The Preparation of a Leader, Part 1a

Book of Joshua chapter 1. Book of Joshua, the conqueror of Canaan. He is the might warrior. He is the one who leads the people of God into the promised land. And the Bible says in Joshua 1, verse number 1, Now it came about after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord.

That the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore arise, cross the Jordan. You and all this people to the land which I'm giving to them, to the sons of Is. Moses has died, and now it's Joshua's turn to lead. The only thing it tells us about Joshua is that he's a son. He's a servant of the Lord. He is a successor of Moses. We know that he's been a spy because he spied out the land of Canaan some 40 years earlier. We know he's a soldier, and we know that he was a slave in Egypt.

Those are things that we know for certain about Joshua the son of nun. And there are seven occasions that Joshua is mentioned before the book of Joshua. And each of those occasions become major times of preparation, so Joshua would know what to do when it came time. To lead Israel into the promised land. And those seven occasions provide for us a framework. To help us understand how God prepares us and wants to get us ready to do whatever it is He's asked us to do. I mean, when it comes to practicality, the word of the Lord is so practical for everyday living.

And God just kind of maps that out for us to show us what it is he does in our lives to make us what he wants us to be. And to prepare us from one area of ministry to another area of ministry. And God had to do a unique work in Joshua's life to make him ready. To lead two and a half million disgruntled Jews into the promised land. How did God do that? In what circumstances did God use to prepare him? Our desire this week and next week is to give you those seven occasions and help you understand them in such a way that you now will be prepared to lead.

in your church, in your family, in your workplace, in your neighborhood, on your ball team, in your dorm at school, wherever you are, God is going to prepare you through the principles that God used to prepare Joshua to lead after the death of the greatest leader Israel ever had. It's kind of intimidating, isn't it? But that's what happens. So, here we go. Let's go back to Exodus chapter 17. This is the first time Joshua is mentioned in the Bible, okay, in terms of his preparation.

Listen to what it says. Verse 8, then Amal. Now stop right there for a second. We're going to come back to that because that's so important. You need to get the first principle here.

You need to understand the first preparation in the life of Joshua because it sets the tone for the other six.

If you miss this one, you're going to have a hard time building toward the end here. So, you need to understand this first one.

So, we're going to spend some time here so you get it because it's so practical to your life and mind. Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Raphidim. Now you know the story of Raphidim. That's where God told Joshua he would stand on the rock. He was supposed to take the rod, strike the rock, and out would come the water. Remember that? We told you that Christ was the rock. We were learning about that in 1 Corinthians chapter 10. So we know that Christ is the rock. We know the rod is representative of God Himself.

And the water that flowed out of the rock is representative of the Spirit of God. That's stuff we've already covered. It's at that location in Rephid that Amalek comes to fight against Is So Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow, I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. And Joshua did as Moses told him. We'll stop right there for a second.

Folks, let me tell you something. If you want to lead, You got to be a great follower. If you're not a great follower, you're going be a terrible leader. Because you see, people need an example to follow. Those who know how to follow know how to lead others to follow. There's always been a good rule of thumb that when you have a hard time getting people to follow your leadership. Or to submit to your rulership, it's probably because you are not very good at submitting to the authority that's over you.

That's a pretty good rule of thumb. When people are not obedient to you in terms of your leadership as parents, your children have a hard time following your leadership. It's usually because you are an unsubmissive follower. Joshua was obedient. Joshua was prompt in his obedience. God said to Moses, or I mean, excuse me, Moses said to Joshua, listen, this is what you got to do. You got to go out and fight against Amalek. And tomorrow, this is what I'm going to do. And Joshua. Immediately obeyed. That's important.

That's not the principle, but that's important, okay? So we read on. And Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and her went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed. And when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and her supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.

So Joshua overwhelmed Am and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the Lord said to Moses, Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it. To Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under the sun, from under heaven, excuse me. And Moses built an altar and named it. The Lord is my banner. And he said, the Lord has sworn. The Lord will have war against Amale from generation to generation. Now, for most of us, we know the story. Moses was up on the hill, and Moses would begin to pray.

And as Moses' hands were lifted up, Joshua would prevail. But when the hands began to Fall down. Am prevailed. And so Aaron and her put him on a rock and stood there and supported his hands so that Joshua would win the victory. Joshua began to see on that day that it wasn't his guns, but his God that won the victory. It wasn't his sword, but his savior. You can imagine Joshua down in the valley. He's fighting away, and he's kind of glancing up to the hill to see what's going on. And when Moses' hands are up, they're winning.

