Room for Improvement

JOSHUA: BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS
The names and the lives of Joshua and Moses were inseparable, but Joshua’s rise was not predicated on Moses’ fall. Joshua’s rise was not spectacular or sensational. His star was continually on the rise, and Moses’ fall only propelled him to the limelight and frontline, not make him an overnight sensation or a newfound success. Joshua had been Moses’ aide since youth (Num 11:28). Three times, the departing Moses encouraged the incoming Joshua to take up the mantle of leadership (Deut 3:21, 31:7, 32:44).

Joshua had ample mentoring and was in good hands from the start. Moses summoned Joshua to lead Israel’s first battle against the Amalekites upon leaving Egypt (Ex 17:9). The young Joshua, in return, faithfully accompanied (Ex 33:11), guarded and supported Moses, God’s servant. He was one of the twelve explorers who dissented with the majority opinion (Num 14:6) and whose wholehearted trust in God (Num 32:12) was rewarded with entrance into the new land (Num 14:30). Not only was he granted entrance into Canaan, he was also to direct the Israelites across Jordan River and cause them to inherit the land (Deut 3:28), driving out the seven nations in Canaan
(Deut 7:1, Acts 13:19)

Joshua was a loyal, trusted, and proven leader, to the point of jealousy protecting Moses (Num 11:29) even at the danger of martyrdom. After all, Moses was responsible for changing Joshua’s name from Hoshea to the famous biblical name (Num 13:16).

The similarities between Moses and Joshua are striking. The LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and the Israelites revered him all the 110 years of his life (Josh 24:29), just as they had revered Moses (Josh 4:14). Like Moses (Deut 34:5), Joshua received the designation “Servant of the Lord” at the end of his outstanding service to the Lord (Josh 24:29).
















ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT (JOSH. 1:1-11)
Two hunters got a pilot to fly them into the far north for elk hunting. They were quite successful in their venture and bagged six bucks. The pilot came back, as arranged, to pick them up. They started loading their gear into the plane, including the six elk. But the pilot objected and said, “The plane can only take four of your elk; you will have to leave two behind.” They argued with him; the year before they had shot six and the pilot had allowed them to put all aboard. The plane was the same model and capacity.

Reluctantly, the pilot finally permitted to put all six aboard. But when he attempted to take off and leave the valley, the little plane could not make it and they crashed into the wilderness. Climbing out of the wreckage, one hunter said to the other, “Do you know where we are?” “I think so,” the other hunter groaned. “I think this is about the same place where we crashed last year.”

Someone once asked this question: “What is the largest room in the world?” The answer is, “room for improvement.” The Chinese have a saying to that effect: “There is room to add on a 100-foot pole.”

Moses and Joshua had a good and dream working relationship. The transition from Moses to Joshua was smooth, natural, and perfect. Unlike many troubled succession plans, the two men did not have the headache of passing the torch, catching the baton, co-existing at once, bearing one another, or serving side-by-side. After Moses’ death, Joshua was the appointed