Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. ‘Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:6-8 NIVUK
There can be little doubt at all that the discovery and manipulation of radio waves is one of the most fundamental breakthroughs for our modern society. Without it we wouldn't have radio, TV, radio controlled toys, mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, space exploration or the ability to tune into and listen to music and sport and news and debate and comedy pretty much anywhere we are in the country.
But this critical and fundamental invention requires us to do something so completely basic to make it work: the transmitter and the receiver must be on the same frequency. I remember the 'good old days' of adjusting the dial on an old black and white TV (or manipulating the wire coathanger we used as an arial), or sitting in the kitchen and tilting a massive metal aerial to the right angle so we could listen to a Scottish football team playing in Europe.
Nowadays, devices use sophisticated programming to tune themselves to the right frequency and remember it. Back in the old days, they didn't.
But why am I talking about tuning and radio and black and white TVs?
Very simple: Joshua needed to be a great leader. This was a group of people who needed strong leadership. But to be a great leader, he had to be a great follower. And by that I don't mean someone who clicks on a button so they can receive every inane and pointless update from someone they like. I mean that Joshua had to copy someone, to learn from someone, to seek to be like someone. In modern parlance, he had to be mentored.
And we understand that, don't we? We see mentoring taking place in his life. We see him being taken on by Moses and tasked with leading the Israelites to their first - and only - victory in a military campaign prior to the battle of Jericho (Exodus 17:8-16). We see that he is outside the camp, and out of touch with the evil going on inside it, when the Israelites bow down to the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:17-18). We also see that, once the Tent of Meeting, where Moses met with God, was set up, Joshua didn't leave it (Exodus 33:11).
This was truly extraordinary as Joshua was not from the priestly clan - he was an Ephraimite, of the twelfth generation from Joseph, and had no responsibilities in the Tent of Meeting at all, and neither did anyone from his tribe. But from an early age, Moses was teaching him something critical: to be able to lead His people, Joshua needed to be tuned into God. Joshua needed to follow Him.
In essense, God was telling Joshua to follow the teaching given to Moses, which in turn would mean that Joshua would be following God.
This is precisely what Paul was doing in the verses we saw earlier.
Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do.
Philippians 3:17 NIVUK
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 NIVUK
But we must not mistake this for arrogance. What Moses and Paul both did, and from a position of highly respected leadership, was exactly the same as Andrew did after meeting Jesus:
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).
John 1:40-42 NIVUK
And later Phillip did precisely the same thing:
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip.
John 1:43-46 NIVUK
Do you see the simple pattern? One person finds Jesus and then tells their friends to come and follow Him too. They are not being arrogant. They are not being proud. They are simply sharing a good thing with their closest friends and relatives.
And this is the essence of leadership. This is what it's all about. Leadership is not at all about power. I have met plenty of managers in the commercial world who are not at all leaders. I have seen politicians, even presidents and prime ministers, who could never be said to be leaders. Not in the truest sense.
A leader leads because people want to follow them. Not because of what they will receive. Not for their own benefit. But for who the leader is. They follow because they see something in the leader that is fundamentally attractive.
And this is who every Christian is called to be. We are not all called to be pastors or elders or deacons or managers or captains of industry or politicians. We are certainly not called to be dictators or bosses who rule through threats and fear. That is about as far from Christian as it gets, as Peter and Paul explain:
Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Colossians 4:1 NIVUK
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not Lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
1 Peter 5:1-4 NIVUK
However, every Christian is called to wield a different power - that of influence.
Sadly, the modern term 'influencer' has been soured by the dreadful behaviour of highly entitled young people who have sought to use the power of their online comnunity for their own benefit. There is nothing appealing about a shrill person walking into a hotel or a restaurant and demanding free five star service in order to positively review it on the internet. Such spoilt behaviour has to be challenged at every opportunity and rejected. If my daughter ever behaved in that awful way I would honestly feel that I had failed as a parent.
However, we are all called to be 'influencers' in a positive way. Influencers are paid to influence the behaviour and decisions of their followers - usually to buy certain products. They are basically human billboards.
We are called to be human billboards for the Gospel. We are called to influence people for Christ.
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:11-12 NIVUK.
We are called, like Andrew and Phillip did, to lead people to Christ. And they will not follow us to Him if we are not already following Him. Otherwise we will mislead them.
Joshua's great leadership did not come from great military acumen and tactics. How could it? He had only fought in one battle. And no-one could ever accuse his mentor Moses of being a military genius. Besides, some of Joshua's tactics, particularly at Jericho, might even seem bizarre to the modern eye.
No, his great leadership came from following God first and foremost - from obeying His Word and seeking Him. That's why, at the end of his life, Joshua could say this, without any fear of contradiction:
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.’
Joshua 24:15 NIVUK
Why were these words so important? Why was Joshua such a great leader? Because He followed the Lord, and everyone in Israel knew it. That's why no-one raised their voices when he challenged them to choose to obey God. They couldn't. They knew he had.
So what about you? Do people see anything fundamentally different about you? Do you talk differently, live differently, deal with others differently? Could they tell that you are a Christian without you having to say a word?
What kind of influence are you on the people around you?
Make 2022 the year you lead others and influence them by first bring the best follower you can be - of Jesus Christ. Concentrate on this above all and watch what happens.
But Joshua wasn't just asked to focus on leading and following. He was also to FOCUS ON BEING.
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