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Joshua, the New Leader of Israel

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Published: 27Feb2008
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After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, ... the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, {D1} arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them — the children of Israel. {P1} Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, ... {P2} No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; {P3} as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. {P4} I will not leave you nor forsake you. {D2} Be strong and of good courage, ... be strong and very courageous, that you may {D3} observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. {D4} This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall {D5} meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. {P5} For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.... Be strong and of good courage; {D6} do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for {P6} the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:1-9, NKJV)

Moses had been a prophet like none other in the entire history of Israel, and was probably the very first apostle, the second being Jesus Christ Himself (Hebrews 3:1-2, Deuteronomy 18:15-1). The nation of Israel had learned to respect and obey Moses over their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Moses had demonstrated his power and authority through a variety of miracles that had been performed through him, and through the demonstration of the wisdom the Lord had bestowed upon him. Now that Moses was dead, a new leader had to be commissioned.

Immediately after the death of Moses, the Lord turned to Joshua, the son of Nun, who had been Moses' faithful servant for the previous 40 years. He had been with Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:13), spent considerable time in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 33:11), and was one of only two of twelve spies sent into the land of Canaan that stood up on behalf the Lord and survived the plague that killed the other 10 (Numbers 11:28 - 14:38). He was probably at least 60 years by this time, (he ultimately lived to be 110 (Judges 2:8)), having spent the last 40 years as Moses' attendant and disciple. Yes he had developed his own personal relationship with the Lord, yes, he had been carefully observing Moses in virtually everything he did, yes he was aware of the call that was on his life, but now he was being asked to step into Moses' position himself, without his close friend and mentor.

Notice in the passage cited above, the Lord made six demands of Joshua {D1-D6}, but also gave him six promises {P1-P6}. Three times Joshua was told to be "strong and courageous", and was also told not to be afraid. It is very understandable that Joshua should be nervous about taking over the command of an entire nation, especially after witnessing Moses' hardships as the leader of that same nation. Joshua must have felt incredibly inferior to the task in light of the immense power and wisdom that was demonstrated by Moses, even though he had been commissioned by Moses himself several months or years before (Numbers 27:22-23). Joshua wouldn't be alone in this task since he would be essentially a co-ruler with Eleazar the priest (Numbers 32:28, 34:17).

There are no grandchildren in the kingdom of heaven. Even the children of greatly anointed ministers of the Lord must ultimately make conscious individual decisions to follow the Lord and live in a close relationship with Him. Each and every believer is responsible for his/her relationship with the Lord. The Lord may provide a mentor and teacher for a time, but each believer will stand or fall based on his/her exercise of faith in the Lord, and righteousness before men.

Jon Straumfjord is the author of numerous articles about the Seven Spirits of God and the God of the Bible. He is also the creator of the website http://www.7-spirits.com , and is the author of the book "The Seven Spirits of God."

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