You have fought the good fight, you have stayed the course, you have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7), and you are now on the precipice of realizing your hard sought-after calling. In pursuit of God’s best you may have wrestled with and overcome some internal spiritual battles, and individually resolved to press ahead in faith; however, actually laying hold of the Promised Land is no individual matter. From this point on, should you try to go at it alone, you will likely meet with defeat. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 we read:
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Did you catch what Solomon said? He stated that “two are better than one.” Why? Because they can help each other when the going gets tough. This is some sound advice, but our culture has taught us that if we want something then we – ourselves – must go out and get it. We hear messages like, “You can do anything you put your mind to,” and “If you want something, then you’ve got to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and go get it.” Notice how these messages emphasize “you” – it’s all up to you, and therefore you must be the one to do it.
According to Solomon, there are certain tasks that are too big for you to handle by yourself, without falling flat on your face or being overpowered by the enemy. Entering your calling, and doing anything ministry related is not something that should or could be done in isolation from others, for we are part of the Body of Christ, and we must work alongside others to fulfill God’s kingdom purposes, for that is how the Lord has ordained it (cf. Romans 12:3-5; 1 Corinthians 12:23-27).
There are too many people today who want to be the lone wolf, attempting to achieve things on their own; likely with the motive of self-glory should they succeed. More than likely, a lone wolf mentality will lead to failure when attempting God-sized tasks; and rather than bringing glory to the Father you will bring shame. In the book entitled Lessons in Leadership, Leslie Flynn shares the following advice: “Know when you cannot handle something yourself . . . The lone wolf syndrome has no place in the ministry. No pastor is gifted enough, wise enough, or strong enough to live apart from others”(1) – and this advice doesn’t just apply to pastors, but to anyone pursuing a calling and serving in ministry.
One of the best ways to see your calling realized it to select and train a teammate – at least one – and multiple teammates would be even better. For example, in starting churches, there is an approach called “team church planting,” in which individuals within an existing congregation are handpicked, trained, put to work serving somewhere within the church while being groomed as a leader; and then they are released and sent out to birth a new church with others who have been trained in a similar manner.(2) You may not be able to secure an entire team, but it is important to find someone with whom to share your vision and with whom you can aspire to the challenge.
This morning we are going to look at how Moses enlisted Joshua as his teammate in envisioning and realizing the dream of the Promised Land.
Selecting An Assistant (vv. 1-6)
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 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. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
The Lord instructed Joshua to enter Canaan in conquest of the Promised Land. Notice how he was addressed not simply as Joshua, but as “Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant” (v. 1). Two things are emphasized here: His family, representing his moral training, and his mentor representing his spiritual training. Normally a person was only addressed by his or her family name; however, with Joshua, his mentor’s name was included. Why? Because his spiritual training was significant in being selected as the next leader of the Israelites and in being in charge of the conquest of Canaan.
When getting ready to claim God’s best, it is unwise to go at it alone. Hopefully, you have been sharing your vision with others along the way, and perhaps some have climbed on board to support you either through prayer or by hands-on assistance. The actual physical assistance of others is extremely beneficial in entering into God’s best. They can be there to help you with any grunt work, and they can provide moral support through words of encouragement and faith. Somewhere along your journey in pursuing God’s best, you have hopefully enlisted some supporters; and you especially need to find someone to train on a one-on-one level. We learn that Moses was able to recruit and train Joshua.
The rationale for needing an assistant can be found in Exodus chapter 18:13-18. Allow me to read this passage for you:
And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening. So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.” So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.”
Moses sat in the seat of judge among the people, deciding right from wrong in difficult matters and civil disputes. He also served the people as a spiritual guide, making known the statutes of God. Moses had a very difficult task to perform – one that took a great deal of time and energy – for there was an incredible amount of people to watch over. In Exodus 12:37-38, we learn of the great multitude for which Moses was responsible. These verses tell us, “Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. A mixed multitude went up with them also.”
