Joshua, son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim, was born during the Egyptian captivity but was given the name Joshua which means “The Lord is Salvation.” This shows the great faith that his parents must have had in the Lord. Joshua rose to become a military leader and was groomed by Moses to take over after his death. From the Biblical record we can be certain that he was blessed with excellent leadership skills and possessed an impressive strategic mind for military maneuvers. However we also know he was a humble and faithful servant of the Lord. He was probably a firm advocate of the sentiment recorded in the proverb, “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).”
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As a military leader, we can be sure he did all he could to train his troops, furnished supply and communication infrastructures and employed wise strategic moves at just the right times, but ultimately he gave glory to the Lord for everything that was accomplished. Moses was the one privileged to be the redeemer from Egypt but Joshua was chosen to lead the nation into the Promised Land and divide that great inheritance among the tribes of Israel.
During Israel’s redemption from Egypt God performed many miracles leading up to their escape from Pharaoh’s mighty reign. After the Israelites safely crossed the Red Sea, the Egyptians were miraculously wiped out in the collapsing walls of water. Then God provided manna and quail to eat and water to drink for his newly formed and most favored nation as they traveled through the desert. Then the time came for their first battle and God prepared a great enemy to attack them, the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a ruthless nomadic people who roamed the land between Egypt and Canaan. Their ancestor Amalek was the son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12, 16). His descendants were the first to attack the Israelites after Egypt and they were an ongoing thorn in their side for many generations. Moses commissioned Joshua to lead the battle while Moses went up on a hill to simultaneously assist by giving honor, worship and glory to God.
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:8-16
Joshua Earned Respect
Moses, Joshua and the entire nation learned an important lesson that day. God was there to provide and protect them from any and all threats. They were required to do their part and God would take care of the rest. Joshua became well respected and was given the opportunity to work very closely with Moses at times. There seems to be several occasions when Joshua was chosen to be with Moses when Moses received communication from the Lord. We can be certain that these times helped shape the confidence and character of this great servant of the Lord.
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.
Exodus 33:11
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Exodus 24:12-18
Joshua and Caleb
When the Israelites made it to the border of Canaan, Moses chose 12 spies, one representative from each tribe, to form a squad to spy out the land prior to seizing control of it. The spies returned with two conflicting reports. Ten of them said basically that it could not be done. The minority report came from none other than Joshua along with Caleb, another faithful servant of the Lord (Joshua 14:8-9). They stated, in essence, that with the Lord’s help, this victory could be certainly won (Numbers 13:30-14:9). The Israelites did not accept the minority report and wanted to stone the two faithful spies to death. God burned with anger, Moses interceded and in the end, God stated that every adult Israelite would die prior to entering the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb. So the Israelites ended up wandering through the desert for forty more years until they all died. The only ones allowed to enter were Joshua and Caleb, and the ones who were younger than 20 years old at the time the report from the spies was received. As it turned out, even Moses and Aaron died before entering the promised land though the reason they were prevented was because of their lack of reverence at Meribah Kadesh (Numbers 20:10-12).
The character of Joshua was proven to be of high caliber and he served faithfully under Moses until the desert wandering was complete and possession of the Promised Land became a reality. Joshua was able to serve the people well with his leadership abilities and reverence for the Lord.
Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.
Numbers 27:22-23
The Lord himself encouraged Joshua with these words:
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:8-9
Entering the Promised Land
In preparation for seizing the Promised Land, Joshua sent out spies much like Moses had done years ago. These spies came back with a favorable report largely based on the report from Rahab, a harlot who resided in Jericho with her family. She confirmed that there was great fear of the God of the Israelites. She also assisted the spies from being caught in return for sparing the lives of her family when the Israelites did attack.
Joshua was pleased with the report of the spies and made arrangements for the Ark of the Covenant to lead the Israelites. The Lord gave clear instructions to Joshua and did mighty things as they acted in faith and crossed the Jordan river into the Promised Land.
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”
Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
Joshua 3:7-17
Jericho and Ai
The leadership skills of Joshua were seen very clearly in his handling of threats from outside the community as well as from within. One of the first major offensives was against the mighty city of Jericho. Jericho was located between modern day Jerusalem and the Jordan River. It was a walled city with what must have been a large population with a strong military presence. Joshua met an angelic being who identified himself as the Commander of the Lord’s Army (probably a preincarnate appearance of Christ). Because of Joshua’s careful attention to detail and following the exact instructions of the mysterious being, the walls of Jericho miraculously fell.
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Joshua 5:13-15
The major threat from outside the community, Jericho, was swiftly eliminated. Then they moved on to a much smaller town of Ai. The reconnaissance report noted a lower risk and a smaller force was sent for what should have been an easy victory. However, they were routed by the smaller army. Joshua inquired of the Lord and learned that someone had broken the instructions they received about destroying everything in Jericho. An investigation was launched and it was revealed that one of the men did indeed break the Lord’s command given through Joshua and took some articles from Jericho out of greed. They were supposed to destroy everything and take nothing, but Achan took a few little things and buried them under his tent. In time that sinful act was discovered and Joshua oversaw the stoning of Achan and his family for his sin.
So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the Lord.
Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold bar, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.”
Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Joshua 7:22-26
Poor leaders are often characterized by failing to do the hard work of leading, including enforcing disciplined behavior. Joshua showed that he not only possessed the ability to lead an army but also maintained a high spiritual standing with the Lord. He consistently upheld the Lord’s will, defended the Lord’s honor and holiness no matter how unpopular the discipline may have been perceived. In this case he set a high standard for the community to follow. Leaders like that get rewarded from the Lord.
Many battles with various people groups of the Canaanites occurred over the lifetime of Joshua. The Israelites took control of the land and Joshua was given the task of dividing it among the tribes. The details of the boundaries are recorded in Joshua 13-22. As Joshua aged and knew his death was near he prepared a final speech.
When Joshua was renewing the covenant at Shechem, he said something that became of the most famous passages in the Bible. “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15b). This was part of a much longer address which shows the wisdom and character of this great leader.
Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.
“‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
“‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
“‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the Lord to serve other gods! It was the Lord our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the Lord drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
Then Joshua said, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
“Yes, we are witnesses,” they replied.
“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the Lord.
“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the Lord has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”
Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance.
After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.
Joshua 24:1-31
In Retrospect
Looking back on Joshua’s life it is easy to see many positive things he accomplished and his leadership is usually highly regarded by all. However, if we are going to give him credit for all those good things it would only be fair to point out a major failure that occurred on his watch as well. In conquering the land, the Israelites were supposed to totally wipe out the Canaanites and then occupy the land. At times they did that, but at other times they didn’t. The result was that some Canaanites remained. Many were made into slaves. The Israelites failed to obey the command of God and Joshua failed to enforce that standard. And we know that the military victories that they enjoyed were accomplished not by the sword alone, but by the will of God. God drove out the enemies before them and he used the sword of the Israelites to accomplish the task. So in that sense, they shared in the victory. So as far as the enemies that were left, we can observe that ultimately it was the Lord who did not drive them out before the Israelites. As a result of that, the Israelites decided to make them slaves or later just lived alongside them. The Lord then decided to use these Canaanites to test the Israelites. History reveals that they failed the tests through many generations but also they relearned the lesson of the importance of obedience to the Lord through many generations.
Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
Judges 2:20-23
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