Who Will Lead

To get an understanding of the book of Judges, it is important to first understand the relationship between Moses and Joshua and how their distinct personalities set the tone for their leadership styles and set the tone for what was to come following their deaths.

Moses was passionate and impulsive. Moses saw someone in Joshua that he could pour his life into. Maybe it was because he struggled with feeling as if he fit in with others. After all, he was ‘adopted’ at birth. He was a Hebrew in Egypt. He struggled with his past failures and didn’t have anyone to ‘encourage him’ or motivate him. He was a foreigner in his land of birth and a foreigner to his fellow Hebrews. He was a foreigner in Midian. Who was he and what was he?

Speaking of his failures, in Exodus 2 we are told about how he killed an Egyptian for fighting with a Hebrew. The next day two Hebrews were fighting and they both chastised him for killing the Egyptian. We also know how he got angry quite often and broke the original tablets, as well as striking the rock in Numbers 20 instead of speaking to it.

The rock was symbolic of Jesus. In Exodus 17, God told him to strike the rock for water and he did. In Numbers 20, God told him to speak to the rock for the water to come forth. Instead, the Bible tells us that Moses struck the rock 2 times. God was not please with this and barred him from the Promised Land.----this is symbolic of Christ being struck (beaten) one time for our sins. After that, we are to talk to Him and His Rivers of Living Water will flow for us. If God allowed Moses to carry on, it would show disobedience to God and also would give the impression that we are to ‘work’ for the Living Waters when in reality, it is freely given to us when we ask.

We also know that Moses dealt with inadequacies that included…

1. Not feeling as if he was important enough

2. Feeling as if he lacked necessary qualities such as speaking

3. Having doubts about what God can do through him

4. Feeling so minimal that he had nothing to offer and wanting God to send someone else for him

5. Delaying a move of God because of his fears

6. Causing God to ‘redo’ something such as the 10 commandment tablets because of his anger and inability to maintain self-control

Yet he was a ‘Man of God’ according to Joshua 14:6 and a ‘Friend of God’ in Exodus 33:11.

…Moses saw something in Joshua. He saw promise and potential. He saw eagerness to learn and a willingness to obey. He intentionally poured his life into Joshua, entrusting him with responsibility and preparing him for service.

From the moment in Exodus 17 that Moses chose Joshua to the Israelite army into battle against the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16), we can see Moses intentionally developing Joshua into a leader.

As a matter of fact, Joshua was with Moses when he went up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments from God in Exodus 24:13. He watched Moses lose his cool (righteous anger) when Moses smashed the two tablets (Ex 32:17-19). He got to spiritually witness the holy communion that Moses shared with the Lord as Joshua guarded the tent of meeting (Ex 33:11). Moses sent Joshua to scout the Land of Cannan when they were on their way to possess the promised land (Numbers 13:8).

Moses had done a great job of building Joshua up to take over the lead when he would eventually pass on. Sadly, despite all his military prowess and his incredible faith. Despite his understanding of what it takes to lead, he dropped the ball. There is no biblical record of Joshua investing in the life of anyone else and mentoring them to become the next leader for Israel.

HE DIDN’T HAVE A SUCCESSOR. Was this a failure on Joshua’s part? Was this a failure on Moses’s part to not teach Joshua how to develop leaders? Was this just simply how God wanted it to go?

Sadly, this resulted in some horrible results for Israel. As we study the book of Judges, we are going to read about multiple victories, multiple failures, multiple ways that the leaders failed the people and led them to destruction. We are also going to see how when men and women of God don’t stand up for what it important and what is right, evil men and women will step up and destruction will come the way of the people.

***It can easily be summed up in a few separate scriptures…

Judges 1:1 -- Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”