THE MAN JOSHUA
Joshua was an Israelite from the tribe of Ephraim in Israel. He diligently served Moses as his servant. Joshua loved the presence of God and had a firm understanding of who God was. In the face of Idol worship and unbelief by the Israelites, he was very zealous and stood firm in his belief of God.
In Exodus 33:11) we see how Joshua remained in God’s presence even when Moses left the Tabernacle. He had been so much in the company of Moses that he was the natural successor to lead the children of Israel to the Promised Land (Numbers 27:18-19). He knew the voice of God and obeyed all the instructions of God to the letter (Joshua 1:8)
Joshua successfully led the Children of Israel after the death of Moses into the Promised Land: he led them to cross the river Jordan and to bring down the walls of Jericho (Joshua 3&6). He achieved remarkable feats in his lifetime including commanding the sun and the moon to stand still until the Israelites defeated the Amorites in battle (Joshua 10:12). He was was also one of the spies who went to the promised land and only he and Caleb refused to give an evil report of the land (Numbers 14:6-10).
However, he went into a treaty with the Gibeonites without seeking or hearing God’s opinion on the matter (Joshua 9:14). Asking God about every single decision we need to make whether small or big will save us from making decisions that will adversely affect our destinies. The Gibeonites co-existing with them opened them to the temptations of having ‘unbelievers’ in their midst. The consequence was that the promised land was not totally taken in his lifetime as directed by God.
A lesson to learn in the leadership style of Joshua is that Joshua was more into his own family unlike Moses who used to entreat and stand in the gap for the whole nation even at the risk of his own life and destiny. Also, He did not prepare a successor, and this may be a reason why the children of Israel drifted into Idolatry when Joshua and the elders died. A strong leader like Moses or Joshua may have been able to keep them in the right path.
In conclusion, Joshua lived a life that truly believed and served God until his very end
