Why The Kingdom of God Needs More Joshuas
Memory Verse:
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Sermon Sentence: Joshua is a refreshing picture to have of what a real leader, serving God’s people, looks like from beginning to end.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Sermon Sentence: Joshua is a refreshing picture to have of what a real leader, serving God’s people, looks like from beginning to end.
Day 1
Read Numbers 11:16-30
You walked into a room in the middle of the conversation. So it will be helpful for you to understand what has been going on in this story. The people are complaining about not having any food. They were rescued from Egypt, but now have found themselves wandering around in the wilderness with nothing to eat. What do people do when there is not enough? We complain. That is the heart of all complaining, is it not? SO the conversation that you are walking in on here, is God starting to answer the people’s problem. Well…He also starts to answer Moses' problem here too. Because when the people complain, they blame Moses. God’s answer here is to give Moses some relief with other leaders that will be put in place. In this story, there are 70 of them. Only two names are mentioned at first, and the best we can tell, they are not really part of the 70. So maybe there are 72. A lot of times a leader can be threatened by help and not really want to share the spotlight, but Moses seems to be willing. He also has this young assistant that is learning under his wing. Moses seems like a pretty good leader that was concerned about empowering other people around him, while also making a point to raise up someone that will eventually replace him. That young man is Joshua. He suffers from the issue that many leaders struggle with, wanting all the spotlight for themselves. So when the other leaders start to prophesy, Joshua is ready to put a stop to this nonsense that is taking the spotlight away from Moses. As for Moses’ take on that, he would love it if everyone was a prophet and not just him!
That is a quick run through, but I think it does provide us with enough insight to Moses to start to make some thoughts.
Moses showed a great sign of good wisdom in the beginning when he moved to bring in these other leaders to help share his responsibility. Where is a place in your life that you could learn from that idea?
We know the rest of the story, and it seems that Moses was working toward Joshua taking his place for a really long time. How are you looking at the next generation today and discipling them to where they will need to step up in the future?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
You walked into a room in the middle of the conversation. So it will be helpful for you to understand what has been going on in this story. The people are complaining about not having any food. They were rescued from Egypt, but now have found themselves wandering around in the wilderness with nothing to eat. What do people do when there is not enough? We complain. That is the heart of all complaining, is it not? SO the conversation that you are walking in on here, is God starting to answer the people’s problem. Well…He also starts to answer Moses' problem here too. Because when the people complain, they blame Moses. God’s answer here is to give Moses some relief with other leaders that will be put in place. In this story, there are 70 of them. Only two names are mentioned at first, and the best we can tell, they are not really part of the 70. So maybe there are 72. A lot of times a leader can be threatened by help and not really want to share the spotlight, but Moses seems to be willing. He also has this young assistant that is learning under his wing. Moses seems like a pretty good leader that was concerned about empowering other people around him, while also making a point to raise up someone that will eventually replace him. That young man is Joshua. He suffers from the issue that many leaders struggle with, wanting all the spotlight for themselves. So when the other leaders start to prophesy, Joshua is ready to put a stop to this nonsense that is taking the spotlight away from Moses. As for Moses’ take on that, he would love it if everyone was a prophet and not just him!
That is a quick run through, but I think it does provide us with enough insight to Moses to start to make some thoughts.
Moses showed a great sign of good wisdom in the beginning when he moved to bring in these other leaders to help share his responsibility. Where is a place in your life that you could learn from that idea?
We know the rest of the story, and it seems that Moses was working toward Joshua taking his place for a really long time. How are you looking at the next generation today and discipling them to where they will need to step up in the future?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read Numbers 13
Moses is planning a spy mission to get a reading on the land that God has promised the people. He chooses twelve spies and included in that list is a man by the name of Hoshea. Later it is told to us that Moses changes Hoshea’s name to “Joshua.” If you are following the story, yesterday’s devotion told us that Joshua was a young man that assisted Moses and that we also understand is soon coming in to taking over for Moses in this story. If you follow the logic, it almost seems like Joshua is put there as a strategic hire for the spy team to favor Moses’ thoughts. Maybe I am assuming too much, but the story is taking some interesting twists here.
If that is the case, it is also interesting that Caleb is the only one that comes back from the spy mission and makes a great speech about going in and taking what God says. He is the only one. In this chapter. In the next chapter, we will see Joshua jump in with him and they are the only two that are saying this should happen. But here, there is only Caleb. Caleb is all alone and it seems to be him against everyone. Maybe Joshua is waiting for his moment that comes later, or maybe he is a bit intimidated by this whole time and Caleb’s speech is the thing that sends him over to his side. They just spent 40 days on a mission of spying together and it seems strange to assume that some of Caleb’s obvious audacity and courage would not rub off on him. I like to imagine that this was the friendship or even acquaintance that caused Joshua to step into that role of courage and leadership that Moses was getting him ready for.
