Eisenhower and the Art of Leadership

Dotted along the timeline of American history, there is a virtual parade of leaders, who, at critical points in the life of our nation, have arisen to navigate some of the darkest seasons of our country. Men like Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt. One such leader was a diminutive Texan who rose in less than 5 years to be a five star general and the supreme commander of the US forces in World War 2. Dwight D. Eisenhower or "Ike" was one of the most celebrated generals of all time and eventually became president in 1953. One of Eisenhower's favorite quotes was "leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.".

In Joshua 3 and 4, we learn a thing about Joshua's leadership and how God used it in incredible ways. Here's what I learned.

Highlight:

'Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.” Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”

When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord , the Lord of the whole earth, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” ' Joshua 3:8-9,13 https://my.bible.com/bible/1713/JOS.3.8-9,13

'and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ' Joshua 4:21-22

Explain:

Joshua and the children of Israel are now making preparations to enter the land of promise. They have gone through so much to get to this point. As they gather to enter the land the Lord comes to Joshua and tells him today He would "begin to exalt Joshua in the sign of all Israel, so that they will know that I will be with you in just as I was with Moses.” God was going to honor Joshua so that Joshua could fulfill the purposes that God had called him to, through His obedience God would give him favor in the eyes of the people so that they could trust him as their leader as they did Moses and eventually receive the fulfillment of the promise God had made to their ancestors.

God does this through Joshua’s implicit obedience as an act of faith. Remember that He commands him to have the priests with the ark of the covenant enter the waters of the Jordan (the Jordan is at flood stage at this point) so it makes absolutely no logical sense to try to cross the Jordan at this point in time and this place in the river, nonetheless Joshua’s obedience in the midst of apparent disaster is what God uses to exalt his leader in the front of his people and allow them to achieve their destiny which was in turn the fulfillment of His promise to them all.

Miraculously, he obeys and the waters pile up upstream as millions of Israelites cross into the land of promise. As they cross, Joshua has stones removed from the midst of the river and then placed as a memorial on the other side. He does this for a very specific purpose…namely so that, 'In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’

Apply:

It is of particular note that these the very things stressed through the whole of Deuteronomy and even chapter 1 of Joshua. Moses calls on Joshua to obey the words of the Lord explicitly (Joshua 1:8) and to ‘repeat it to their children’ (Deuteronomy 6:6). It is no wonder then that Joshua focuses in his first public act and miracle as a leader to do both of these things. To obey the word of the Lord and to repeat it to their children.

When we begin to think of applying these things to our lives as well we understand something of the nature of how God uses leadership in us as well. When a leader passes of the scene, the work of God doesn’t stop, it continues, the kingdom work of Christ in the world is not confined to one man or one leader no it is a work that has been passed down successively for generations from the first leaders of the church such as James, and Peter, and Paul. These men were the first in a long line of leaders who have obeyed God’s commands explicitly in the midst of certain disaster and God has used that obedience and the faith that it shows in God’s promises to lead God’s people towards their destiny. It is no different today, God uses people who will willingly choose to know, understand, and believe God’s promises, and have the courage to obey what He says in the pursuit of that belief whom He will use to raise up as leaders to lead His people towards their destiny and the fulfillment of the promises He has made to His church.

This is done in the same way today as God’s leaders champion the cause of discipleship. Knowledge of Gods word leads to understanding of His promises which leads to faith in their fulfillment which leads to courage in obedience despite what may seem logical at times which leads to God raising up that man as a leader who has knowledge of God’s word, faith in His promises, and courage to believe. In so doing God’s people are led to fulfill and achieve the promises He has made for them. This process is the exact same today. Is it any wonder then that the final command of Jesus and His first commission to us is to “teach them to observe everything I have commanded you.”? Inherent in that command are the two hallmarks of Joshua’s ministry, explicit obedience, not just an understanding of, and obedience to God’s word and passing it on to others.

This isn’t just Joshua’s story, it is every leaders story. These are the two ingredients of a great leader.

Respond:

Jesus help me to know the word, to understand the word, to believe the word, to take courage in obeying the word, and to pass the word on to others.