FRIDAY 04 February 2022 “Transitions” Numbers 26 & 27

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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Birthdays call us to recognize the passing of time, and the relentless reality of our ageing, right? As we’ve been traveling with Moses and the people he is leading, we come to an event in Numbers 26 which might seem mundane, but in fact had very significant implications. God spoke to Moses giving this instructions: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families, all those twenty years old or more…” (Numbers 26:1) If that sounds familiar it is because God had given the very same instruction to Moses 39 years before, when he had led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt. So why would God ask Moses to do it again, 39 years later?

Numbers 26 is one of those chapters that we might simply skip over and move to the next event, because it’s filled with names and numbers, as any census would be. But this is far more than simply counting people, my friends. When the census was complete Moses wrote this powerful summary statement: “These people were counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest, on the plains of Moab by the Jordan river, across from Jericho. Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron in the census of the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. For the Lord had told the Israelites they would surely die in the desert and not one of them was left, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” (Numbers 26:63-65)

Two very different censuses. The first census was at Mount Sinai, just after they celebrated the one year anniversary of leaving Egypt, as recorded in Numbers 1. Now, 39 years later, this census confirmed that the entire adult generation who had said NO to God, when hearing the report of the scouts after their exploration of the new land,… that entire generation had died off as they wandered day after day in the desert, paying the price of rebellion and refusal to trust God. Now 39 years later, this huge city of Israelites had either been under the age 20 in that first census or had been born in the desert, and this census was to register those adults who were now going to be given a second chance to enter the promised land. They were camped along the east side of the Jordan river. God had promised He would soon provide this generation the same opportunity He had provided their parents 39 years before. Would they be ready? Would they respond differently than their parents did? What lessons had they learned in the desert these past 39 years?

Those are important and fair questions, aren’t they? And if we were to stand among these people, I wonder what questions you’d want to ask them, especially the older ones among them? What attitudes do you suppose you’d hear from these people? As you look back over your family heritage of the past many years and decades, what do you see, what lessons have you learned? And are you better prepared than your ancestors were for the opportunities which God may allow you to have in this next year or two? Are your character, your moral values, your ethics, your integrity, your moral courage… any stronger or better than your parents and grandparents? If you are in any leadership role, are you preparing those you are leading for the challenges and the changes ahead in 2022? This was a moment of reckoning for Moses. How well had he prepared a new generation and a generation of young leaders for what was awaiting them?

The Numbers 27:12 record says: “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 ancestors, 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.” Oh my, the time was approaching that the long season of Moses’ leadership of these people would come to an end. He had been the only leader the Israelites had known since they left Egypt. Moses had been a great leader, unquestionably, faithfully, and reliably obedient to God… except once.

There was that one occasion when Moses struck the rock in anger, attempting to draw water for the thirsty people, (Numbers 20) rather than speaking to the rock as God had instructed him. That day, God had told both Moses and Aaron that neither of them would enter the promised land, due to their failure in upholding the honor and holiness of God before the people. Both men continued to be very good leaders for many years, God anointed, God blessed, God protected and God led leaders, but neither would accompany the people into the new land. Both would die before the new generation of Israelite people entered Canaan. Do you see God’s kindness here in granting Moses an opportunity to SEE the land from the top of the mountain?

What would you have done if you were Moses? Listen to what he said to God in response: “May the LORD…appoint a man over this community of people, to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” (Numbers 27:15-17) What do you hear in these words from Moses, my friends? Do you see his concern is for the people, not for himself? His priority as a leader has been to lead the people in following God at all times. His heart now, as he contemplates leaving the people on the threshold of the new land and their new future, is that God would provide a leader who would effectively, faithfully, and courageously lead the people in closely following God. Look around your city, your nation, my friends… do you see leaders like Moses? Look especially at the older leaders who may soon have to pass their mantles of leadership to a younger generation. What do you see in the integrity and intention of their leadership transition plans?

Now look and listen closely as God responded to Moses’ request: “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 follow him.” (Numbers 27:18-20) Now, why do you suppose Joshua is God’s selection to carry on the leadership in the next generation? Yes Joshua had been at Moses’ side for all these 39 years serving as Moses’ aide. Yes, Joshua led the fight against the Amalakites in their first battle after leaving Egypt, when they needed to defend a water spewing rock in the desert. (Exodus 17:8-15) Yes, Joshua had accompanied Moses up Mount Sinai when Moses met with God for 40 days. (Exodus 24-31) But I wonder if the key reason for Joshua’s selection is found in one little insight given us in Exodus 33?

Moses had built a little tent outside the camp which he called ‘the tent of meeting’, and he met with God often there, remember? Ex. 33:7-11 says: “Anyone inquiring of the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp. When Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance to the tent while the LORD spoke with Moses…then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua did not leave the tent.“ There it is my friends, do you see it? We have no record of anyone else ever going to that little tent to meet with God except Moses and Joshua. But I see a hunger in Joshua. Seems to me Joshua wanted to know God and have a relationship with God even more profound than that which Moses had. I see it in the fact that when Moses was finished meeting with God and would leave the tent, Joshua’s spiritual hunger motivated him to stay longer in the tent. That hunger for God, hunger to know God, hunger to hear God’s instructions… that is what I believe was the primary qualifier which moved God to select Joshua as successor to Moses in leading the Israelites.

The task ahead would be in some ways even greater than that which Moses had. Joshua would lead the people into the promised land, but they’d have to conquer every square inch of that land and that would require God’s clear guidance and empowerment. Then they’d have to divide Canaan to give the appropriate section of territory to each of the Hebrew tribes, some of them well over 100,000 people in size. Then, Joshua would need to establish some form of national culture, which would hold them together as a nation even though spread out across an entire region, while being a theocracy and having no formal human government! Oh yes, Joshua would need guidance from God in some ways even greater than Moses had received! Therefore his deeply rooted hunger to know God, hear God and follow God was essential.

Let’s pause right here in Numbers 27 as both Moses and Joshua contemplate God’s instructions. The time of leadership transition from Moses to Joshua is near. The time of Moses’ death is near. Look at them as they look at each other and consider these transitions in the very near future. May I urge you to ask God what He sees in your future and what you need to be doing now to prepare? Could it be the most important thing for you and me might be our Joshua like hunger for God? Here’s a song that simply quotes Scripture and calls us to seek God…as both Moses and Joshua did!

Today’s Scripture is Numbers 26 & 27.

Choose below to read or listen.

Numbers 26

Numbers 27

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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