Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20120429.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XXXVII: Fulfilling Our Calling In A Vacuum Of Good Leadership
(Numbers 27:12-23 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    A vacuum of good, effective leadership exists in the world, and it greatly negatively affects people at the grassroots level:

    (1) The lead editorial in The Wall Street Journal, April 21-22, 2012, p. A14 ("Elizabeth Warren's Tax Epiphany") reported how "Democrat Brad Miller recently said that we would all have been better off -- President Obama politically, Democrats in Congress politically, and the nation would have been better off" if his party had tabled ObamaCare. Even bell-weather liberal Barney Frank recently chimed in that I think we paid a terrible price for health care.'"

    (2) The April 24, 2012 issue of the same paper ran as its lead story, "Stress Rises on Social Security," by Damian Paletta who noted: "Social Security . . . will exhaust its reserves by 2033, three years sooner than previously estimated . . . Benefits would automatically be cut roughly 25 % if the trust funds were exhausted . . . Democrats and Republicans . . . are making the role of government a central issue in the November election" but "Social Security is yet to emerge in the debate because . . . the program's financial problems remain decades away" and "many older Americans who receive . . . benefits vote in large numbers and have resisted cuts, striking fear in politicians."

    Thus, a future financial crisis for millions goes unattended by the fearful inaction of the government officials who need to address it.

    (3) Peggy Noonan's article, "America's Crisis of Character," Ibid., April 21-22, 2012, p. A15 explained: "This week Gallup had a poll showing only 24 % of Americans feel we're on the right track as a nation. That's a historic low" as "more and more people are worried about the American character -- who we are and what kind of adults we are raising," and she alluded to stories that fuel this concern. One story was on the General Services Administration scandal where, in "an agency devoted to efficiency," officials spent taxpayer dollars hiring "clowns and mind-readers", thinking it was "funny and appropriate." Another story was on the Secret Service agents assigned to protect the President who got involved in drinking, partying and prostitutes, and another story was on 16 New York City public school teachers "who can't be fired" though they acted "unprofessionally'" in performing Biblically immoral or vulgar acts involving their students.

    We then ask, "If a vacuum of good leadership afflicts our world, negatively affecting ordinary folk, how am I to respond?!"

    Need: "With the vacuum of good leadership in the world that greatly hurts those at the grassroots level of society, what am I to do?!"

