Joshua left no doubt about his commitment to the Lord. Joshua told the people that even if they chose not to serve the Lord, they would still not be exempt from service. If we do not serve the Creator, we will unavoidably serve some part of the creation. But the gods of success, position and possessions are cruel taskmasters and never deliver the satisfaction they promise. Read Joshua 24:14-27.

Joshua consistently told the Israelites that God alone was worthy of their total commitment. The same is true today; leaders who direct their highest commitment to anything else commit idolatry. We were designed to serve God and to find our deepest satisfaction in Him, but we will be half-hearted at best if we try to play by two sets of rules and serve two masters.

Joshua continued to lead the people way into his old age. One of his great leadership skills was exhortation. Read Joshua 23:1-24:33.

Joshua’s farewell to the leaders was filled with passion exhorting the leaders to “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God as you have until now.”

In these last few lessons on Joshua’s leadership it seems good to look at some leadership characteristics displayed by Joshua. Two areas where Joshua left an unmistakable mark on his countrymen were his courage and decisiveness. Read Joshua Chapters 13-19.

In Joshua chapter 1 when God commissioned Joshua he told him to be strong and courageous. Joshua’s courage and faith was immediately put to the test when three days after his commissioning he led the people into the Promised Land through the Jordan River at flood stage. For Joshua courage came out of faith. Because Joshua’s faith in God did not waiver he took action in the face of insurmountable odds.