Joshua

JOSHUA

Scripture references:
Exodus 17; Numbers 14; 32;
Deuteronomy 1–3, 32; Joshua
Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8

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JOSHUA’S ROLE IN SCRIPTURE

Joshua was Moses’ faithful assistant during the Exodus and succeeded him as Israel’s leader after Moses died. Joshua not only was a great military leader, but he was also Israel’s spiritual leader. During his years as commander of God’s hosts, and as long as he lived, the Israelites remained faithful to the Lord.

EXPLORING JOSHUA’S RELATIONSHIPS

From the first mention of Joshua in the Old Testament, he clearly was destined for great things.

Joshua’s relationship with Moses.From the beginning of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, Moses depended on Joshua.

Moses depended on Joshua in time of war (Ex. 17:8–13). Just after Israel passed through the Red Sea on their journey into the Sinai, the Amalekites attacked the great mass of Israelite men, women, and children. Moses turned to Joshua, and told him to choose some men and lead them in the fight against Amalek. Joshua successfully defended God’s people and defeated the Amalekites.

Our introduction to Joshua through this incident has led many to assume that Joshua was a trained military man, an officer in Pharaoh’s army. While this may seem strange in view of the Israelites’ position as slaves, it was not unusual for gifted individuals to find advancement in Egypt despite their origin.

Moses depended on Joshua to spy out Canaan (Num. 14). When the Israelites first approached Canaan, Moses sent a representative from each Hebrew tribe to explore the land. Although ten of the spies returned with horror stories about the Canaanites’ power, Joshua and a man named Caleb urged the Israelites to trust God and to attack as God had commanded. Only four persons among the Israelite millions—Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb—displayed this kind of trust in God. Only Joshua and Caleb, of all the adults who escaped from Egypt, lived to see the conquest of the promised land.

Moses depended on Joshua for spiritual support (Ex. 24:13; 33:11). When Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet with God, he took his “assistant” Joshua part way with him. Later, Joshua was with Moses in the tabernacle when Moses met with God, and Joshua remained inside when Moses went outside. Joshua is identified as Moses’ “servant” (Ex. 33:11). Moses clearly viewed Joshua as a supporter, almost an apprentice. Moses carefully groomed Joshua to be his successor.

Moses appointed Joshua his successor (Num. 27:15–23). When it became clear to Moses that he would soon die, he prayed that the Lord would set another leader over the Israelites. God told Moses publicly to appoint Joshua as his successor. Moses continued to urge the Israelites to follow Joshua, promising them that “he shall cause Israel to inherit” (Deut. 1:38) the promised land.

God’s words to Moses to “command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see” (Deut. 3:28) reflects the close relationship between the two.

The significance of the relationship (Deut. 34:9). It is truly a blessing to have as a mentor someone you can respect, who takes a deep and abiding interest in equipping you for the future. This is the kind of relationship that brings out the best in people and equips them for greatness.

Even more, Joshua’s relationship with Moses eased the transition after Moses died. The text tells us that “Joshua … was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him” and adds, “so the children of Israel heeded him” (Deut. 34:9). Joshua was a capable individual, but it was because Moses had appointed Joshua that the Israelites were at first willing to follow him. Later, Joshua would prove himself as a leader and a man of God. But at first, the Israelites followed Joshua for Moses’ sake.

Joshua’s relationship with God. Despite decades in Moses’ shadow, Joshua had a significant relationship with God.

An early lesson (Ex. 17:8–13). During the first battle that Joshua commanded, Moses stood on a hillside and watched. When Moses’ hands were lifted up to heaven, the Israelites won. When he tired and his hands were lowered, the Amalekites prevailed. Finally, two men stood by Moses and literally held his arms up in the air until the battle was won. While the text gives Joshua credit, it must have been clear to all that God was actively involved in the struggle. The dependence on God that Joshua learned that day would serve him well in the future.

A sound memory (Num. 14:8–9). When the spies returned from Canaan, Joshua was shocked at the terror ten of them spread by their description of the Canaanites. Joshua remembered what the others had forgotten: that the Lord is a God of power and might. In urging the Israelites to obey the Lord, Joshua and Caleb cried out, “Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them” (Num. 14:9). This trust in Yahweh nurtured by the memory of what God had done for Israel marked Joshua’s relationship with the Lord.

Constant exposure(Ex. 24:13; 33:11). As noted above, it was Moses’ practice to bring Joshua along when Moses went to meet with the Lord. In this way, Joshua was exposed to God’s presence, helping to nurture Joshua’s faith. We need to remember this when our children object to accompanying us to church. No better place exists for the Lord to reach our children than a community of faith where God is loved and His word is taught.