Why do you think Caleb is the only one that stands up for God’s plan at first?
Do you think there would be an element of fear to report to the people on the side of the minority? The report, if we leave Joshua out of the tally, 1 for and 10 against the idea.
What is a lesson that you learn in this story for your life today?
How does this all become part of your prayer today?
Moses is planning a spy mission to get a reading on the land that God has promised the people. He chooses twelve spies and included in that list is a man by the name of Hoshea. Later it is told to us that Moses changes Hoshea’s name to “Joshua.” If you are following the story, yesterday’s devotion told us that Joshua was a young man that assisted Moses and that we also understand is soon coming in to taking over for Moses in this story. If you follow the logic, it almost seems like Joshua is put there as a strategic hire for the spy team to favor Moses’ thoughts. Maybe I am assuming too much, but the story is taking some interesting twists here.
If that is the case, it is also interesting that Caleb is the only one that comes back from the spy mission and makes a great speech about going in and taking what God says. He is the only one. In this chapter. In the next chapter, we will see Joshua jump in with him and they are the only two that are saying this should happen. But here, there is only Caleb. Caleb is all alone and it seems to be him against everyone. Maybe Joshua is waiting for his moment that comes later, or maybe he is a bit intimidated by this whole time and Caleb’s speech is the thing that sends him over to his side. They just spent 40 days on a mission of spying together and it seems strange to assume that some of Caleb’s obvious audacity and courage would not rub off on him. I like to imagine that this was the friendship or even acquaintance that caused Joshua to step into that role of courage and leadership that Moses was getting him ready for.
Why do you think Caleb is the only one that stands up for God’s plan at first?
Do you think there would be an element of fear to report to the people on the side of the minority? The report, if we leave Joshua out of the tally, 1 for and 10 against the idea.
What is a lesson that you learn in this story for your life today?
How does this all become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Numbers 14:1-19
A lie is a powerful problem. It may seem small and may even look small, but the real thing to consider here is that it never stays small. It is like an infection that does not just stay put. The lie here started with 10 people. Well, that is where we get the story of its origin. Maybe it was started in a couple of conversations while the spies were in the land. Here is what we do know, by the time that it gets to this chapter, it is the concert of the people. A lie will always create chaos and it always looks to grow in a crowd. The text here also tells us of the cries coming in the night, which is a much better time for a lie to travel than in the light, where it would be exposed. The next thing a lie does is start to find a place to blame. Joshua and Caleb start a truth quest and stand as beacons hoping to undo what the lie is spreading. The lie takes that opportunity to silence the truth, as the people seek to stone Caleb and Joshua. That is when God steps in.
We all believe lies. You have probably wrestled with that very thing today. Or maybe you will in a little while. Be careful what you hear. The problem here was that the people started to hear the lies from the crowd. Caleb and Joshua got the truth from God. Which one you choose to hear really matters.
What do you learn about God when Moses steps in and intercedes on behalf of the people to hold off His anger?
How have you heard the lie in a similar way this week?
What truth are you not hearing that you need to listen to?
How does this inform your prayers for today?
A lie is a powerful problem. It may seem small and may even look small, but the real thing to consider here is that it never stays small. It is like an infection that does not just stay put. The lie here started with 10 people. Well, that is where we get the story of its origin. Maybe it was started in a couple of conversations while the spies were in the land. Here is what we do know, by the time that it gets to this chapter, it is the concert of the people. A lie will always create chaos and it always looks to grow in a crowd. The text here also tells us of the cries coming in the night, which is a much better time for a lie to travel than in the light, where it would be exposed. The next thing a lie does is start to find a place to blame. Joshua and Caleb start a truth quest and stand as beacons hoping to undo what the lie is spreading. The lie takes that opportunity to silence the truth, as the people seek to stone Caleb and Joshua. That is when God steps in.
We all believe lies. You have probably wrestled with that very thing today. Or maybe you will in a little while. Be careful what you hear. The problem here was that the people started to hear the lies from the crowd. Caleb and Joshua got the truth from God. Which one you choose to hear really matters.
What do you learn about God when Moses steps in and intercedes on behalf of the people to hold off His anger?
How have you heard the lie in a similar way this week?
What truth are you not hearing that you need to listen to?
How does this inform your prayers for today?
Day 4
Read Psalm 78:1-8
Let’s talk about Hydrate Kids Camp. It is the single biggest, most involved, and most expensive outreach we tend to do each year. Why do we put so much into this? Because it strums the string of one of our core values that we hold on to here at Keystone Church, passing the teachings of Jesus to the next generation. Keystone Kids is not just a program for your kids so you can sit in the big people services without being bothered. Hydrate is not a camp that you can just dump your kids off at so that you get some breathing room. Both of these are our group attempt to build a community that is sharing the idea of following Jesus at a vitally important stage in a life, childhood. If we, the adults, parents, and leaders in the church, do not prepare the next generation for what they will face, no one will. Schools are teaching skills and knowledge, and that is good. Jobs are teaching life lessons and provision, and that is good. But better than all of those is the idea of wisdom. Wisdom is all of life lessons, knowledge, discernment, and all of those things. The Bible tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. That means the only way to arrive at wisdom, the most important thing for facing life, is to start with the fear of the Lord.
