needs to be courageous in his own spiritual life [v.6]. This is necessary because of sensitive issues that must be handled (land to be divided). The actual objective that God has in His mind must be kept in the forefront and God's promises need to be expressed to others. He also needs to be well acquainted with God’s Word [v.8]. To be effective he has to be personally [1] devoted to God’s Word [2] a man of meditation [3] a man who practiced what he preached [4] prepared to give God alone, the glory for success. He must have the confidence of the Lord’s people [v.17] because he had proved reliable at other times when leading them in a work for God. Joshua wasn’t a man who was wavering in his purpose and the children of Israel used the same words as the Lord did when they assured him of their acceptance of his leadership.. Three times Joshua is told to be strong and very courageous:
- Reason # 1 to be strong: God’s promise, v.5-6. A sure victory.
- Reason# 2 to be strong: God’s Word, v.7-8. A safe Guide.
- Reason #3 to be strong: God’s presence, v.9. A sustaining power.
Victory comes through warfare and conflict, not apathy and complacency. Life on the Canaan side of Jordan, came after deliverance from a wilderness experience of defeat. What sort of person does God entrust with spiritual leadership? Joshua was conscious of his inadequacy and weakness so God urged him to “be strong”; “not afraid”; “neither be thou dismayed.” God has to humble us, break us, and empty us in order to enable us to do His will. He uses weakness to perfect His strength. Joshua’s strength as a leader was because he was a faithful man. He was faithful as a servant to Moses and willing to do the small things. He knew what it was to be a sufferer in Egypt and is like a shadow of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the reality. In one day, the Lord Jesus stepped out of obscurity and entered His ministry. God spoke aloud then, identifying Him and declaring His pleasure in the Lord Jesus. This is what God wants from those who lead His people today.
He had a distinct call. Joshua knew the enemy would oppose God's people but he was assured of God’s call to lead them. There was a river to cross, walled cities to take, a land to be conquered. But he looked beyond all that to the revealed purpose of God and gave himself to be a channel through which God could work. We need such people today. He had the indwelling Word of God. Through the Word, we know the Spirit of God has come in fullness and we are possessed by the Son, strengthened by His power and filled by His Spirit to serve Him. Meditation on the Word of God leads to walking with God, living a holy life, taking leadership authority. The Lord Himself used, “it is written.” He said, “the words that I spoke unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” God uses the weakling and nobody to be a channel to work His will. A faithful past, a clear direction, and a filling with the Word of God, identifies the man or woman God can use. Cancel every responsibility in your life other than what you believe to be God’s will for you.