“No
man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.
Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave
you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause
this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give
them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do
according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not
turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good
success wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:5-7 (ESV).
Joshua was a leader after God’s
own heart. Moses, the great leader of Israel, had just died. Joshua
had been named his successor. Ahead of him lay the task of
possessing the Promised land for the Israelites. His was not an easy
task, as Joshua often led an unbelieving, grumbling, hard-to-please
large, large group of people. We are told that the Israelites
numbered “six hundred thousand men on foot” (that is, those men
who were able to walk and engage in battle, not counting the
crippled, infirm, and elderly that might have had to be carried on a
litter or to ride in carts or on animals). Not included in that
great number under Joshua, the new leader’s command, were the great
number of women and children in the Israelite camp, awaiting entrance
into the Promised Land.
Many battles lay ahead for Joshua,
the new leader. God reminded him to be “strong and courageous.”
He had a heavy responsibility and recognized his need for dependence
upon God. Following conquest of the land, and settlement by
tribes, Joshua called the leaders together at Shechem, a major city,
and there the covenant was renewed between people and the Lord God.
Joshua’s statement was firm and positive, and established his stand
for God before the people: “But as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15b). His statement was his
commitment and indicated his manner of life. He was a leader after
God’s own heart.
A summary of Joshua’s leadership
is found in Joshua 24:31: “Israel served the Lord all the days
of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and
had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.”
We learn from this inspiring account
of Joshua and his time as commander of Israel that a strong,
God-fearing, courageous leader can make a decided difference in a
nation. The lesson also teaches us that individuals with purpose and
commitment can be used mightily of God to set the course of
righteousness for themselves and others. God’s promise for such a
leader is: “I will be with you; I will not leave your or
forsake you.” God’s command for such a person is “Do
not turn from Me to the right hand or to the left.”
Recognizing God’s strength, the committed person’s courage and
following God are keys to a job well done and are according to God’s
purpose. - Ethelene Dyer Jones 12.04.2016
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