The period of Israel’s history immediately following the death of Moses was filled with transition. Israel had to make the transition to a new leader and go into a new land, trusting God would deliver the inhabitants of Canaan into their hands. With a man as great as Moses passing away, the nation of Israel could have been in great jeopardy, but God had a succession plan in place. The successor of Moses was Joshua. The book that bears his name relates the history of Israel in their conquest of the land God promised to them. God commissioned Joshua to take on the responsibilities of the role Moses had filled; the preparation for this transition is noted multiple times in the Bible before the book of Joshua (Num. 27:18-23; Deut. 1:38; 31:3, 7, 23).
When the time came for him to lead, God said to Joshua, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Josh. 1:5). Also, the officers of the people were ready to follow Joshua and said to him, “All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses. Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage” (Josh. 1:16-18).
What made Joshua a good leader? Note first his wisdom: “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses” (Deut. 34:9). Strength and courage are also essential to good leadership especially when they are coupled with wisdom; Joshua showed these in his determination to observe the commands of God without turning to the right or left (Josh. 1:7). He followed God’s directives even if they were unconventional such as marching around Jericho (Josh. 6:2-20). Joshua displayed the fortitude required of a leader. The account of Achan’s covetousness shows that Joshua did not soft-pedal sin among God’s people; he was grieved and made sure to punish as God directed (Josh. 7:25). In the conquest of the hill country and southern Canaan he, “left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the LORD God of Israel commanded” (Josh. 10:40). In northern Canaan, “Joshua did unto them as the LORD bade him: he houghed their horses, and burnt their chariots with fire” (Josh. 11:9). “As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses” (Josh. 11:15). Why was Israel successful in taking the land? Joshua led them to follow the Lord’s words, “so Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses” (Josh. 11:23).
Joshua did not lead for his own glory; instead, he regarded himself as a servant of the Lord (Josh. 5:14). At the end of his life, he exhorted the people to do the same, saying: “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15). God’s people had their shortcomings. They often lacked faith; however, they were successful in major military campaigns against the people of Canaan because Joshua led them to follow God by faith.
Joshua had been prepared in such a way, that when Moses died, a smooth transition in leadership occurred. Glimpses of the preparation for this transition are seen in the life of Joshua before it came to fruition. We are first introduced to Joshua when his leadership is displayed in the battle against the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16). This prepared him for the battles he would see in Canaan. Joshua as “a young man” was a servant of Moses (Ex. 33:11). He remained nearest to Moses when the law was received at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24:13; 32:17). He did not depart from the tent of meeting where the Lord would speak to Moses (Ex. 33:7-11). Joshua was one of the twelve spies sent into the land of Canaan; his name appears in the list as “Oshea” in the KJV (Num. 13:8). More importantly he was one of the two who gave a faithful report, believing that God was able to bring Israel into the land, delivering its mighty inhabitants into their hands (Num. 14:6-10). For Joshua’s rebuke of the congregation’s lack of faith, they were ready to stone him, but God spared his life from the plague that killed the ten unfaithful spies, allowing him to live and enter the land of promise (Num. 14:10, 37, 38; 32:12). This should be regarded as a badge of honor, for that faithless generation was often ready to stone Moses when the problem was their own evil hearts of unbelief (Ex. 17:4).
When Moses wanted to continue leading and enter Canaan, the Lord instructed him not to speak of it anymore, “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” (Deut. 3:28). We must be ready for transition to the next generation of leaders in the Lord’s church. The roles we fill will not be filled by us forever. Moses and Joshua spent time working together. The Lord gives wisdom to those who ask for it (Jas. 1:5). This is not a miraculous impartation of wisdom as it was with Joshua and others who lived in Bible times, but He does give it. Wisdom can be imparted from the older to the younger when they work alongside each other in the Lord’s cause. Instead of acting like we will always be around, we must spend time with the younger generation who will be our successors. We must encourage and strengthen them. They, like Joshua, must learn God’s word and not turn from it to the right or left (Josh. 1:7, 8). They must learn now to be strong and have courage to lead when we are gone (Josh. 1:6, 9).
–Mark Day