Succession Planning (God’s Style) - Joshua 1-5

 Joshua 1:1-4 (ESV)

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

Succession planning for organizations is a natural aspect of their organizational norms.  Or, at least should be.  Those organizations that are sustainable are those who focus on succession planning as a way of life, not as something that happens when some important person in the organization dies or retires.   In the above passage we read where God had His own succession plan for leadership of Israel.  The Bible, is in fact, the story of a succession plan from the fall of man in the Garden of Eden until the rule of Christ in Revelation.    God is constantly making sure those in charge are those He appoints.    Note how Daniel recorded this truth (He served under four kings):

Daniel 2:21 (ESV)

He changes times and seasons;

he removes kings and sets up kings;

he gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have understanding;

God has a plan and He causes mankind to fall under that plan.   Moses had died and now Joshua was going to be the leader.  In the first chapters of Joshua we read that he will receive the full Moses’ experience.  He won’t part the Red Sea, but he will lead the nation through the Jordon River on dry ground (chapter 3).  He won’t see a burning bush and stand on holy ground, but he will see the Commander of the Lord’s army and stand on holy ground (chapter 5).   God is in charge of rulers and leaders at every level (Romans 3).  We would do well to have succession plans.  But we would do better to honor and submit to God’s succession planning.