Scripture
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim (Nebo), and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; 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.) Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who will go out and come in beore 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.’ 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; and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. 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.’ Moses did just as the Lord commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.”
NUMBERS 27:12-23
Quotes/Color
“No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice.”
C.S. Lewis
Context
This commissioning process, as instructed by the Lord, was not the first Moses had heard of Joshua – far from it. Joshua had proven loyalty to God first and Moses second for years. Many years before, Moses had sent 12 young spies from his cohort to inspect the land of Canaan (the promised land)… Joshua being one of them. Having triumphantly led his people out of slavery in Egypt, this was supposed to be the moment he was destined for… The moment he finally led God’s people to the promised land, the land of milk and honey.
Moses stood atop Mount Neebo and commissioned Joshua and the 11 other young men to inspect the land and come back with a report of its condition. The 12 spies went into the city for 40 days and the promise was true… The land was everything they had hoped for. The soil was good. They had proof of good fruit… And with that, the ball was officially in the Israelites court. Now all they had to do was trust that God had in fact set aside this land for them and undertake the conquest of Canaan.
But that is not what happened.
Although the land was confirmed to be what they were looking for, 10 of the 12 spies advised that the Isrealites shouldn’t even try to take the land. They shook with fear and reported that the land was too full of 5-star recruits. They were outsized and outmatched. They wouldn’t stand a chance against the Texas Longhorns… I’m sorry, I mean the Canaanites. (Apologies, as I write this, I await the Baylor Bears, God’s chosen team, to face off against the Texas Longhorns, a sort of modern-day Canaanite/Babylonian equivalent if you may, for the very last time before they abscond to the SEC).
But only 2 men, surrounded by the company of doubt and fear, still believed that God would in fact be with them in their conquest of the promised land – Caleb and Joshua. Caleb and Joshua were the young men whose belief in God was so large, that even SEC-level talent could not deter them.
In other words… More than anything else… Their belief in God… Just meant more.
Application
Alright, alright, enough of the cute SEC jokes. What is there to take away from Moses and Joshua? A quick note and then an application.
Note: Moses led the Israelites out of bondage and was supposed to then lead them into the promised land. But Joshua was in fact the man that led the Israelites into the promised land because of his belief in God in the company of doubt.
So that begs the question…
How do you think Moses felt about not being able to see his responsibility through? Camping out at the top of Mount Nebo and knowing with certainty that he would not be able to step foot in the promised land? Not in fact being able to lead God’s people to the promised land? And on top of that, having to hand the reins off to someone else in his cohort who would be able to do what he dedicated his entire life to?
Do you think he felt ripped off? Do you think it was perhaps a temptation to try to strong-arm his way into the promised land whether God liked it or not? “I’ve been out here in the wilderness for 40 years leading these people. Not a chance I am going to let someone else cross the finish line after all I’ve been through.” Do you think he felt frustrated with God at that moment? Do you think he felt jealous of Joshua, even though he loved him?
If he did… He didn’t show it.
Application: Moses invested in Joshua. He placed belief in him and challenged him at an early age. He placed his hands on him and blessed him in front of their entire company… AND YET. He had absolutely nothing to gain.
Moses’ relationship with Joshua provided no benefit to him. It only provided benefit to the greater good, to God’s people, reaching the land that was promised to them despite Moses’ shortcomings.
That being said, a couple important questions to ask yourself…
- What relationships do you have in your life that someone believes in you, encourages you and invests in you… And has NOTHING to gain from it? Nothing to benefit from it. Are you thankful for that Moses-figure? Do you express gratitude for that person?
- Perhaps more importantly… What relationships do you have in your life that YOU believe in someone, YOU encourage someone, YOU continually invest in someone… and you have NOTHING to gain from it? People younger than you who could maybe use encouragement and belief. Peers who are perhaps don’t improve your social status, popularity or advance your professional career. Think about those people. Do you invest in them anyways? Even though they may not benefit you?
For God’s purposes to be accomplished, for his people to “reach the promised land” (in this case) the Christian is required to think outside of oneself. The Christian is required to be selfless and not only think of what benefits them in each and every moment of life. They have to be content walking into each and every situation and relationship asking the question… “Will this benefit God’s kingdom or encourage God’s creation?” If the answer is yes, then your calling is to seek first the kingdom of God… and trust the rest.
Something to Chew On:
- Are you selfless enough to cast aside your own interests and own goals for the greater good?
- Do you only invest in relationships that help your reputation? Do you only give richer, smarter, more popular people the time of day? Or do you invest selflessly and trust God with the rest?
- Is advancing God’s kingdom enough of a reward for you? Or do you only seek out opportunities that benefit God’s kingdom… and you?
- Are you a fan of the Texas Longhorns? Do you need to inspect your heart and ask yourself if their move to the SEC is a bridge too far?
GreatValue Proverb:
Belief in God just means more.