SSL 6 - NUM. 27:12-23 - "TRANSITION OF LEADERSHIP"
LAST WEEK: In Num. 22:22-35 we covered the story of Balaam and his donkey. Balaam, you'll recall, was a pagan soothsayer and seer (prophet or fortune teller) whom God spoke to on several occasions and used to protect the nation of Israel as they were preparing to enter and conquer the Promised Land. Here are two important truths we can apply from this lesson: (1) It's is extremely foolish to be for what God is against and against what God is for. Balaam was attempting to curse the people whom God had blessed (the Israelites), which put him in the position of being against those whom God was for, an enemy of God, in effect. We can find ourselves in the same position if we make decisions and engage in actions that aren't "approved of God." 2 Tim. 2:15. (2) When the sovereign God places an unexpected obstacle in your path of life, you should immediately STOP. Even believing Christians can fall into the trap of thinking that if they simply ignore God and go their own way, He will somehow overlook their sin. Nothing is further from the truth. A Christian will suffer the consequences of sin in this life and be required to account for it in the next. The writer of Hebrews said it this way: "He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness" Heb. 12:10b.
THIS WEEK: Our lesson today in Num. 27:12-23 covers a topic-the orderly transition of leadership-which is very relevant to all churches generally and to us, in our present situation, specifically. As we have had to learn the hard way on more than one occasion, a lack of continuity in leadership-and in our experience, that includes pastors, deacons, teachers, church officers, committee workers, and ministry leaders-people become confused and demoralized, work structures fall apart, and the whole organization becomes like "sheep who have gone astray" Isa. 53:6. Preparing for transitions in leadership takes time (God's timeframe, not ours), hard work, careful planning, and steadfast prayer. As we'll learn today, great leaders like Moses begin developing successors long before they leave office. The Bible doesn't give us the specifics on the exact process Moses used to prepare and identify Joshua as his successor, but we do know that he (1) prayed for God's guidance (Num. 27:16) and (2) he made certain to publically recognize and support Joshua in his future role and (3) followed recognized procedure to confirm his authority (Num. 27:17-21).
Read Num. 27:12-14 - GOD ADVISES MOSES OF HIS COMING DEATH
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother]was; 14 for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)
v. 12: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel.'" - We don't cover the death of Aaron on Mount Hor and the succession of his son (and Moses' nephew) Eleazar as high priest reported in Num. 20:22-29, but here, like Aaron, God commands Moses to climb a mountain to die, and where, from it, he will see the Promised Land, however, this doesn't take place until later in Deut. 34:1-12.
v. 13: "When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was;" - We need to understand this in a Biblical context: Moses, like Aaron and all men, must die, but death will not cut him off; it only gathers him to his "people," and the people God is referring to are great patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom Moses will be "gathered."
v. 14: "for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)" - God wants the people (including us) to see and understand why this succession is happening and why this judgment is being applied to Moses. Just two weeks ago in Num. 20:1-13, we saw Moses, in a fit of anger, rebel against God in front of the entire nation at the waters of Meribah. God's judgment for this disobedience was that neither Moses nor Aaron would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. It was necessary for God to do this in order to demonstrate that He was in control and that no one, not even Moses, was immune from His judgment.
TRUTH 1: As we saw in the example of Moses, no one is immune from God's judgment. God's judgment on Moses for his disobedience at the waters of Meribah decreed that he would never be allowed to enter the Promised Land. It was necessary for God to do this in order to demonstrate that He was in control and that no one, not even Moses, was immune from His judgment. As Christian believers, this warns us that we can suffer similar judgment if we choose to rebel against God.
Read Num. 27:15-17 - MOSES RESPONDS WITH A PASTOR'S HEART
15 Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd."
v. 15-16: " Then Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation," - This is the last time Moses is quoted as speaking to God . In Deuteronomy, he will report on his past conversations with God, but these are his last words in the Torah. Notice what he doesn't say: please forgive me and give me a second chance. No, what Moses shows is a true pastor's heart that expresses concern for his people, not himself. This draws us back to Moses' first meeting with God at the burning bush, where God begins his charge to Moses by expressing concern for His people (Ex. 3:7), and now ends here with Moses' last request expressing his concern for God's people.
v. 17: "who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the LORD will not be like sheep which have no shepherd." - The sheep-shepherd analogy is a very familiar Biblical theme. To paraphrase what Moses is asking of God: LORD, if I'm no longer to be the shepherd of Your people, please don't let them be without a shepherd. What happens to sheep without a shepherd? They starve, die of thirst, or get eaten-up by predators.
▪ So what does that say to us about the corporate character of the Christian life? I mean, look at Moses here: of all the people on the planet at that time, Moses probably knew more about the power of God than anyone; yet, although the people of God have God to watch over them, they still need a human shepherd to provide leadership, guidance, and care. Moses fully understood this through experience. And what Moses is saying is a testimony to the fact that we-Christians in 2020-can't live the Christian life on our own. It's not just me, Jesus, and my Bible; no, as part of the body of Christ, we not only need one another but need shepherds over us to lead and guide us. Jesus observed this in Mt. 9:35-36: Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Thus, Moses when he prays this prayer, it's foreshadowing the heart of Jesus for His people-and Jesus wants His people to have faithful shepherds, too.
