Transforming historical to personal nostalgia: A God’s way in empowering Joshua’s leadership

One of the most prominent themes in the Book of Joshua is leadership. However, the process through which God moulded Joshua and the role Joshua played in ultimately becoming a remarkably resilient leader is hardly discussed. In our opinion, nostalgia about God is the key to Joshua’s resilience. Alth...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Verbum et ecclesia Vol. 46; no. 1; pp. e1 - e8
Main Authors: Surbakti, Pelita H., Andangsari, Esther W.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 29.10.2025
African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS
Subjects:
Biblical hermeneutics
Joshua
Joshua (Biblical figure)
leader
Leadership
Nostalgia
poiesis
Religious aspects
strength
Indonesia
ISSN:1609-9982, 2074-7705
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:One of the most prominent themes in the Book of Joshua is leadership. However, the process through which God moulded Joshua and the role Joshua played in ultimately becoming a remarkably resilient leader is hardly discussed. In our opinion, nostalgia about God is the key to Joshua’s resilience. Although nostalgia, functioning as an inner resource that fosters hope within individuals, has been extensively studied and empirically validated in psychology, its role in shaping and portraying the factors contributing to the resilience of a new leader, as depicted in the Book of Joshua, has remained largely unexplored. Intriguingly, the nostalgia about God is an inclusive framework that encapsulates the entire book (Jos 1:2–5 and 24:25–27). To further reinforce Joshua, the narrative is replete with instances where God transforms historical nostalgia about Himself into personal nostalgia. This personal nostalgia empowers Joshua to lead with unwavering strength.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implicationsDrawing on the psychological concept of nostalgia, this article examines how God empowered Joshua as a new leader. Thus, theoretically, this article proposes a new perspective for reading the Book of Joshua. Still, practically, it can also serve as a model for anyone who wants to shape strong individuals or leaders in the future.
ISSN:1609-9982
2074-7705
DOI:10.4102/VE.v46i1.3579