Leadership and Short Memories

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." (Joshua 4:1-3 NIV)

Joshua is the new leader now.  Moses has passed away and God selected Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land.  He does it with flare, just like their departure from Egypt.  The Jordan river is not an insignificant body of water.  To make things worse, it was "overflowing its banks."  The water is high and it's moving fast.  God stops the water so they can walk across the river bed on dry ground.  It reminded them of the Red Sea crossing that took place when they were little children.  This was a great day - a real God Sighting.

We have real short-term memories, though, when it comes to God.  A great chorus of praise one day turns into worry the next.  We forget that He is ALWAYS powerful, ALWAYS providing, ALWAYS sustaining the very lives that we live.  Sometimes we need a reminder.  So, God gave them a reminder.  Take stones from the middle of the river bed and create a pile as a memorial.  That way they would remember what God did for them that day.  Joshua selected on man from each tribe of Israel to select these twelve stones.  They gathered the stones.  They left the river.  The water returned.

That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses. (Joshua 4:14 NIV)

The people are listening to Joshua now.  He's their new leader.  God just confirmed it.  The greatest confirmation, however, of Joshua's God-chosen leadership is not in the miracle that took place in the Jordan river.  It comes in the phrase, "just as the LORD said."  Joshua did everything just as the LORD said.  He understood that leadership was not about power or position.  It's about walking with God, and helping others get there.  God is the One we ALL follow.

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their parents, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God." (Joshua 4:20-24 NIV)