Joshua 1:1-2 - Joshua the Successor

Whenever God is getting ready to do a great work in this world, He is already preparing a great leader. He is looking for someone who has the spirit of humility and a servant’s heart that He can trust to be obedient to His Word. Before God sent the flood, He found a Noah. When God was ready to birth the nation of Israel, He found a Abraham. When God needed a someone to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt, He found a Moses. When God was ready to transform Israel into a great Kingdom nation, He found a David. When the Lord was laying the foundation for His Church, He found a Peter. When God wanted to turn the world upside down with the Gospel, He found a Paul. God spent years preparing each one of these men for the great work they were called to do for God!   God spent at least forty years preparing Joshus to be the great leader that would move the people of Israel into Promise Land and conquer all the giants and enemies there and give each tribe their inheritance. When I was in Bible College, I heard a great pastor, Dr. Lee Roberson, make a statement I never forgot. He said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This is so true. All our failures in our homes, in our churches, in our communities, and in our nation can be blamed on poor leadership!   If there were ever a time that we needed a new generation of great leaders for our homes, churches, nation, and the world, it is now! When read in Scripture about Joshua becoming the successor to Moses, I couldn’t help but notice that it was prayer that prepared him for his great success as a leader.   When we first met Joshua as a soldier fighting with Amalek, Moses was on the hillside praying for his success. When Israel defeated Og, king of Bashan, and Sihon, king of Hesbon, Moses used that victory to encourage Joshua not to be afraid of his enemies. (Deuteronomy 3:21-22).    When Moses was preparing to die, he asked God to allow him to cross the Jordan and see the Promise Land, but God told him he could not cross over but that he would be allowed to see it. As Moses was praying, God also told him that Joshua would be the one to lead the people across the Jordan. “But 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” (Deuteronomy 3:28).   Moses also prayed for a successor that would successfully lead the people. “Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying: "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be like sheep which have no shepherd." And the LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient” (Numbers 27:15-20)   My friend, if there were ever a time that we need to pray for God to give us godly leaders for our homes, churches and nation, it is now. Like Moses, Joshua was human and made his share of mistakes; but he was still God's chosen and anointed leader, and the people knew this. This is why they said to Joshua, "Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you" (Josh. 1:17).   The secret of Joshua's success was his faith in the Word of God (Josh. 1:7-9), its commandments and its promises. God's Word to Joshua was "Be strong, be courageous, do not be afraid…!" (vv. 6-7, 9,18; and see Deut. 31:6-7, 23); and this is His Word to His people today.   May the Lord help us to pray for this kind of leadership today!