What enabled Joshua to become the leader he was?

Answer 1

Joshua had been Moses' right-hand man since his youth (Numbers 11:28), and his chief disciple; and was constantly found in the tent of Torah where Moses taught (Exodus 33:11), so as not to miss a single word of Moses' teaching. He could be trusted to reach correct decisions (Numbers ch.13-14); and was successful in battle too (Exodus ch.17).

As Moses approached the time when he would have to hand over the helm of leadership, Joshua turned out to be the best choice to carry on, and God named him as Moses' successor (Numbers ch.27). It was Joshua who led the Israelites into Canaan (Joshua ch.1).

Answer 2

Joshua became the great leader who he was because he listened to God's instructions closely and carried them out. His allegiance was to God only, and he totally rejected the Egyptian mythology which is consistently presented through The Bible as idolatrous. In addition, he served a long apprenticeship under Moses, and became leader after Moses. Although they are all valid physical reasons, the most important was God's promise that He would exalt Joshua "in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life."

Josh 3:1, 7, 13 ; 4:13-14 (KJV)

Josh 3 (v.1) And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. ...Josh 3 (v.7) And the LORD said unto Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, soI will be with thee. Josh 3 (v.13) And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, thatthe waters of Jordan [were] cut off fromthe waters that [came] down from [upstream]; and they [stood] upon an heap. Josh 4 (v.13) About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. Josh 4 (v.14) On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.

Answer 3

Joshua was Moses' chief disciple (Numbers 11:28). He could be trusted to reach correct decisions (Numbers ch.13-14); and was successful in battle (Exodus ch.17).
Before Moses' death, God named Joshua as Moses' successor (Numbers ch.27). See also the Related Links.

Link: What difficulties did Joshua face?

Link: God's promise

Link: Contents of the Book of Joshua

Link: Why did they conquer the Canaanites?

Answer 4

The 'Priestly' author wrote in Numbers 14:6-9 that Joshua and Caleb both tried to encourage the Israelites to proceed with the conquest of Canaan, but were opposed by the other spies. However, the conflated account by the Yahwist, another author of the Pentateuch, states in Numbers 13:30-31 that Caleb alone tried to encourage the Israelites to proceed with the conquest, and shows no knowledge of Joshua. Joshua was eventually to be the leader who defeated the Canaanites and distributed the lands to all the tribes of Israel.

So, who was this great leader, of whom the Judahite historian, now known as the Yahwist, knew so little and whose exploits are so much at odds with the archaeological evidence? The search for the answer may start with Joshua's father, Nun. In Egyptian mythology, Nun was the primordal god and father of the sun god, Re. The Bible points to Joshua, son of Nun, as originally a Hebrew sun god, who evolved in legend into a mortal. The clearest evidence is where Joshua commanded the sun and moon to stand still until the battle was finished (Joshua 10:12), with a wealth of further clues throughout the Old Testament. The transformation from god to hero may have been a natural process occurring over the centuries, a process that also occurred in the Greek pantheon.

Answer 5

Joshua had been Moses' right-hand man since his youth (Numbers 11:28), and his chief disciple; and was constantly found in the tent of Torah where Moses taught (Exodus 33:11), so as not to miss a single word of Moses' teaching. He could be trusted to reach correct decisions (Numbers ch.13-14); and was successful in battle too (Exodus ch.17).

As Moses approached the time when he would have to hand over the helm of leadership, Joshua turned out to be the best choice to carry on, and God named him as Moses' successor (Numbers ch.27).

See also:

What difficulties did Joshua face?

Contents of the Book of Joshua

Why did they kill the Canaanites?

Timeline

Answer 6

He was one of Israel's greatest leaders: strong, courageous, careful, honest, unshaken by failure, a keeper of treaties, and an upholder of the law.