Follow Those Who Follow God
Good Morning,
Joshua 11:5 “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.”
This is an interesting verse with a principle that has gotten me trouble over the years. Let us take a look at the specifics first: God gave Moses some instructions; Moses gave those instructions to Joshua; “…Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.”
You will notice that Joshua was not directed by what he heard from God, but by what he heard from Moses. This is similar to Paul the apostle saying, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” I once heard a ridiculous statement: someone accused me and loyal followers by saying something like this, “If you said, jump off a cliff, these guys would jump right off.” First of all, that is a lie, no one would do that; number two, that is a stupid statement!
I do believe in leadership. If I work for a man at his place of business, I trust that he knows more than me. I may not agree with where a certain display should be set up or how the vehicle should be parked in the showroom, but it is his business not mine. As an employee, I will listen and do what I am told to do, but as soon as the leader says something that is against the Scriptures, his instructions should be ignored. As soon as your secular boss tells you to go against the clear teaching of the Scripture, you probably need a new job. In fact, if this situation pertains to a pastor as the boss, I think the employees or church members should get rid of the pastor or at least join another church.
I am in favor of listening to and honoring authorities; I am for trusting those who know more than me, even if, at times, they are not able to explain to me why they want something done. I do not have to know everything. My leader thought through all of the details before making the decision. I simply choose my leaders.
King Josiah brought such a great revival to Israel. He was seventeen generations away from David, yet it was said of Josiah that he walked in the ways of David, his father. Josiah might not be able to walk in the ways of some other father, his own or his grandpa or great grandpa, but he chose someone whom he could follow. He chose a great man whom he could honor, trust, and follow his footsteps. The same is said of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:3). Although he was five generations away from David, the Bible says he walked in the ways of David, his father. Choose a great leader and unashamedly follow that leader. I have two pastors in Heaven, and I happily still embrace the principles that they taught me. When I was preparing to start our church, there were some questions as to the town where I should go. I went to our Pastor, Brother Hyles, and we talked for a while; he said the little town of Wildomar was a good place, and I should go there. I went. I did not need to know why he thought that. I felt that I was doing what God told him needed to be done. If he had he told me to violate Scripture, to drink liquor, of to be involved in a moral compromise, I would have ignored his counsel and found another leader.
God can use our earthly leaders to guide us to accomplish endless earthly goals. Parents, coaches, teachers, and yes, pastors are all in the hand of God, and He guides us through our leaders. The Scripture is full of such illustrations.
Instead of telling Joshua, God told Moses, Moses told Joshua, and Moses did what he was told and was greatly blessed.
Pastor