What is exciting about the Lord’s work is how he trains and then calls both men and women to do His bidding. A case in point is the Biblical warrior Joshua who spent years as an assistant to the legendary Moses. For years Joshua labored in the shadow of Israel’s great law giver and emancipator. But throughout this period of being Moses’ understudy, Joshua was being mentored by the best. And he needed every ounce of mentoring because when Moses was “prematurely” taken from Israel, Joshua suddenly found himself at the crossroads of being the man who would lead Israel into the promised land or shrink from such a daunting responsibility even though God had handpicked him for the job (see Deut. 31:1-8).
After Moses dies, there is a period of mourning (30 days) and the Book of Deuteronomy ends with a final tribute to Moses who had led Israel for about 40 years. But even as people including seemingly irreplaceable leaders come and go, God already has the next generation of leaders already prepared to carry on. Such was the case with Joshua. The book named after him, opens with God in effect telling Joshua that it is time to stop mourning and to begin the next phase in the saga of Israel’s rise from slavery to glory as conquerors of the land that God had promised to their founding patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But was Joshua up to the task?
As long as “Josh” was laboring in the shadow of Moses’ celebrity, there was a sense of confidence and security that sustained him as he executed Moses’ orders during war and in the daily business of running a nation on the move. But take away his “security blanket” and suddenly Joshua is made aware that the buck stops with him. In Joshua 1:9, there is a key phrase that reveals how Joshua felt as he contemplated the campaign ahead, namely, overcoming territories and peoples who were far superior in military might and who were well fortified to withstand any alien offensive. That telling phrase in the NIV is: “Do not be terrified.” This is very revealing because it tells us that Joshua was buckling under the pressure. But, in that one profound existential moment, the Lord lifts Joshua’s spirit and gives him the confidence to move ahead. This was followed by Israel’s pledge of loyalty, the consecration of the people, the miraculous crossing of the Jordan and finally, as he was poised to begin the Canaanite offensive he had that memorable encounter with the Captain of the Lord’s hosts. See Joshua 2-5.
But behind every successful general is a disciplined army. So, as briefly mentioned above, God instructed Joshua to consecrate the people or have them prepare themselves to participate in a campaign that called for them to be living in a covenant relationship with Joshua’s Superior, that is, the Lord God of Israel. So, upon crossing the Jordan, the people of Israel needed to be circumcised and spiritually nourished as they celebrated Israel’s most solemn “sacrament,” the Passover. See Chapter 5. This is very revealing for the church in that God not only prepares and anoints great leaders, but he demands that the people who follow be dedicated and obedient. Great church leaders need the support of Christians who have prepared their hearts to be led to great heights. The work of God has never been a one man show. Even the great leaders of the Bible experienced great setbacks when their people were rebellious and unprepared. Moses was one of them. The generation of Jews who were redeemed out of Egypt wandered in the Sinai desert and never entered Canaan except for Joshua and Caleb. Jeremiah was a courageous prophet and patriot but he never gained the ear of his people. Church growth is a corporate enterprise and success comes to those who are willing to pay the price. That price comes in many forms including commitment, the pursuit of holiness, prayer and a sense of ownership in one’s own home church. Are you a part owner or a spectator in your church?
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