TRUTH 2: While all Christians, just like the ancient Children of Israel, have God watching over them, they still need a human shepherd to provide leadership, guidance, and care. What we hear Moses say in this verse is a clear-cut testimony to the fact that modern Christians are incapable of living the Christian life on their own. It's not just you, Jesus, and your Bible but a body of Christ made up of many members who not only need each another but need shepherds in authority over us to provide leadership, guidance, and protection from the predators of this world.
Read Num. 27:18-21 - GOD'S ANSWER TO MOSES' PRAYER
18 So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. 20 You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. 21 Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation."
v. 18: "So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;" - Here, God has appointed Joshua to fill the role of Israel's new shepherd. The phrase, "man in whom is the Spirit," points out that Joshua has the Holy Spirit indwelling him to guide his decisions and actions, and it appears that this indwelling is the most significant character trait in God's selection of Joshua. God, in effect, tells Moses to take possession of Joshua and to "lay your hand on him" (we would call it ordination today) as a visible symbol of the transfer of power and authority from Moses to Joshua.
v. 19: "and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight." - Moses is instructed by God to do this in a very formal and public fashion so there would be no question as to the legitimacy of the peoples' new leader. While all the people are looking on, Moses is instructed to take Joshua before Eleazar, the high priest, in order to formally and publically commission him as the new leader.
v. 20: "You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him." Notice that God instructs Moses to "put some of your authority on him," but not all of it. An abrupt and complete shift of power from Moses to Joshua would have been difficult and could have led to disorder. The plan taking place here is that for the remainder of Moses' life, his rule and Joshua's rule will overlap, and together, they will function as co-rulers of the people, so that over a period of time, the people would become accustomed to and trust Joshua's leadership.
TRUTH 3: Following Moses' example with his "congregation," a transition of leadership in the church should be a formal process that includes every church member. In these verses, we see God instruct Moses to implement the transition of leadership between him and Joshua through a very detailed and formal public process so that there would be no question later on as to the legitimacy of the peoples' new leader. Likewise, when a church calls a new pastor, ordains a new deacon, or commissions a new person in a leadership role, it should be accomplished in a formal
and public process before the whole church.
v. 21: "Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him, even all the congregation." - Whereas Moses spoke directly with God, Joshua is told to seek God's counsel through Eleazar, the high priest, who would use a process called "Urim" to determine the will of God in a specific matter. Some scholars have suggested that Urim was a divine system of casting lots; however, according to Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 1319, there is no precise information the explains what the Urim process really involved, but whatever it was, it was a process prescribed by God, who has the power to use any means to express His will. The terms, "they shall go out and at his command they shall come in," are being used in a military sense to the extent that Joshua would need the authority to raise, train, and command an army for the impending conquest of the Promised Land, and this authority would extend to "even all the congregation," who are the non-combatants who will be expected to provide logistical support for the army.
Read Num. 27:22-23 - MOSES' FINAL OBEDIENCE TO GOD
22 Moses did just as the LORD commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.
vv. 22-23 - As the God-appointed shepherd of Israel, Moses helped lead a sinful people to follow God. And as the God-appointed shepherd of Israel, he also labored to carry out God's plans completely. On occasions he failed, and the incident we studied that occurred at the waters of Meribah serves as an example. Yet with only a few exceptions, Moses always did as the Lord commanded and did his level best to lead the Israelites to do the same thing. Before his death, Moses asked God to appoint another shepherd, another leader who would help these hardheaded and sinful people to follow God and carry out His plans completely. And God was faithful to do this by appointing Joshua, who we know from the book of that name, was faithful to lead the Israelites to follow God and was faithful (not always perfectly) to carry out God's plans completely. Centuries later, God finally provided a new "shepherd" for ALL the people of this world and for all of history: God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our shepherd and Savior. Jesus said this of Himself: "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not con-cerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." (John 10:11-15).
TRUTH 4: As God's appointed shepherd to save the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, the example of Moses served to foreshadow the coming of Jesus Christ. Just as God was faithful to appoint Moses and later Joshua as the shepherds over the nation of Israel, centuries later He was faithful to send a new "shepherd" for ALL the people of this world and for all of history by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be our shepherd and our Savior.
PRAYER: Lord God, our Father in Heaven, we thank you for the vitally important lesson your Word has taught today-that we are incapable of living the Christian on our own and need human shepherds to lead and guide us, and indeed Lord, to protect us as we move forward in this good church, which is Your church, Lord, not ours. By Your mercy and grace, Lord, you have spared from the worst judgment, because we still exist as a church and can stand here today in Your presence as a body of believers. I speak for all of us, dear God, in saying that we don't take this for granted. Today's lesson teaches us that choosing a shepherd should be a visible process that includes every member of this church. Right now, Lord, our Pastor Search Committee is actively and Biblically seeking the man You have already chosen to be our shepherd. As the Committee moves forward in this quest, I ask you to use Your Holy Spirit give them the wisdom, discernment, knowledge, understanding, and patience to know Your Will, not theirs, as they seek Your man. And when they do find him, I pray that they will be completely unified in mind and Spirit. I pray for all of these things in the name of our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN.
