Biblical Leadership, the Example of JoshuaSample

Threatened by the People, But Spared by God

“Then all the congregation said to stone them [=Joshua and Caleb] with stones.” (Numbers 14:10)

“Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.” (Numbers 14:38)

Caleb and Joshua insisted that their people could enter the land of Canaan because God would help them. Their ten fellow spies did not believe that at all. Unfortunately, the people got dragged into the unbelief of the majority. They lost all courage and began lamenting their hopeless situation. Indeed, they reacted scornfully and violently to the call of Joshua and Caleb to trust in the Lord. Both men were under threat of being stoned to death. But God intervened by appearing in His glory.

The Lord God took the unbelief of the ten spies and the people very seriously. None of them would be allowed to enter the promised land (see Numbers 14:30). Only the next generation would do so. The whole people would wander around the desert for forty years until all the adults had died—apart from Joshua and Caleb. They would enter the promised land because they had remained faithful to God.

The people had tried to kill Caleb and Joshua, but God caused them to be the only ones to survive. This also gave them a great responsibility. They would eventually be the only eye-witnesses of all kinds of miracles and of the covenant ceremony at Sinai. Thus, they also became spiritual leaders for a new generation.

Are there people who share their spiritual knowledge and experience with you? What does that look like in practice?