The group of Israelites for which Moses was responsible included 600,000 men, probably around 600,000 women, and perhaps that many children as well. We also read that there was a mixed multitude that came out with them. This mixed multitude included people other than the descendants of Abraham, who took advantage of the opportunity to escape their slavery. Moses was serving around 2 million people, minimum. This was an impossible amount of people to minister to all by oneself. It was likely that Moses was not effective in reaching everyone, and there were probably some things that were neglected and went unattended as well.
Moses needed help, and his father-in-law Jethro said, “The thing that you do is not good” and, “This thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” Jethro was telling Moses that if he tried to everything by himself that he would wear himself out. It is true that Moses was the spiritual leader, but he was only one man. If all the Israelites were to receive spiritual guidance, others needed to help Moses with this enormous task. This is likely one of the reasons why Joshua was selected as an assistant; in order to help Moses along the journey. Of course, he was also selected as a successor to carry on the work when Moses was gone.
So, what should you look for when selecting an assistant? Johnny Hunt points out four reasons why Joshua was selected for Moses: 1.) “Although Joshua was outvoted by millions of doubters he stood virtually alone as one of two spies who believed God.”(3) 2.) “Joshua was available to be mentored by Moses. He knew God’s voice in the matter and put his own agenda behind him to follow Moses.”(4) 3.) “Joshua also gave evidence of a deep hunger for God. Exodus 33:11 says, ‘So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.’ When God was speaking Joshua just wanted to hang in there and experience God. Moses saw this [quality] in Joshua.”(5) 4.) “Moses also saw that Joshua showed discipline while waiting forty days at the bottom of Mount Sinai while Moses received the Ten Commandments.”(6)
Training an Assistant (vv. 7-8)
7 “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you 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.”
In these verses, Joshua was not training or mentoring an individual on-on-one; however, he was instilling his knowledge within others. As Moses’ assistant, he was instructed in the Law of the Lord; and here, he was addressing the entire community and reminding them to keep the Law that was passed on through Moses. This is not an example of mentoring per se, but it shows us a deep conviction which Joshua acquired from his time spent with Moses – the value of instructing others. We should all be seeking someone to train in the ways of the Lord.
The process of training an assistant is called “mentoring.” Our word “mentor” comes from Homer’s great epic the Odyssey. In this story “Mentor is a friend of Odysseus who undertakes the education of his son Telemachus.”(7) “Today the word depicts a wise and helpful friend, a teacher and leader who uses his or her experience to show others how best to walk life’s path, and to accomplish goals and meet life’s challenges.”(8) Simply put, mentoring is training up someone under our guidance.
Moses took Joshua under his wing as his assistant and trained him, because Joshua – not Moses – was the one who would enter Canaan and lead the next generation of Israelites. Moses himself could not enter the Promised Land, but his thoughts about God, and his experiences and ideas on ministry could, because he instilled them in another person whom he trained for more than forty years.
The Lord advised Moses concerning Joshua’s role with Canaan, saying, “He shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it” (Dt 1:38). Elsewhere the Lord instructed Moses, “Command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him” (Dt 3:28). Moses was given the task of encouraging and strengthening Joshua, and he was even commanded to grant some of his own authority to him. The Lord commanded Moses in Numbers 27:20, “And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.”
This practice of mentoring can be seen in the New Testament in the relationship between Paul and Timothy. We read how Timothy was well spoken of by the people of Lystra; and therefore, Paul decided to take him along as his companion and apprentice (Acts 16:2-3), and he deliberately sought to mentor Timothy during their journeys together. Paul told his apprentice, “The things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tm 2:2). Paul wanted someone in whom he could confide, and who would “take the things heard from him,” or his teachings, and then “commit them to other faithful men.” Paul wanted Timothy to pass on the teachings to his own future apprentices who would one day be under his own mentorship.
