As we enter the study of Joshua as a leader please read the book of Joshua. A more detailed look at several passages will happen during the daily studies but we’ll start the study of Joshua’s leadership with a summary then move to a more detailed look at specific leadership principles over the next few days.

Joshua had been mentored by Moses but he was clearly a different kind of leader than Moses. Moses had a diplomatic and reform leadership style and Joshua was a military leader. We see the Lord lead Israel in a new and appropriate way through this new leader. The people were entering a season in which they needed to act as a military unit to conquer the land, so God raised up a different kind of leader and used Joshua’s personality and strengths to provide direction in a military style.

In the study of Joshua as a leader we have the benefit of seeing his whole leadership life from start to finish. Having the whole story of Joshua’s leadership life allows us to quickly respect him as a leader but had you been alive back in his day watching him develop as a leader, it is possible you could have had a different feeling about Joshua’s influence as a leader.  According to Numbers 14:10a “But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.” So what happened? How did Joshua’s influence grow from a man saved from being stoned only by intervention of God to a man the people willingly followed into battle when taking the Promised Land?

There are two kinds of false leaders in organizations: man-appointed and self-appointed. Yesterday, there were truths about Korah, a self-appointed leader, today truths about Balaam, a man-appointed leader. Read Numbers 22:5-24:25.