Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20020501.htm

NUMBERS: ON SPIRITUAL CASUALTIES AND VICTORS
Part XXXI: God's WISE Way Of Raising Up GOOD NEW Leaders For His People
(Numbers 27:12-23)
  1. Introduction
    1. As time goes by, there is a need for younger leaders need to fill the spots of aging leaders of God's flock.
    2. However, there can be much unrest if there is no transition to younger leaders, or if this is not done well.
    3. Numbers 27:12-23 reveals God's wise way of raising up good new leaders for His people (as follows):
  2. God's WISE Way Of Raising Up GOOD NEW Leaders For His People, Numbers 27:12-23.
    1. As God told Moses he was about to die in discipline for sinning against the Lord in the wilderness of Zin, Moses expressed concern about the human leadership vacuum his death would leave for Israel, 27:12-16.
    2. Moses detailed the need the nation had for a human leader in his place as follows, Numbers 27:17:
      1. Israel needed a human leader to lead by his example, "going out and coming in" before them, 27:17a.
      2. Israel needed a human leader who could then apply his example so as to LEAD them "out" and BRING them "in" much like a shepherd does for his helpless flock, Numbers 27:17b.
      3. If Israel did not have such a human leader, due to their immaturity and instability in often NOT following God as a whole, the nation would be as helpless as sheep without a shepherd, Num. 27:17c.
    3. God replied in favor of Moses' concern, and offered His WISE way of raising up a new leader as follows:
      1. God chose a qualified undershepherd to replace Moses, Numbers 27:18a,b:
        1. God chose an established undershepherd in Joshua to replace Moses, 27:18a with 13:2, 8, 16: (a) Joshua who was selected by God to replace Moses was the son of Nun, and had been a ruler of the tribe of Ephraim, Numbers 27:18a with 13:2, 8, 16. (b) Indeed, he had been one of the 12 spies sent to spy out the Promised Land, a man already a leader in his own realm, Numbers 13:2.
        2. God chose a proven undershepherd in Joshua to replace Moses: Joshua with Caleb were the only two spies of the 12 who risked their lives to give a faithful report of the land to the unbelieving former generation in the wilderness, Numbers 27:18a with Numbers 13:25, 32-33 and 14:6-9, 10a.
        3. God chose an experienced undershepherd in Joshua to replace Moses: (a) Joshua had led Israel's military attacks under Moses in the wilderness, Exodus 17:9. (b) Joshua had been Moses' personal slave who had spent time fellowshipping with God when his master, Moses ministered in a special tent before the Lord, cf. Exodus 33:11.
        4. God chose an undershepherd who already possessed GOD'S signal He intended to USE him: when Joshua first led Israel to battle under Moses' leadership, and won the battle by God's enabling, GOD had Moses record the victory in a book as a memorial to be rehearsed for JOSHUA'S benefit; this implied God wanted Joshua one day to destroy all of the godless Amalekites, Numbers 27:18a with Exodus 17:14a,b.
        5. God chose an undershepherd who possessed God's SPIRITUAL enabling, Numbers 27:18b.
      2. God had the leader the CONGREGATION recognized in MOSES then publicly DELEGATE some of his honor and authority to Joshua so the people could get USED to Joshua while they STILL had their ESTABLISHED leader, MOSES with them, Numbers 27:19-23. This allowed for a peaceful, smooth, settled leadership transition for the CONGREGATION, let alone for JOSHUA!
Lesson: God's WISE way of raising up GOOD NEW LEADERS is as follows: (1) PRESENT leaders must heed GOD in choosing QUALIFIED MEN to be the NEW leaders, namely, those who (a) ALREADY show SOME, (b) PROVEN leadership, and (c) show EXPERIENCE in their walk with God and service to the congregation, (d) men whom GOD has ALREADY INDICATED HE wants to USE in leading and (e) men who are SPIRITUALLY gifted FOR the NEW role. (2) Then, we are GRADUALLY, PUBLICLY to see ESTABLISHED leaders TRANSFER authority TO these NEW men.

Application: Establishing NEW leaders over God's flock is never to be a quick, careless exercise, for that only inevitably produces great upheaval and unrest in the congregation: rather, establishing NEW leaders should involve a GOD-LED, GRADUAL, SENSIBLE series of steps occurring over TIME to take up the slack for human immaturity and instability in the flock, cf. 1 Timothy 3:10; 5:22, 24-25.