Joshua 1:1-9 Leadership

Objectives

• Students will identify the characters of a leader.
• Students will recognize the importance of following a good spiritual leader.

Opening

Have student take the following questions home with them the week before and then use their answer to these questions to introduce the material. Joshua 1:1-9 Leadership Handout

Main Body

Servant Leaders

The Training

• What rule does Christ give in Mark 10:43?
  • "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant." In other words, the key to becoming a leader is to learn how to serve.
• What opportunities to serve had Joshua been given?
  • Exodus 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
  • Numbers 14:5-9 Then Moses and Aaron [a]fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they[b] are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
  • Deuteronomy 1:38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

The Task

• According to Joshua 1:3, how big of a task did Israel have before them?
  • The task of conquering the entire land was a huge task. But the rewards were tremendous. Look at how the land is described in Deuteronomy 8:7-10
    • For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

Encouragement

Divine Presence

• What encouragement does Joshua receive in Joshua 1:5?
  • No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
• This verse was written for a specific individual, Joshua, at a specific time, the conquest of Canaan. Do we have the same encouragement?
  • Hebrews 13:5 "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”"
  • In fact, this seems to be a characteristic of God Himself. He gave Moses a similar assurance in Exodus 3:10-12 "Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
  • Hebrews 13:8 and Malachi 3:6 address the unchanging nature of God. He was with Moses and Joshua and He will be with us.

Divine Provision

• According to Joshua 1:6, why was God providing the land?
  • God was providing the inheritance he had promised the Israelites before(Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-17, 15:18-21, 26:1-3, 35:10-12)
• How had God evidenced his provision in the past?
  • Exodus 16:11-16 (food)
  • Exodus 17:5,6 (water)
  • Numbers 20:7-11 (water)
  • Exodus 17:8-16 (victory)

Responsibility

The Priority of Scripture

• According to Joshua 1:7, what was Joshua to be careful about?
  • He needed to take care to ensure that he followed the Word of God.
• What steps did God call upon Joshua to take to ensure he followed the Word of God?
  • Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[c] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
• How does Paul reiterate this message for believers in 1 Timothy 4:16 and Titus 1:7-9?
  • Paul calls on Christians leaders to hold fast to sound doctrine. The idea is that we must be grounded in the Word of God.
• Why do we make such a big deal out of scripture?
  • 2 Timothy 3:15-17 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Wrap Up

• How does God wrap up Joshua's commissioning service?
  • Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Closing

• The conquest of the promised land was a major undertaking and required a strong leader. Similarly, Bible believing churches have major tasks, challenges, and hurdles to overcome. What are some of these challenges?
• What past victories has God given you that give you confidence of future victories?
• We may not be leading a nation into the promised land, but I believe we are each called to Christian service. In what ways should we model the leadership that Joshua modeled in our Christian service?