In addition to mentoring Timothy, Paul mentored elders, deacons, and new believers. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ,” and in Philippians 4:9, he stated, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” In 2 Thessalonians 3:7 and 9, Paul reminded the new believers at Thessalonica to “follow our example” for “[we] made ourselves an example of how you should follow us” (NLT). In each of these passages, Paul was saying telling his trainees, “I have shown you what to do, so now go out and do it!”
Paul used words like “imitate,” “learned,” and “example.” The word “imitate” is used of the profession of being a mimic or actor. Literally, Paul was saying that the believers mimicked the conduct of their spiritual guides and acted it out. The word “example” is a word defined as “an underwriting.” It was used of the process of tracing letters for copying. Biblical scribes painstakingly traced every letter of the sacred text in order to provide an accurate copy. Paul was taking this kind of careful devotion in his mentoring practice. The word “model” can also be translated “resemblance.” Indeed, Paul concluded that the believers were a stamp or a print of their spiritual guides.(9)
As believers, we need to develop a desire to mentor others. Why? Because there is strength in numbers, and we need all the help we can possibly get when seeking to carry out God’s orders and when entering the place of our calling. Howard Hendricks revealed his desire to mentor when he said, “I want to prepare a person to become better than I am.”(10) I believe this should be our desire as well. We need to find people in whom we can confide and train them up in the ways of the Lord in a one-on-one fashion, and instill within them a vision of God’s best, and then when the time comes we need to bless them and release them for service.
Blessing is a vital aspect of mentoring for it causes the apprentice to not only cherishes his or her instruction, but it empowers him or her for ministry and leadership. In Deuteronomy 34:9, we see that Moses blessed and released Joshua for service. This verse says, “Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.” It was after Joshua was blessed through the “laying on of hands,” that the people listened to him and that he had the confidence to perform his ministry without wavering.
Time of Reflection
You overcame a lot of battles and trials to stand on the border of the Promised Land, gazing out over your dream. Perhaps most of your battles were spiritual in nature, but as you press into your calling it will become both spiritual and physical. On a spiritual level the devil will still be trying to discourage you in order to get you to turn back. On a physical level you will be needing to roll up your sleeves, and begin digging in and actually doing some hard work.
This hard work will entail making an effort to meet key individuals with whom you can labor in realizing God’s best; it will involve sharing your faith in Jesus Christ and sharing your visions with others, which could be met with resistance and opposition; it will also require continually growing in your relationship with the Lord, studying the Word and making disciples. With each of these growing responsibilities will come increasing time constraints. To ensure success in meeting all these demands to fulfilling God’s calling, it is best to enlist someone as your assistant to help bear some of the load. You need to find someone to mentor.
Keep in mind that Jesus is always there to help you carry the load. Whatever load you are trying to bear in life – whether it is trying to fulfill a calling or trying to carry the weight of your own sins – Jesus is there for you, to reach out and help. Jesus declared, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
NOTES
(1) Leslie B. Flynn, “Learning How to Minister for Decades in the Same Setting,” Lessons in Leadership, edited by Randal Roberts (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), p. 129.
(2) Paul Kim, “Team Church Planting,” Reaching A Nation through Church Planting, compiled by Richard H. Harris (Alpharetta, GA: North American Mission Board, 2003), pp. 89-98.
(3) Johnny Hunt, “Mentoring A Church Planter,” Reaching A Nation through Church Planting, p. 24.
(4) Ibid., p. 24.
(5) Ibid., pp. 24-25.
(6) Ibid., p. 25.
(7) Kenneth O. Gangel, Team Leadership in Christian Ministry (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), p. 257.
(8) Ibid., p. 257.
(9) American Missionary Fellowship, “Living A Godly Life,” taken from the Internet April 2003 at http://www.americanmissionary.org/wm.shtml.
(10) Raymond McHenry, McHenry’s Stories for the Soul (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2001), p. 181.