We should be praying for each other’s families. We should be encouraging each other in the transitions that we walk through as children grow and families change. We should support each other by sharing the mission and goal of sharing in the pursuit and gaining of wisdom for us and the next generation.
Who are two people that you could reach out to today and encourage to keep going in the truths and teachings of God’s word?
How can you pray for families at Keystone Church in light of this reading?
How does this study today become part of your prayer?
Let’s talk about Hydrate Kids Camp. It is the single biggest, most involved, and most expensive outreach we tend to do each year. Why do we put so much into this? Because it strums the string of one of our core values that we hold on to here at Keystone Church, passing the teachings of Jesus to the next generation. Keystone Kids is not just a program for your kids so you can sit in the big people services without being bothered. Hydrate is not a camp that you can just dump your kids off at so that you get some breathing room. Both of these are our group attempt to build a community that is sharing the idea of following Jesus at a vitally important stage in a life, childhood. If we, the adults, parents, and leaders in the church, do not prepare the next generation for what they will face, no one will. Schools are teaching skills and knowledge, and that is good. Jobs are teaching life lessons and provision, and that is good. But better than all of those is the idea of wisdom. Wisdom is all of life lessons, knowledge, discernment, and all of those things. The Bible tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. That means the only way to arrive at wisdom, the most important thing for facing life, is to start with the fear of the Lord.
We should be praying for each other’s families. We should be encouraging each other in the transitions that we walk through as children grow and families change. We should support each other by sharing the mission and goal of sharing in the pursuit and gaining of wisdom for us and the next generation.
Who are two people that you could reach out to today and encourage to keep going in the truths and teachings of God’s word?
How can you pray for families at Keystone Church in light of this reading?
How does this study today become part of your prayer?
Day 5
Read Judges 2:6-15
I have often thought about the implications of this passage. Implications are the parts that the passage does not say and therefore we project out of our processing. I am fully aware that I do it, but I also think the Bible lends itself to a space to do this. This week, as an example, I was thinking about how Joshua didn’t have a Joshua. Do you know what I am saying? Moses had a Joshua that was the next guy trained up and given the place to carry the torch. Paul had a Timothy. Samuel had a Saul. Joshua just went into Judges, which is a book full of stories about leadership gaps. I have often heard it taught that the leader should have someone that they are planning to replace themselves and this is a teaching from this idea. But that is putting more on the text than is there. Was it really Joshua’s fault of leadership that there was not a next Joshua? It doesn’t say in the Bible. It's a good lesson to think about, but be reminded that it is not in the text.
The reason that we want to force lessons from the text is because we want a problem/solution format. That makes the most sense for our storytelling purposes. Did the people stop following God because there was no Joshua? That doesn’t seem right. The Bible does lend some weight to that idea, but it doesn’t lean fully on the fact that the people needed a Joshua to get it right. They needed a Jesus to get it right. The problem in this story is not a lack of leadership, but more so a lack of people following God.
Why do you think that the story of the Bible doesn’t include another Joshua, or a leader for the next steps?
How do you think that the people forgot the work of the Lord in the next generation?
Where do you see these same dangers in your life today?
How does this become your prayer today?
I have often thought about the implications of this passage. Implications are the parts that the passage does not say and therefore we project out of our processing. I am fully aware that I do it, but I also think the Bible lends itself to a space to do this. This week, as an example, I was thinking about how Joshua didn’t have a Joshua. Do you know what I am saying? Moses had a Joshua that was the next guy trained up and given the place to carry the torch. Paul had a Timothy. Samuel had a Saul. Joshua just went into Judges, which is a book full of stories about leadership gaps. I have often heard it taught that the leader should have someone that they are planning to replace themselves and this is a teaching from this idea. But that is putting more on the text than is there. Was it really Joshua’s fault of leadership that there was not a next Joshua? It doesn’t say in the Bible. It's a good lesson to think about, but be reminded that it is not in the text.
The reason that we want to force lessons from the text is because we want a problem/solution format. That makes the most sense for our storytelling purposes. Did the people stop following God because there was no Joshua? That doesn’t seem right. The Bible does lend some weight to that idea, but it doesn’t lean fully on the fact that the people needed a Joshua to get it right. They needed a Jesus to get it right. The problem in this story is not a lack of leadership, but more so a lack of people following God.
Why do you think that the story of the Bible doesn’t include another Joshua, or a leader for the next steps?
How do you think that the people forgot the work of the Lord in the next generation?
Where do you see these same dangers in your life today?
How does this become your prayer today?
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