WHAT MORAL LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JOSHUA SON OF NUN?
Ezekiel Kimosop
Joshua is first introduced in the Bible in Exodus 17:9-16 where Moses commands him to select men to go up and fight the Amalekites who were a thorn in the flesh to the Israelites.
God used Joshua in a mighty way and he resoundingly vanquished the enemy so that God commanded Moses to make a memorial to the fact that God had blotted the Amalekites from His presence forever (Exodus 17:13-16).
Moses then built an altar which he called Jehovahnissi, which means "Jehovah is my banner". This was to signify that God will have war with the Amalekites for all generations to come.
In Exodus 24:13, Joshua is described as Moses’ minister. The Hebrew word for minister as used here is “Sharath” which can best be translated as a person who ministers to or serves another.
This is far different from the Hebrew word “Ebed” for slave or servant. It appears that Joshua may have been serving as a direct assistant to Moses, implying that he may have been a judge in his own right.
Joshua built his legacy with diligence. Notice that Joshua is the one who alerted Moses when he heard the noise of the orgy from below the mountain as Moses came down from the mountain of God. This confirms that Joshua probably went up the mountain with Moses at God’s command.
Exodus 32:17-18 says “And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.”
Joshua was apparently more spiritually duscernful than Aaron, Moses’ brother, who had in given in to the wicked demands of the people and had erected the golden calf for the people to worship.
To his credit, Joshua was able to discern the apostasy from a distance and quickly alerted his master, Moses.
This act of courage teaches us that church leadership is about having foresight that enables us to see things afar and take remedial steps in good time. Undiscerning leaders are easily swept by spiritual and moral storms in ministry.
How could Aaron, a noble leader, have knowingly yielded to the evil suggestions on idolatry yet he had seen the hand of God in the wilderness?
Aaron and his sons had been consecrated priests unto the LORD in Exodus 29, yet by Exodus 32, the man had seemingly forgotten his priestly calling!
Aaron had casually yielded to the people's demands. Notice his lame reply to a furious Moses in Exodus 32:23-25 (NKJ): “For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)”
Whenever priesthood is not focused on God, it will be hijacked by Satan for his wicked purposes! Aaron failed his priestly stewardship by facilitating the idolatry even though he himself did not worship the golden calf.
He was privy by gross negligence to the people’s wickedness. It is what is referred to in legal theory as contributory negligence. It is instructive that Aaron never made it to the Promised Land.
This is a lesson in leadership that we should never be actors or catalysts in the evils of others by encouraging them in their evil as bystanders or by failing to act with prudence where God requires us to act differently.
Aaron lacked the spine to rebuke the people and remind them of the law of God. By this he miserably failed.
There are church leaders today under whose watch church ministries have drifted away from the way of the cross and into heresy and apostasy. These leaders shall not escape God's judgement!
Aaron may have imagined that his elder brother Moses would never return. Perhaps his worst sin was the loss of faith in the God of Israel and his failure to acknowledge God as their ultimate leader.
Aaron led the people in breaking the first three commandments which God had earlier given in Exodus 20.
Now moving on to our pursuit of Joshua, we notice in Exodus 33:11 that Joshua never departed from the tabernacle of God even as Moses walked in and out of the presence of God. This confirms that Joshua regularly stayed in the presence of God as part of his spiritual mentorship. He heard from God.
There can be no greater way to raise spiritual leaders than by steadying them in God's ways and instructing them by His word.
What greater experience can we ever have in our walk of faith than to dwell in the presence of God and receive His divine instructions?
Successful leaders are those who learn to stay close to the word of God and to seek His face for guidance.
We may read tons of leadership books and articles but none of these can measure up to what God can teach us if we stay close to His word. There is simply no substitute for God's word.
In Numbers 11:28, Joshua witnessed a rare event where the Spirit of God who was in Moses rested upon the seventy elders chosen by Moses to assist him in leadership.
When two elders who were left in the camp prophesied, Joshua, here depicted as a young man, asked his master Moses to forbid them.
Moses rebuked him for his unrefined wisdom. Joshua was yet to learn that God can expand the scope of ministry leadership without weakening the mandate or substance of those he had previously called.
Have you ever felt threatened as a church leader when God raises others to share in the ministry burden?
There is no reason to feel insecure at all because God will call men and women to serve Him from time to time and we need to give them space even as we too continue to serve Him with them. Never obstruct the work of those who God has called simply because of narrow personal interest.
Joshua is next mentioned in Numbers 14:6-25 where he and Caleb son of Jephunneh gave a positive report about the land of Canaan after their spy mission. Majority of the spies had earlier given an evil report and discouraged the people (Numbers 13:25-33).
Joshua and Caleb demonstrated their bravery and distinction as a sound leaders whose faith in God was not shaken by physical realities around them. They stood on God’s side as men of courage and resisted the popular script that the majority of the spies had fallen for.
