No Need to Be Greedy
In the latter half of the book, Joshua is involved in doling out to each tribe the portion of the Promised Land that would be theirs. He gives land - including towns to each tribe, making sure that there is enough there to support the people. At the end of this time, Joshua was given the chance to choose what his allotment would be.
Because of the role he had played as leader of the people, God permitted Joshua to select whatever town he wanted to be his personal domain and the domain of his family for generations to come. Any town at all - Joshua could choose Jericho, Jerusalem, Hebron or any other major city in the Promised Land.
Who could have blamed him if he had chosen Jerusalem or Jericho - a large, well-known town as his inheritance? After all, he had earned it. Joshua chooses not to select any of the "famous" towns, though, opting instead for a town called Timnath-serah. He opted for an out of the way town - leaving the best of the conquered lands for others. There's a leadership lesson in there somewhere.
Fight for Your Brothers (and Sisters)
There were three tribes that, before the Israelites conquered the promised land, asked for permission to have the conquered lands East of the Jordan river as their inheritance. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh were large groups with large flocks and they coveted the pastures East of the Jordan. So they asked if they could have the land East as their inheritance.
The leaders - Moses and Joshua - were concerned about the request, fearing that granting the three tribes land East of the river would prevent those three tribes from crossing the Jordan and fighting with their brothers to conquer the actual "Promised Land." Yet Moses and Joshua responded favorably, if conditionally. They told the leaders of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh that they could have the land East of the river, as long as they agreed to help the other tribes acquire their land. Already having plenty of land was not an excuse for not helping their fellow Israelites who did not have any land.
When I read that, I can't help but think about the church. How many churches have settled onto their "promised land" and stopped worrying about their fellow men and women who do not have land on which to settle? How often do we look at the struggles of other churches or denominations and say, "I'm glad it's not us" rather than getting up and helping in the fight. The Israelites were ultimately successful because God was on their side, but they also displayed a remarkable sense of unity that I think today's church would do well to adopt.
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