Teaching Notes

Joshua: God's Servant Leader

Joshua 1:1-9

                                                                                                                                 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses' assistant: "Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I'm giving to the People of Israel. I'm giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It's all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you. I won't give up on you; I won't leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don't get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you're going. And don't for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you'll get where you're going; then you'll succeed. Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

                                                                                                                                          Notes: Moses has died after leading the people of Israel from Egypt and wondering in the desert for forty years.  Now God is changing the leadership.  He is calling Joshua who has been with Moses as his assistant.

                                                                                                                                    Question: Why do you think God called Joshua?

                                                                                                                                         Answer: God had been preparing Joshua to take Moses' place.  He was allowing Moses to train Joshua and Joshua was submitting himself under Moses to learn from him.  One of the first steps to being a great leader is having a willingness to learn.  Joshua was blessed because Moses was a great leader/teacher.  However, you can still become a great leader, even if you do not have a great leader/teacher.  You can gain wisdom on "what not to do".  Yet, God when he wants to prepare you for something will ensure that you get the training that you need.  That is what he did for Joshua.  So when it was time for him to take the position of leader, he was ready to do so.

                                                                                                                                          Prayer: Lord, we thank you today that you prepare us to lead, by first training us through following.  Help us to follow your ways with a committed heart.