We learn from this passage that great leaders will not sell their souls to evil and fear. They will be the last ones standing on God’s side when everyone else has left.
Walking with God is not about numbers or majority opinion but about what is always right no matter how unpopular it may sound to many.
God stood by the testimony of Joshua and Caleb and swore that those who rebelled against God by their unbelief would not enter the Promised Land except the two courageous men.
Notice that God pronounced the curse on those who were 20 years and upward because they had attained the age of spiritual responsibility. He graciously preserved the young ones who may have been emotionally carried along by the rebels (Numbers 14:26-39.
When the rebels attempted to proceed to the Promised Land without God's blessings, Moses once again warned them of the dire consequences.
Unfortunately they did not heed his warning and were verociously attacked by the Amalekites and Canaanites (Numbers 14:40-45).
Numbers 14:45 (NKJ) says “Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.”
Again this is a lesson that we can never succeed in any venture without the hand of God being with us.
Joshua is finally appointed as Moses’ successor in Numbers 27:18-23. Here we learn in Numbers 27:18 that Joshua was “a man in whom is the Spirit”.
God commanded Moses to lay his hands upon him and also consecrate Elieazer, Aaron’s son to succeed his father as High Priest.
Joshua and Eleazar the priest are later appointed to head a land commission that would oversee the successful subdivision of the land. The commission consisted of the two and appointees from the 12 tribes of Israel (Numbers 34:16-29).
Moses later dies in the wilderness of Moab and the LORD buried him (Deut. 34).
The Book of Joshua is dedicated to the leaderships and exploits of Joshua and his generation of faithful men.
God spoke to him and gave him the leadership commission (Joshua 1:1-9). God had earlier given Joshua a charge in the presence of Moses (Deut. 31:14-19).
In this charge, God made it clear to the two leaders that if the people walked away from His ways, He will hide His face from them. Moses was commanded to write a song to be sung as a memorial to the people that they should not wander from the paths that God had ordained for them when they entered the Promised Land.
The song was to be a witness against God’s people when they disobeyed Him.
What better song do we have today than the powerful voice of the word of God and of His Spirit?
If we neglect the word and walk away from His paths we should expect nothing short of God's judgment unless we repent and return to Him.
The word of God remains a witness to God’s faithfulness and will definitely condemn us in our disobedience (1John 3:19-24).
Joshua was a gallant leader who led the conquest of Canaan and was careful to obey the voice of God all his life. He secured the land and kept the people focused on God during his long leadership. He judged right; punished the wicked and upheld justice.
Perhaps a significant event in Joshua’s life is the covenant renewal that he led the children of Israel to affirm (Joshua 8).
The death of Joshua and Eleazar is recorded in Joshua 24:29-33 and this passage concludes the book of Joshua. It also confirms that the book of Joshua was compiled after his death.
The greatest tribute to Joshua is recorded in Joshua 24:31 (KJV) which says “And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.”
Joshua began well and finished well, thanks to the mentorship of Moses and the elders and the empowerment of God.
As we conclude the story on Joshua, we can summarize the following spiritual truths drawn from our study of the character and ministry of Joshua:
1) Spiritual leadership is learnt and built under godly mentorship. Many church leaders today do not effectively mentor successors because of their insecurity over the church leadership positions they occupy. This is ungodly and selfish and often plunges the church into turmoil after they depart.
2) Leadership is for a season. When the time appointed by God for a leader is concluded, they should be prepared to peacefully hand over to their successors.
3) We shall all be accountable to God for the time we serve as leaders and it is best that we listen to the voice of God by staying close to the word of God.
4) A leader should always be alert as they lead God’s people and should provide godly spiritual direction for those under His care.
Aaron failed but Joshua succeeded because Joshua learnt to discern the voice of God and to obey Him.
Do you hear the voice of God?
5) Spiritual leaders should be obedient to God and should consciously stand on God’s side at all times.
They represent the mind of God among the people as His prophets even as they represent the people to God as priests.
Joshua and Moses stood on the side of God when the people walked away in rebellion and they were vindicated and commended by God in the end.
Are you facing a popular and ungodly rebellion in your church community?
Stay on God’s side and you will be safe. It is not a matter of majority view. God’s word settles our conflicts.
6) We need to start well with God and finish well with Him even as Joshua did. It is sad today to see church leaders who started well with God but have left the paths of God and followed the popular doctrines of men (cf. 2Timothy 3:1-9).
7) Ministry leadership is a stewardship mandate. It is not held as of a right but by the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
8) There is a reward for faithful leaders. Joshua and Caleb were rewarded. They entered the Promised Land because they were steadfast in their faith in God. Those who faithfully walk with Christ shall enter His rest when the last trumpet sounds...
Hebrews 11:1-2 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.”
Do you walk by faith before God?
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
© Ezekiel Kimosop Teaching Series 2016
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