But when his hands begin to falter, they begin to lose. As soon as the hands go back up again, they're winning. Because he knows, he knows that when Moses prays, they win. The first principle centers around prayer.

And prayer is The back of ministry. Prayer is the backbone of your family. Prayer is the backbone of everything. The very first time Joshua is mentioned in terms of his preparation for leadership, it centers around him going to war.

And in that battle, when Moses would lift his hands up to God and bring that staff, which is representative of God, showing his dependence upon great Jehovah him. That Joshua would prevail. And Joshua, from the outset, would begin to learn the most essential lesson of his life. That without God, he will always lose, but with God, he will always win. You know, folks, that's a lesson we don't learn very well. We like to think that we've learned it, but we haven't learned it very well. And this was told by the Lord to write it down in the book.

Moses don't forget this and recite it to Joshua. Become Joshua's history teacher. Don't let Joshua forget what happened this day. And Moses built an altar and called it Yave Nis. The Lord is my banner. Remember, when you went into battle, you carried a pole, and on that pole was this metal ornament that represented. Who you were fighting for and who you were serving. It was a mark of identification. Today we have flags that when we go into battle, we carry our flag. Moses says it's the Lord God Jehovah, Yahweh, who is my banner.

He is our point of identification. He is our point of inspiration. He is our point of instruction. It is God Himself that is our identity. And Joshua began to learn that without that identity, without God as the supreme authority of his life, he would always lo. His battles. You can go back and you can read in the Old Testament how many times that raising your hands to God was symbolic of prayer. Way back in Psalm 28, verse number 2, it says this: Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to thee for help, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy sanctuary.

Over in Psalm 44, verse number 20. If we had forgotten the name of our God or extended our hands to a strange God, would not God find us out? For he knows the secrets of the heart. Lifting the hands was symbolic of praying to God and symbolic of dependence upon God. Realizing that we are unworthy to accomplish anything, but God is worthy to accomplish all things. And this is what Joshua was learning on this day. That everything was about God. Everything was about his power. Everything was about depending upon the great God, Jehovah.

Their defender, their protector, their leader. That's why the Bible says that men ought always to pray and not to faint.

In other words, if you don't pray, you'll faint. If you're fainting, it's because you're not praying. If you're willing to give up and throw in the towel, it's because you're not pray If your window is more than a moment, if your window Forget about it, it's because you're not praying. Men ought always to pray and not faint. The point being is that when you pray, you don't faint, you don't quit, but when you when you when you faint, it's because You're not praying. That's why the Bible says in 1 Timothy 2, verse number 8: men are to lift up holy hands.

In prayer. Ephesians 6:1 says that we're to pray at all times with perseverance. With perseverance. Joshua became an inst her when they won. And yet, he could not forget. What took place in that valley at Rafidim on that day? Because it would be the most important lesson he ever learned. Now, let me help you understand it in a different way, in a way it applies to you and me.

The Bible says, then. Am when was then then came after redemption. They had been redeemed from slavery. They had just crossed through the Red Sea. They had won the great battle. And they had seen God provide in a supernatural way as they crossed through on dry land, as God would provide out of the rock in a supernatural way the water they needed. It was then that Am would attack. It was then that this descendant Of Esau. Am was the grandson of Esau. Esau was the one who sold his birthright. For a bowl of soup.

He was the one used in the book of Hebrews as a model of fleshy appetites. It was at that time, after they had won the battle, it was at that moment, after they had been blessed, that the battle ensued. Isn't that the way it is? In your life and mind? After there's a great blessing, what happens? It's always a battle, right? There's never enough blessings to keep you going. There's a blessing, then there's a battle. And then another battle, then a blessing. And then another battle, another battle, another b And then a blessing.

But there's always a battle that follows a blessing. And that's throughout the scriptures. And that's throughout your life and my life. And it was at that moment that Am would attack after they had been blessed. After they had seen the work of God, after they had rejoiced in what God had done, then Satan knows that when you got it good, it's time for him to come on strong. And that's what he did. And Amalek is representative of those people who are of fleshy desires. And that's why the Bible says in 1 Peter 2.