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Joshua’s military strategy is studied in modern war colleges. He first thrust deep into Canaan, dividing the territory, and then dealt separately with southern and northern coalitions of Canaanite kings.

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God spoke to Joshua (Josh. 1:1–9). After Moses died the Lord spoke directly with Joshua. There is no more challenging passage of Scripture for leaders than the words of the Lord recorded in this first chapter of Joshua’s book.

•     God promised to be with Joshua (1:2–5).

•     God promised Joshua success (1:6).

•     God challenged Joshua to focus on observing His commands (1:7–8).

•     God challenged Joshua to be “of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed” (1:9).

•     God repeated His promise to be with Joshua wherever he would go (Josh. 1:9).

The significance of God’s promises and His commands were reinforced when Joshua crossed the Jordan and stood outside the walls of the fortress Jericho. There the angel of the Lord appeared to Joshua and identified Himself as “Commander of the army of the Lord” (Josh. 5:14–15). Joshua was a leader. Like all spiritual leaders, he was also a follower, the secret of whose success would ever be his willingness to follow the Lord. The story of the conquest relates Joshua’s faithfulness in fearlessly obeying God’s commands.

Joshua’s commitment to obedience (Josh. 7). When the walled city of Jericho fell, one of Joshua’s troops disobeyed God’s command and “liberated” some silver and a garment he coveted. As a result, the Israelites were defeated when they attacked a small city nearby. The defeat shook Joshua, who looked to God for the reason.

When the sin was known and sinner identified, Joshua ordered the man and his family executed. Because of Achan’s sin, the Israelites had been defeated and thirty-six men had died! It seems likely that the family participated in Achan’s sin, as the stolen wealth was buried beneath the family tent.

Joshua surely took no pleasure in demanding Achan’s death, but Joshua determined that God must be obeyed at all costs. As long as the Israelites worshiped the Lord and honored His Word, the Israelites were victorious.

Joshua’s unusual prayer (Josh. 10). One of the fascinating features of Moses’ confrontation of Pharaoh is that the Lord told Moses what to pray for. Then God answered the prayer He had instructed His servant to make. In one of the battles Joshua fought with the people of Canaan, night began to fall before the enemy was destroyed. Realizing how vital it was to crush the enemy, Joshua spontaneously cried out to God and commanded the sun to stand still. The text tells us that the sun then shone on that valley for another whole day, as the Israelites wiped out their foe.

The text comments, “there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man” (Josh 10:14). Joshua’s relationship with God was so close that he felt free to speak in God’s name, and God honored his faith.

Joshua’s relationship with the Israelites (Josh. 23, 24).Joshua had served for many years as Moses’ apprentice. At first after Moses’ death, the Israelites followed Joshua because Moses had commissioned him. Soon however the Israelites saw that God was with Joshua (Josh. 3–5), and followed him because he had proven himself to be a successful leader.

It took the Israelites some seven years to break the Canaanites’ power and settle in the land. Joshua then supervised the distribution of Canaan to the twelve tribes. When the land had been parceled out, the army was disbanded and the tribal groups settled on their inheritance. There were still pockets of Canaanites left in the land, but each tribe was now responsible to drive out the enemy left in their territory as they needed additional land.

Some years later, when Joshua was near death, he called all the Israelites together for a great covenant renewal ceremony. He challenged them to “choose for yourself this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15). Unanimously the Israelites responded, “We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God” (24:18).

The text sums up Joshua’s influence with this simple note: “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel” (Josh. 24:31). No man could ask for a better epitaph.

JOSHUA: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

Joshua as a leader was second only to Moses in his impact on the early Israelite generations. He had faithfully served God as Moses’ assistant, and when the time came he served God just as faithfully as commander of all the Israelite forces. Joshua was noted not only for his commitment to obey the Lord fully, but also for the fact that he kept the Israelites—a people noted for backsliding—faithful to the Lord throughout his life. All in all, Joshua was a man about whom no negative facts are recorded; a man we can truly and fully admire. His life contains several lessons for us.

•     Joshua demonstrates the value of mentoring. However great our gifts and abilities, they can be honed to a sharper edge by spending time with someone we admire.

•     Joshua demonstrates the importance of obedience to the Lord. At Jericho, Joshua followed the Lord’s instructions despite the fact that they made no military sense. He had confidence that God’s Word could be trusted, whether he understood that word. We need to have a similar confidence in the Lord and a similar readiness to commit ourselves to live His Word.

•     Joshua demonstrated the power of a good example. Joshua set a high standard for his people, and they lived up to that example. Let’s be sure that we set a good example for our children, our employees, and our fellow Christians. We can never overestimate the impact of our godly living on those around us.

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