  1. With Moses' imminent death for leadership failure, Israel faced a vacuum of good leadership, so he voiced deep concern over it:
    1. God told Moses to view the Promised Land from the Abarim range east of the Jordan River before dying outside the land for failing to honor the Lord as Israel's leader at the waters of Meribah, Num . 27:12-14 with 20:1-13; Ryrie St. Bib., KJV, 1978, ftn. to Num. 27:12.
    2. Recalling this led Moses to recall another man's ruinous leadership, so Moses asked God for good leadership after him, Num. 27:15-17:
      1. Moses addressed the Lord as "the God of the spirits of all flesh" (Num. 27:15-16), a phrase used elsewhere only in Numbers 16:22 when he pleaded for God not to destroy Israel for heeding Korah's ruinous leadership, Num. 16:1-22; Bible Know. C., O. T., p. 249.
      2. Moses asked that Israel "be not as sheep which have no shepherd" (Num. 27:17c), a simile appearing elsewhere in Scripture only in contexts of failed leadership: (a) 1 Kings 22:17 [2 Chronicles 18:16]; (b) Ezekiel 34:1-8; (c) Matthew 9:36 and (d) Mark 6:34.
      3. Moses asked for a shepherd to go out and come in before so as to lead Israel's people out and then bring them in, "antonymical pairs" meaning totality (The Wycliffe Bible Com., 1971, p. 147).
      4. These pairs, the first of the shepherd's personal acts, the second of its effect on others, and the use of the same root for "go" and "come" ( bo'), and then for "lead" and "bring" (yasa') respectively, but in stems that shift from the original simple Qal to the causative Hiphil, specify diligently responsible shepherding by example, requiring faithful righteousness, Num. 27:17; Biblia Heb., p. 243.
  2. God answered Moses' request by providing a SHORT-TERM as well as a LONG-TERM solution to the vacuum of good leadership:
    1. In the SHORT-TERM, God instituted dual imperfect leadership, one civic and the other religious, for mutual accountability (as follows):
      1. God had Moses take Joshua, a proven man (Ex. 17:8-10; 24:13; 33:11; Num. 11:28-29; 14:30, 36-38) and upon whom God's Spirit rested (Num. 27:18b), and lay hands on him before Eleazar and the people to confer some of Moses' authority on Joshua that he be a civil leader along with the religous leader, Eleazar, Num. 27:18-20.
      2. In place of a sole civic and religious leader as in the case of faulty Moses, there would be a division of office for accountability: Joshua would ask God's counsel from Eleazar (Numbers 27:21), so Joshua as civil leader and Eleazar as religious leader could each hold the other accountable to align with the Law.
      3. Thus, a transition was made not only to new leaders, but to a new leadership format that involved dual headship, Numbers 27:22-23.
    2. However, due to the future failure of imperfect civic and religious leaders, God in the LONG-TERM would merge these two offices into ONE under the PERFECT KING-PRIEST, JESUS CHRIST:
      1. In Israel's history, the civil leadership morphed into the office first of Judge and then of King, cf. Judges and 1 Samuel.
      2. Yet, all who later held to civil or religious roles sinfully failed, so Israel scattered as sheep with no shepherd, Ezekiel 34:1-6.
      3. God would judge this failure, and replace the errant leaders with Himself as Israel's Shepherd, Ezekiel 34:7-15.
      4. This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' arrival as God Incarnate to minister to Israel's scattered flock, Matthew 9:36 and Mark 6:34.
      5. However, Israel rejected Jesus as her Shepherd (Zechariah 11:1-8), so God postponed the Kingdom (Zechariah 11:9-14) and will let her face the unrighteous, irresponsible, despotic antichrist, a false shepherd (Zechariah 11:15-17) to drive Israel to repent and accept her True, Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ (Zechariah 12:1-14:21).
      6. Christ will not function as in a dual role era where one ruler is an imperfect civil and another an imperfect religious ruler, but as sinless Lord, both offices will merge in Him into a KING-PRIEST role, Zechariah 6:12-13, uniting the civil and religious offices that were parted in Numbers 27:12-23 after Moses' leadership failure!
      7. Jesus will fulfill Moses' original Numbers 27:17 request for Israel's leader in PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS as He will practice PERFECT diligently responsible shepherding by example OPPOSITE sinful man's irresponsible, despotic rule!
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be saved, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, may we rely on the Holy Spirit to obey God, (3) trusting Him to use us (4) as we look for the coming of our PERFECT King-Priest, Christ! (5) If called to lead, may we be diligently responsible shepherds via example due to faithful righteousness VERSUS unrighteous, irresponsible, despotic oversight!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 This sermon addresses my role as pastor, so I need to apply it:

(1) After our last Good Friday service, two believers, one a man and another a woman, from different families and from different churches, independent of one another, spoke to me on leadership. Both were dismayed at seeing "top-down, despotic" rule in churches!

Then, both parties expressed their appreciation for Nepaug Church's leadership that gives room for people to be THEMSELVES so as to be SHEPHERDED in God's GRACE!

(2) What I found so moving about this feedback is that this type of leadership is precisely what was so critiqued in ME when I first became your Pastor! Many were the people who expressed to me that "top-down rule" by pastors was good, that I was not leading because I did not lead in this way. One man even urged me to be "legalistic"!

I resisted this pressure, for 1 Peter 5:1-3 NIV directs elders to "(b)e shepherds of God's flock . . . not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock."

(3) However, our leadership stance is proving to be correct:

(a) A woman who was at our Church when I first came, but who now attends another Church, one who would love to return but she cannot due to special restraints, told me earlier this year that, from her experience in having been under our ministry and then in several other churches, she has come to believe we are the only Church she knows that practices Biblical leadership. She urged me, "Pastor, please keep on discipling as you do, giving men under you room to develop."

(b) Then, many of you know I conducted a funeral this month for a believer who died as a suicide victim. Though there are multiple explanations for this event, I was told that the deceased's family had been hurt by a church that imploded by a despotic pastor's actions. When the needy party hurt, he had no grace-based support of godly Church leaders! Hearing about this matter deeply bothered me!



So, I affirm I will rely on God's power to shepherd you and encourage the Board to keep shepherding you like God wills, being upright in life so that our example might affect you in God's grace.

Then, may we all trust God's oversight of history and look for His coming PERFECT King-Priest, Jesus Christ, Who will rule us and this needy world in righteousness and blessing!