Tag Archives: Joshua

We Need Joshua

26 Sunday Nov 2017

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Men Like Joshua

When the Lord told Joshua to prepare himself for the duties in front of him, the Lord knew well that Joshua could not appreciate the difficult task he had. Joshua, however, was in better position than any other person, but even with that being the case, there was (and is) something different between being by the side of a great leader and being the leader yourself. When you are by the side of a great leader (or any leader), decision consequences don’t fall on you, but on the one who made them. When the Lord told Joshua to prepare himself, He said, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (1:9, ESV). The Lord told Joshua to be courageous, but it was not in military matters He was speaking. What the Lord had in mind was for Joshua to be courageous in allegiance and obedience to the Lord’s Word and purpose. The Lord knew well that Joshua would face much resistance of one sort or another.

It takes a great deal of commitment and courage to stand firm in the Lord’s way when most of those around you are not doing so, or waffling in doing so. Joshua was leading a complex nation. No doubt there were many who loved the Lord as much as Joshua, but how many were confused in their loyalties. Perhaps many of them desired to hear and obey the Lord, but for one reason or another, they allowed distractions to get in the way. Some of those distractions could have been family issues, self-esteem, hardships and heartaches. Whatever it was, those so struggling, the Lord called upon them to set it aside and consider what was in front of them (cf. Hebrews 12:1-3).

Those called upon to lead either understand this already, or need to!

In Joshua 1:6-9, the Lord gave Joshua guidance as to how to stay courageous. First, he had a definite work to do; without an assigned task, one does not know what needs to be done, much less how to accomplish it. Second, to have a task at hand, means a directive must be in place to get the work completed. This complements the first point. At a practical level, a plan is most helpful to see where one needs to go; trying to “wing-it” brings confusion and directionless movements. As with the practical, so with the spiritual. Third, in Joshua’s case (as well as our own), divine help is a must; without the Lord, we can only hope to accomplish, but never really know whether we accomplished the task or arrived at the Lord’s destination. With the Lord’s plan in front of us, with the Lord’s plan faithfully executed, we will certainly accomplish the work required. Fourth, a determination to accomplish what is ahead means one must adopt courage, have a brave and determined heart to see it through to the end.

In the Lord’s church, godly men who serve as elders are crucial to the local congregation. Horror stories abound of men serving as elders who do not employ each the Lord’s principled guidelines given to Joshua. They are nice, courteous, financially astute, benevolent in spirit and means, but not very strong in the Lord; thus, mean/leaders like this are not godly from the Lord’s perspective, only from man’s. In fact, the Lord would not use them to lead His people. The Lord’s church need men like Joshua. RT

Leadership is tough!

21 Monday Sep 2015

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My devotional reading this week took me from Deuteronomy to Joshua. In Deuteronomy, the Lord’s national leader was Moses. He was a great man by any measurement (unless one uses evil as the measuring stick!), but he was a man who chaffed on occasion at people because of their continued resistance to the Lord’s way. Of course, not all of the people of Israel were guilty of such, but those relatively few that were guilty….they made life difficult.

Leadership is tough.

Joshua was Moses’ personal assistant, and it was Joshua the Lord called to follow the path of Moses in leadership. Think for a moment the daunting challenge Joshua had in following Moses. Leadership is tough, but following a great leader like Moses makes that “tough” a double dose!

Joshua learned a great deal from Moses, but no amount of observant learning gained is going to be as beneficial to a person as the amount of learning gained while in position! This is just the way it is. Learning by observation is great, but learning by personal experience is greater. Any leader who takes seriously the idea of leadership will say as much.

For Joshua, the key to a successful leadership work was the standard applied in the exercise of that leadership. He learned this from Moses, and he gained this from a firsthand account with the Lord. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8, ESV).

In a New Testament context, the elders of the local church must be men of sound spiritual characteristics, for without that the effectiveness of their leadership, from the Lord’s perspective is lost. In addition to this, they must be men of the book, that is, they must know the holy will of God, allowing no other teaching but His. RT

 

 

The Pattern

11 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Doctrine, Faithfulness, God, love, Man-Made Churches, Teaching

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There are some in the Christian world who look upon the idea of a pattern (a correct way to do things) in religion as being something to be dismissed. In fact, some call this legalistic, and that it is in part and whole contrary to the New Testament. Is this true? It is not!

