God’s story in god’s people

We are continuing our study of the Old Testament section of God’s Story in God’s People. Our focus now is on Joshua leading Israel into the promised land. Over the next few days, we will examine this faithful man’s leadership as recorded in Joshua 1-7 — a fascinating part of Israel’s history that teaches us many lessons. 

Moses was not self-made; God developed and trained him during forty years of obscurity in Midian. Last time we learned that Moses was an impatient and reluctant leader, and ultimately a God-shaped, powerful leader who freed Israel from slavery in Egypt. 

Today, let’s explore three more key leadership qualities we observe in Moses. 

As we wrap up this remarkable man’s story, let’s consider his highlights and lowlights. We learn from Moses that God uses broken people to do amazing things.

What stands between you and experiencing everything God has for you? What obstacles are like giants, stopping you from moving forward to the place God wants you to be? If you could remove "that thing” holding you back, what difference would that make in your relationship with God? 

The mountain was covered in a thick cloud. Thunder rumbled, and lightning streaked across the sky. A trumpet blast grew louder and louder. The Israelites stood trembling at the base of the mountain. They heard God speak his commandments directly to them, prompting the people to tell Moses: 

A common spiritual challenge addressed in the tenth commandment—"You shall not covet"—is something many of us face. If we're honest, most of us want just a little more. We're thankful for what we have, but the idea of having something bigger, better, faster, and more satisfying is tempting—wouldn’t you agree? 

Remember the “Coldplay Kiss Cam” incident? At a 2025 Coldplay concert, the “kiss cam” panned to a couple embracing, but they quickly disengaged and ducked out of sight to avoid the camera. It turned out these two worked for the same company and were romantically involved, despite having spouses. Both lost their jobs, and to be “coldplayed” became slang for being publicly caught doing something you shouldn’t. 

There was a Christian salesman I knew who loved studying and teaching the Word of God. He was truly gifted at it. Often, instead of making sales calls, he would go to a restaurant and spend hours studying the Bible. There’s nothing wrong with studying the Bible, right? Unless... you're neglecting your job and stealing time from your employer! 

Truth is relative. That’s what most Americans will tell you. In two national surveys conducted by Barna Research, 64% of adults said that truth is always relative to an individual person and their situation. Among teenagers, 83% said that moral truth depends on circumstances. Only 6% of teens said that truth is absolute.