Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
Moses said to the Lord, "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."
Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses." Numbers 27:12-23
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
You'll recall that Moses was a very faithful and obedient servant unto the Lord. In fact, the Lord held him in the highest esteem, guiding, mentoring and nurturing him from the day He chose Moses at the burning bush through the long exodus of Israel from Egypt toward the Promised Land. God often met with Moses personally. In fact, no other Israelite had the kind of intimate relationship with God that Moses had. So if anyone might have earned some sort of right to special favor, it would have been Moses. But although we do serve a God of mercy and grace, we don't serve a God of special favors.
For recall when Moses and Aaron were dealing with an ever complaining Israelite people who were asking for water. Remember that Moses asked the people if he and Aaron must bring water out of a rock after which he struck the rock with his staff and the water flowed freely to the people and their livestock. (Numbers 20:9-11) His words, not his actions, angered God because Moses, at a time when he was to give God all the glory for the miracle that he was able to take part in, instead assumed the credit for himself and Aaron. And it cost both of them their lives and a chance to enter the Holy Land.
It's this penalty that God is talking about at the beginning of today's passage when He said:
"Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)
Moses' brother, Aaron, has already passed (Numbers 20:27-29) and Moses will be next as he is gathered to his people after he sees the land that Israel will inherit. Moses could have spent time disputing God's decision. You'll recall that he never hesitated to go before God to interceded for the sinful Israelites at times when God's rage angered against them. Moses always seemed to have a way of convincing God to show mercy and grace in the midst of judgment. Yet now, as he faced his consequences for sinning, Moses doesn't show concern for himself. Instead, he shows concern for his people.
For Moses said to the Lord, "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd." Moses knew he was not going to be the man who would lead Israel into Canaan and he was very concerned that the right leader was selected to take his place…a leader who could "go out and come in before" Israel…a leader who could "lead them out and bring them in"…a shepherd to lead the flock into the Promised Land.
Scripture tells us that God honored that request told Moses to, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in." So "Moses did as the Lord commanded" and had Joshua "stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly" before he "laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the Lord instructed". The passdown was complete and Joshua was the new leader of Israel, ending the tenure of Moses.
We have learned many lessons from Moses as we have journeyed through Exodus, Leviticus and now Numbers and today's scripture is no different. As we seek to lead spiritually, it's important that we have the right spirit and in Moses, we can capture some important components of that spirit in our passage today.
1. The right spirit of leadership includes an attitude of accountability. Moses knew he had erred at the rock in the Desert of Zin. He had watched Israel err as well many times over and had witnessed first hand as God held them accountable. Now he knew it was his turn. He didn't try and leverage his special relationship with God to his advantage. Instead, he accepted God's decision and judgment. As we lead others, we need to learn a couple of lessons from Moses. First, anyone is prone to fail and fall if they begin to see themselves rather than God as the source of power behind success, whether in leadership or life. Secondly, we need to take responsibility for our wrongs when we commit them. No passing the buck. No trying to lie out of our situation. Only confession and acceptance of what God decides to do to correct us…even if that means ending life.
2. The right spirit of leadership includes humility and caring. Knowing his time was coming to a close, Moses didn't react selfishly or pridefully but rather humbly. His first place of concern was with his people and how they would be cared for once he was gone. In doing so, Moses mirrored the attitude of a Savior, Jesus, who was soon to come. For Christ, knew He was destined to die, not because He erred but because He loved and cared for us enough to allow Himself and our sins to be nailed to the cross of Calvary. As we lead others, let us also embody these critical traits of humility and caring toward those entrusted to us.
3. The right spirit of leadership includes obedience. God expects us to turn to Him for direction and when He gives it, we only have one right option: to obey Him fully. Moses asked God to ensure his people were cared for. In response to his request, God told Moses to pass on his leadership to Joshua. In other words, God told Moses to give up his position to another…and the scripture tells us that Moses complied fully. In doing so, Moses turned over a people he had invested a great deal of time in…a people he had traveled many miles with…a people he loved. And herein is the main point of obedience. We obey because we love and respect not only God but others as well, especially when God is asking us to do something with those we are responsible for. Going back to Jesus, He was willing to accept death and do so obediently because He loved us and would trade His life for ours. As in everything else, He, not Moses, set the bar for obedience. We only need follow His lead as we lead others.
The right spirit of leadership. It involves accountability. It involves humility and caring. And it involves obedience to the One and only One worthy of being obeyed in all things. The bottom line is that we can only lead others properly if we are first being led by the Father. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the right spirit through the Holy Spirit for anyone He calls to lead. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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