Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Character, Competency
- Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person. It is hearing from God and obeying. It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.
- Competency: Being able to accomplish what one is called to do.
The
ending of this chapter has always been a great passage for me to read. This is such a great understanding of Joshua
and who he really was. What we hear is
that he waits to claim his own inheritance until all the other tribes are
settled.
Do
you remember the story of the messengers of the Lord coming to Abraham under
the oaks of Mamre? It’s found in Genesis
18. In Genesis 18:8 we hear that Abraham
prepares a meal for the messengers of the Lord and stands by them to make sure
their needs are taken care of before he ever thinks of himself. That’s exactly what Joshua does here. Joshua mimics the servant leadership style
that was so prominent in Abraham, the father of his people.
I
think this is a profound understanding for people who want to become spiritual
leaders and disciple-makers. Abraham, Moses,
Joshua, Samuel, Paul, and especially Jesus were all servant leaders. I’m sure I left of a number of other examples. But the point is that in order to truly
follow God one must have the servant mindset.
One has to be accustomed to putting God’s agenda ahead of one’s own
agenda. As long as a person is going
that far, it makes sense to be willing to put other people’s needs before your
own, too.
This
ultimately comes down to a character and competency question. Does a person have the character to set aside
their own needs in order to help another with their needs all while knowing
that God will take care of their own? Isn’t
that how Christ lived? Then the question
is, does a person have the competency to accomplish this for the right
reasons? Joshua did, and he was a great
spiritual leader of the Hebrew people.
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