June 9, Day 16; Joshua 1-13

How must have Joshua felt as he took over after Moses death? This is a question that our pastor posed on his blog entry about this chapter. It really caused me to stop and think about how remarkable Joshua must have been. It takes great qualities and a willing spirit to become a great leader. God had developed Moses into a great leader. Yet, it takes some even more amazing qualities to follow a great leader. Anyone who has ever follows a great leader knows how difficult it can be. First you not only have to perform at the same level or above, but you have to win over the hearts of the people who may still be mourning or lamenting that the previous leader is gone. Yet the job to be done doesn't go away. In Joshua's case his job was only getting tougher. Moses had to give the people guidance and lead them through challenges, but Joshua had to go to battle and conquer the enemies and claim the land God had promised to them.

Twice in the opening chapter we see God warning (and encouraging) Joshua by admonishing him to "Be strong and courageous." (Vs 6 and vs.7) Great leadership is never easy. It requires tremendous strength of attitude, of body and of character. It also requires a great deal of courage. Today Dear Father, I need both. In my leadership role as the head of this family I'm really struggling. To find the strength to balance all you've given me and the courage to step against the culture in many regards. In many ways because my strength and courage are waning at home, they are also sapped in the workplace. I'm not getting a lot of verbal encouragement lately at work. The job to be done has only increased and gotten more difficult. So therefore my strength is weak and my courage to fight the battles are dwindling. Yet, I also know that my strength and my courage are not of my own... they are only from You.

The parts in the Bible speaking of circumcision always grab my attention for obvious reasons. In this passage when God commands Joshua to re-circumcise Israel and it says the whole nation had been circumcised, I was thinking how painful that must have been. Certainly many of these men were mature and with limited anaesthetic at the time, this certainly was a painful procedure... and not one that was very pleasant to perform. But the reason God has commanded this is because over the period of 40 years wandering in the desert, those that had been circumcised coming out of Egypt are all gone. And now the next generation is not following his commands. Isn't this the same today. That every now and again we need to undergo re-circumcision of the heart? We get sloppy in our ways and God has to call us back again. We need to give up something in order to realize our dependency on Him. Sometimes, no matter how painful it is, He is calling us to identify with Him and remain in camp until we heal (5:8) and draw back into a right relationship with Him. Perhaps much of what I'm undergoing right now is a circumcision of the heart... where God is asking me to rend myself to Him all over again to realign my priority with His?

Another leadership quality that I picked up from Joshua here was the role that The Written Word played in the role of the leader. Not only was it given to the people but it was the leader's responsibility to read it to them. It says in Chapter 8 vs 34-25 that "Joshua read all of the words of the law - the blessings and the curses- just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them."

Am I reading the Word to those that I'm leading? My family? My Wife? My co-workers? Its says ALL of the words. Not skipping them... not sugarcoating them... but ALL of them. INCLUDING women and children and aliens. Those that are weaker, younger and not even followers of God. Lord, forgive me for my disobedience. I'm not following you with all of my heart, soul and strength.

Finally, one last thing... the warning about seeking you in all decisions. Chapter 9:14 when referring to the Gibenoite deception of Israel-"The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord." Even Joshua was led astray and made poor decisions because they did not inquire of the Lord. How many times daily do I make a decision and don't even acknowledge that God is leading me? That He is the master of my life? I just make them and then ask Him to bless them. How wrong this is and how I'm being deceived into thinking I'm in control. God help me remember you as I make decisions affecting not only me, but those with whom you've entrusted to my care.