Numbers 27:Joshua
12-14 God said to Moses, “Climb up into the Abarim Mountains and look over at the land that I am giving to the People of Israel. When you’ve had a good look you’ll be joined to your ancestors in the grave—yes, you also along with Aaron your brother. This goes back to the day when the congregation quarreled in the Wilderness of Zin and you didn’t honor me in holy reverence before them in the matter of the waters, the Waters of Meribah (Quarreling) at Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin.”
15-17 Moses responded to God: “Let God, the God of the spirits of everyone living, set a man over this community to lead them, to show the way ahead and bring them back home so God’s community will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18-21 God said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun—the Spirit is in him!—and place your hand on him. Stand him before Eleazar the priest in front of the entire congregation and commission him with everyone watching. Pass your magisterial authority over to him so that the whole congregation of the People of Israel will listen obediently to him. He is to consult with Eleazar the priest who, using the oracle-Urim, will prayerfully advise him in the presence of God. He will command the People of Israel, the entire community, in all their comings and goings.”
22-23 Moses followed God’s orders. He took Joshua and stood him before Eleazar the priest in front of the entire community. He laid his hands on him and commissioned him, following the procedures God had given Moses.
For 40 years, Joshua has followed Moses from Egypt, throughout the wilderness, and now to the edge of the Promised Land. Many times, when Moses has spent time with God in the tabernacle, Joshua has remained in the presence of God, even after Moses has returned to the camp. Joshua was one of the spies Moses sent to report on the Promised Land shortly after the Israelites had left Egypt. Moses has known for a long time that Joshua is the one who will lead the Israelites into Canaan.
You might ask why include Joshua in this study of blood sacrifices? After all, no blood is spilled during this ordination, unlike the ordination of priests where sacrificial blood is used to anoint the new priest’s right ear, thumb, and right big toe. But there are all kinds of sacrifices, many of which do not involve slaughtering animals. Here, Joshua is offering himself as a living sacrifice. What does that mean?
Romans 12:1-2 12 “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Once Moses lays hands on Joshua, Joshua will begin assuming increasing amounts of leadership. Forget family life, friendships, or even free time; Joshua must place God’s Will above everything else in his life. And this commitment will last for the rest of Joshua’s life.
While we generally focus all our attention on Joshua, think about what this commitment means for Joshua’s family. By now, Joshua must be at least 60 years old. It’s likely that Joshua has several children, some of whom might already be married. Joshua’s wife or wives must share him with all the Israelites, especially the leaders. Joshua must respond to crises at any time. Meals, sleep, other family activities-everything can be interrupted at any moment. In such circumstances, it’s easy to become emotionally and physically exhausted.
I have spent at least 15 years as the only doctor at rural mission hospitals in northern Ghana. After years on constant call, I have felt as if I am not really sleeping but that my body is hovering six inches above the bed. The perpetual stress is wearing. After such experiences, I can definitely sympathize with Joshua and Moses!
As we go through this Advent season, many of us may be struggling with financial constraints. There’s a meme that says, “The first Christmas was simple. Yours can be also.” Many families are finding that the most important gifts anyone can give are time and presence. In essence, we should make living sacrifices of ourselves to those around us. Elderly parents, distracted and stressed kids, friends facing holidays after bereavements-all these people need time and presence, and those things are priceless. May God help us to see the needs of those around us, so that we will respond to those needs, blessing them as we do so.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts so we will serve those around us with our time and our presence. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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