The idea behind a pattern finds its way into religion from God. To Moses the Lord said, “And see to it that you make them [articles of the Tabernacle] according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain” (Exodus 25:40, NKJV). As the children of Israel made their way from Egypt to the land of promise (Canaan) and embarked on clearing the land of its evil, it was finally the case that the Israelites were able to “rest from their labors” and go home. Joshua gave the departing ones a word of exhortation, “But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Joshua 22:5). You will note in this word from Joshua two important ideas. First, the Israelites were to pay attention to the Lord and do exactly what He said. Second, they were to have their motivation (love) properly in place. This is the idea behind what some people disparagingly call “pattern theology.” Those who do so speak about that which the Lord set in place!

So important was this concept that the people of Israel were alarmed when they heard of a compromise existing (Joshua 22). After having laid down their arms they were prepared to take them up again because of the perceived compromise. In other words, they were prepared to do battle with their brothers (22:13-21). After some conversation it was learned by the leaders of Israel there was no attempt to compromise the Lord’s way (22:29), but that which was built was done as a witness (a replica, a pattern) for later generations (22:26-28).

In this there is a lesson. What some ridicule as “pattern theology” actually got its origin from God, not any man. Whatever failings man may have had in implementation of the Lord’s pattern, let us not be guilty of doing the same. There are two things to keep in mind: first, when the Lord said something on a particular topic, that which the Lord said (commanded) is that which is to be done in the way He said to do it. He did not give to man the option to alter what He said, only to choose to obey or not. Second, those who serve the Lord faithfully understand the Lord’s mercy and its underserving quality. Because this is understood, the love that is expressed to the Lord brings about obedience. Joshua understood this and, when he was preparing to pass from this life, set before the people of Israel the alternative to the Lord’s way (Joshua 24:14-15). In the Lord’s church, those who are faithful to the Lord understand the same. The structure of the church, the structure of worship, the behavior in life—these are things the Lord addressed for His saints to understand and to submit to.

 

More Determination

10 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Faithfulness, Leadership, Prayer

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“It’s not my fault!” These are words we hear a good bit; in fact, it seems like we have been hearing them for quite a long time. In some cases, no doubt, this could very well be true; in many cases it is not. On one particular occasion, Joshua 17, the tribe of Manasseh certainly expressed these words. Joshua, however, was not going to hear the excuse. Here is the story: the tribes of Israel had been given the land of promise by the Lord. The Lord required of them to eradicate the evil peoples of the land in order for them to enjoy what the Lord gave. A continuing problem for the Israelites was their refusal to do as the Lord said. Refusal is the right word in this context; yes, it is true, they accomplished much in the way of clearing. The problem was “accomplishing much” still left some remaining, and the people refused to continue on in the Lord’s command of removal. The people of the land were not going to allow themselves to be evicted, so if the Lord’s people wanted the land, it had to be taken. Manasseh found excuses as to why they could not “drive out” the peoples of the land. The people of the land were many, had chariots of iron, and the timber on mountains were in the way. As mentioned, Joshua did not accept this. Herein is a lesson for us: when the inhabitants of the land refuse to give up territory the Lord gave his chosen people, then let the chosen ones have more determination than those refusing to leave.

 

DISCOURAGMENT AND A SOLUTION

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

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                Discouragement can be an overwhelming sentiment that does not allow for one to see things clearly. This was the case with Joshua after leading the people of Israel in battle, but only to be defeated by a much smaller force. “O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name” (Joshua 7:8-9)?

Why would Joshua think such a thing when he experienced all that he did being lead through the wilderness by the Lord? Sometimes great questions go unanswered. Joshua took his army and came back defeated; perhaps Joshua thought of himself as a failure, and the weight of that thought took him into (almost) despondency.

The Lord’s solution to the matter was plain and quick. He told Joshua that he was to get up and see to the Lord’s business (7:10-11). As this was Joshua’s solution, it can be ours also. It may be that we feel despondent on occasion (even many occasions), but the sentiment does not have to hold sway over an unwilling host. Get up, put your armor on, and set about to do the Lord’s bidding. It worked for Joshua, and it will work for us as well. RT