Joshua, Successor of Moses – Life Events & Application

The first time we read about Joshua (the son of Nun) is in Exodus 17:9 where he led Israel against Amalek, the grandson of Esau. Take a look at what I found in the Bible about this great soldier of the Lord.

A True Leader

Joshua is the son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim. (Numbers 13:8, 16)

Joshua was with Moses for a portion of the journey up Mt. Sinai when the Ten Commandments were given. (Exodus 24:12-13; 33:11)

Joshua was one of two spies sent to view the land of Canaan (Numbers 14:6-30)

Joshua was appointed by the Lord to lead the people into the Promised Land when Moses forfeited his opportunity to do so (Numbers 27:18-23)

Moses blessed and charged Joshua in front of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:1-8)

Joshua was installed as leader of the Hebrews with instructions from God (Joshua 1:1-9)

On his commencement as leader the Lord shows Him that He is with him with three supernatural events: [1] The River Jordan divides (Joshua 3:14-17); [2] The angel appears outside of the walls of Jericho to give Joshua instructions from the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15; 6:2-5); and [3] The walls of the city of Jericho fall which enables Joshua and his troops to become the victors (Joshua 6:12-21)

All in all Joshua is successful in dethroning thirty-one kings – dividing the conquered land between all of the tribes of Israel (Joshua 11:23; 12:24; 23:4)

He urges the people of Israel to be ever faithful to God and to remain separate from those who did not follow the Lord (Joshua chapters 23 & 24)

Character Traits of Joshua

Courageous

Joshua 10:25 And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

Decisive

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Faithful

Numbers 14:6–8 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Obedient

Joshua 11:15 As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.

Reverent to God

Joshua 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Spiritually Minded

Joshua 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

Joshua 8:30–31 Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal, As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

Life Application for the Christian

The Battle – Just as Joshua was continually fighting against his enemies (and those of Israel) we as Christians are faced with forces of evil. We fight against the flesh. We battle against the devil. And as we continue to be in the world we are ever faced with the challenge to not be “of” the world. (Ephesians 6:12)

The Victory – Joshua had tremendous faith that the Lord would protect him and keep him strong during the battles. His faith gave him the victory, just as we as Christians have faith to overcome the world. (1 John 5:4)

Fruit, Good or Rotten – Joshua encouraged and even admonished the people to follow the Lord and remain separate from the people who did not follow the Lord. Yet as history goes on we see that every man did what he thought was right in his own mind (rather than follow the Lord’s word) and soon Israel fell into enemy hands again. As Christians we must remember that walking with the Lord produces good fruit and when we choose to go against what the Lord expects us to do as His people that fruit rots on the vine. (Judges 4:1-8; Galatians 5:19-25)

Rest From the Battle – Joshua enjoyed rest from the Lord in between his battles and this was because he trusted the Lord to do what He said He would do. His trust in the Lord alleviated stress and produced the strength and courage that Joshua needed every time. He was able to maintain his place in the land for himself and his people because he had faith. Our rest is promised by our faith in Jesus. He is the ultimate rest and there is no One greater than He. (Hebrews 4:11)

Final Thoughts

I love how the Bible is always so relevant to our life even all of the thousands of years after it has been written. Joshua is a great example of a Biblical character that we can admire and emulate. What other Bible character can we learn from?

Read more about Joshua here: Joshua in the Bible

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, King James Version

Tagged as: Bible character, Joshua son of Nun