11 that we, the Christian, the believer, the chosen one, Who are aliens and strangers in a foreign land have to beware of the fleshly desires that wage war against our souls. Because they do. They wage war on a daily basis. And we need to remember exactly how that war ensues in our life. Because the Bible says over in Deuteronomy chapter 25 about how Amalek would attack the people of God.

Deuteronomy 25, verse number 17. Remember that Am did to you along the way, when you came out from Egypt, how he met you along the way, and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear. God. When did Am attack? He attacked after the blessing. How did Am attack? He attacked in the most vulnerable place possible from the rear. Where those people were faint and weary. And that's how the enemy always attacks us at our place of great vulnerability.

And that's why prayer is the backbone of your ministry. Joshua, who had to lead all these people. Had to learn that lesson. For if he missed this lesson, no other lesson would matter. Because he needs to understand it in its entirety. And that's why God says to Moses, write it down.

Remember it by reciting it to Joshua so he never forgets. The Lord is my banner, Moses said. You see, it's important for us to realize that Joshua didn't get tired physically. But Moses did spiritually. And when you begin to wrestle with those things that are not flesh and blood, but are the principalities and the powers of the air, they begin to wear you down. But you must pray with all kinds of perseverance. And that's why the Bible says that we are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

And Joshua learned that lesson well. And when the writers of the New Testament say this, they say in 1 Corinthians:, Paul says, Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It was Paul who said in 2 Corinthians 2:1 that Christ always causes us to triumph. Romans 8. If God be for us, who can be against us? For we are more than conquerors through him who loves us. Psalm:, The Lord is on my side. I will not fear what man can do. Unto me, I will not fear because God is my banner, He is my point of inspiration.

He's the one I follow. He's the one I identify with. And Joshua learned that lesson. We too need to learn that lesson. But I want you to notice something.

This is so important. Because we often, often miss it. We need to understand what the Bible says. God says.

To Moses. Write it down. Put it in a book. And don't forget it. Remember what took place on this day. Because if you forget what takes place on this day, your ministry will be ineffective. You will note that this same group of people, the Amalekites, were the people that saw Was to destroy 1 Kings 15. Sorry, 1 Samuel 15. Remember 1 Samuel 15? Then Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over his people, over Israel. Now, therefore, listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek.

For what he did to Israel, how he set him against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. When was that day? That was Exodus 17. And God says, I'm going to punish Amalek.

Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him. but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. God says, Am came against my people, and I want them completely wiped off the face of the earth.

I want them destroyed. So Samuel goes to Saul and says, This is what the Lord said, this is what you got to do. So Saul goes to battle. But Saul spares the king of Amalek. Doesn't kill him. Why? Because he's a king. He knows if somebody comes against him, he would like to live as well. So he spares the king. And the Bible says in verse number 17, and Samuel said, Isn't that true?

Though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? But rushed upon the spoil, and did what was evil in the sight of the L? Saul said, I did transgress against the Lord. See, God said, You got to destroy the Amalekites. Remember, the Amalekites are descendants of Esau.

The Amalekites. Are representative of the flesh, right? Now, follow this through with me. You got to get this. They weren't destroyed. And the principle is this: what you don't conquer will always conquer you. Now, listen to this. 2 Samuel chapter 1. Now it came about after the death of Saul. Saul is dead. When David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziglag. And it happened on the third day that behold a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and his dust on his head.

And it came about when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. Then David said to him, From where did you come? He said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel. And David said to him, How did things go? Please tell me. And he said, The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead. And Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead. Also. So David said to the young man who told him, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?

And the young man who told him said, By chance I happened to be on Mount Geb, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me, and I said, Here I am. And he said to me, Who are you? And I answered him, I am what? And Amalekites. Then he said to me, Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me. So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen, and I took the crown which was on his head, and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I had brought them here to my Lord Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.

And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan. and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because he had fallen by the sword. And David said to the young man who told him, Where are you from? And he answered, I am the son of an alien. And a Malach. Then David said to him, How is it you are not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed? And David called one of the young men and said, Go cut him down. So he struck him and he died.

And David said to him, Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed the Lord's anointed. Friends, what you don't conquer will always conquer you. You've got to remember that. And the Amalekites are representative of the flesh. Of the lusts of the flesh, of those earthly desires and passions that every one of us wrestles with every day and every night. And if we don't buy prayer, Commit them to the Lord and fall on our face before Him and ask Him to give us the strength.

We will be conquered by them as Saul Himself was conquered by them.