Discover His heart: He provides the best leadership to guide His sheep
Several years ago I started a new job, and I was the first person to hold the position. There were no precedents to follow, no one to train me and a lot of what I did at the beginning was hit or miss. Through the years I developed a job description and worked out most of the kinks and challenges. In situations like this, it’s easy to take ownership, view it as my baby and become protective of it.
The time had come for me to move on and train someone else to fill the position. Now I had to trust that the leadership would choose someone who would not harm the job that I had developed and worked so hard to make perfect. As I trained the new employee, it didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a highly qualified person who would use the equipment and resources to an even greater degree of efficiency than I had done. And that made my heart sing! The work would not suffer and would move forward. Today in our reading, Moses found himself in somewhat the same circumstance, released from a position that he had been the first to hold.
@ Numbers 27
God met with Moses on the mountaintop to show him Canaan, the land he would not enter because of his sin at Meribah. The 120-year-old leader showed his true heart in his response to the Lord, “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.” (16-17)
Even though Moses had not met Jesus yet, although one day he would do so on the Mount of Transfiguration, he had the compassion of Jesus who said, “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) Jesus had just been called a devil because He delivered a man from the demons that possessed him, but both leaders looked past their own situations and were concerned about the needs of others.
A wise Moses wanted God to choose his successor. Two men, Joshua and Caleb, had both proven to be led by the Lord and to be worthy of leadership roles, and no doubt there were others who thought themselves worthy of the position. Sometimes we desire to choose our replacements on the job or in the church; and as parents, we would even like to choose the spouses who will become central in the lives of our grown children. But how much better to leave it to our superiors or the leadership of the Holy Spirit, removing ourselves from the possibility of error.
Of course, God had chosen the perfect replacement for Moses, “The Lord replied, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people.’” (18-20) Our public acceptance of those who follow us in any position provides continuity so the work will not suffer. This requires a generous heart, without envy or selfishness, regardless of how much of ourselves we have given to it in the past. This was the heart of Moses, “So Moses did as the Lord commanded. He presented Joshua to Eleazar the priest and the whole community. Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people.” (22-23)
When we find ourselves in a situation similar to Moses, where we will pass on the baton to someone else to fulfill a role we have served, may we do so with a generous heart towards his or her success. In doing this, we will reveal a compassionate heart for those being served, trusting that nothing will suffer in the process. That should make our hearts sing!
Moving Forward: I can serve Him with confidence today knowing that when He provides my next step, He also will provide my successor. He’s very faithful that way.
Tomorrow @ 2 Chronicles 6-10
Phyllis Benigas 