Numbers 27 and Joshua 1 · Share Leadership
Joshua
Forty years as an assistant, one public handoff, and a warning at the end.
The story
Joshua first appears as a young man leading Israel’s fighters while Moses prays on the hill (Exod. 17:9–13). After that he is rarely far from Moses. He climbs partway up Sinai with him (Exod. 24:13). He stays at the tent of meeting after Moses leaves (Exod. 33:11). He is one of two scouts who bring back a faithful report when ten others lose their nerve (Num. 14:6–9).
Near the end of his life, Moses asks God to appoint a leader so the people will not be “as sheep that have no shepherd” (Num. 27:17). God names Joshua. Moses lays hands on him in front of the priest and the whole community and gives him some of his own authority (Num. 27:18–23).
After Moses dies, God speaks to Joshua directly.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”Joshua 1:9
What the story teaches
Development took decades, and most of the time looked like assisting. Joshua watched, carried, waited, and fought before he led. The LEADS System calls the stages Observe, Equip, Empower, and Commission. Joshua went through all four.
Moses asked for a successor. He did not cling to the role or leave the question open. He raised the matter himself, before anyone had to raise the matter with him.
The handoff was public. Everyone saw Moses lay hands on Joshua. Nobody had to wonder who was in charge the day Moses was gone. A private handoff invites a public contest.
Moses handed over real authority while he was still alive. “You shall invest him with some of your authority” (Num. 27:20). Joshua practiced leading with Moses still near.
Joshua did not become a second Moses. He crossed the Jordan in his own way and fought battles Moses never faced. A successor who can only repeat the predecessor has been trained to copy, not to lead.
The story ends with a warning. Joshua finished well, and Scripture names no successor to him. The generation after his “did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel” (Judg. 2:10). Being well developed does not make a leader a developer.
Try this week
- Name the person you are preparing to take your place. If nobody comes to mind, start a list of two.
- Decide which stage that person is in: Observe, Equip, Empower, or Commission.
- Hand over one piece of real authority now, in front of the team, while you are still there to help.
Read the ROAR issues The handoff and Who have you reproduced?
Sources
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2001.
Passages studied: Exodus 17:8–13; 24:13; 33:11; Numbers 14:6–9; 27:15–23; Joshua 1:1–9; Judges 2:10.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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