Bird's-eye view
In this passage, we come to a crucial moment in the life of Israel. Moses, the great lawgiver and leader who brought them out of Egypt, has been told by God that he will not be the one to lead the people into the Promised Land. His work is coming to an end. But God's work is not. This is a text about godly succession, about the continuity of God's covenant purposes, and about the qualifications for true leadership among the people of God. Moses, in a beautiful display of selfless concern for the flock, petitions God not to leave them leaderless. God answers by appointing Joshua, a man already distinguished by the Spirit, to take up the mantle. This is not a political handover driven by ambition, but a divine and orderly transition, publicly ratified, ensuring that Israel remains a people under God's authority, led by a man of God's choosing.
The central theme here is the provision of a shepherd for God's sheep. Without divinely appointed leadership, the people of God scatter and become prey. Moses understands this danger profoundly. The passage outlines the process for this appointment: a godly request, a divine selection based on spiritual character, a public commissioning involving the priesthood and the congregation, and a transfer of authority. It is a pattern that points forward to the ultimate Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the perfect fulfillment of all these leadership qualifications and who ensures His church is never truly without a head.
Outline
- 1. Moses' Intercession for a Successor (Num 27:15-17)
- a. A Selfless Request (v. 15-16a)
- b. The Job Description of a Shepherd (v. 16b-17)
- 2. God's Divine Appointment of Joshua (Num 27:18-21)
- a. The Man and His Qualification: The Spirit (v. 18)
- b. The Public Commissioning (v. 19)
- c. The Transfer of Authority and Honor (v. 20)
- d. The Means of Continued Divine Guidance (v. 21)
- 3. The Faithful Execution of the Command (Num 27:22-23)
- a. Moses' Obedience (v. 22)
- b. The Ordination Completed (v. 23)
Context In Numbers
This passage follows directly on the heels of God informing Moses of his impending death (Num 27:12-14). The sin at the waters of Meribah has disqualified him from entering the land. This is a somber moment, but Moses' response is not one of self-pity or complaint. Instead, his immediate thought is for the welfare of the people he has led for forty years. The book of Numbers is a story of transition. It chronicles the journey of the generation that came out of Egypt, their failure in the wilderness, and the preparation of the new generation to inherit the promise. This leadership transition from Moses to Joshua is the capstone of that preparation. The people who will enter the land need a leader who will go before them into battle and into the life of the covenant land. This is not just about finding a new general; it is about ensuring the covenant continuity of the nation under God.
Verse by Verse Commentary
15 Then Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying,
Right after hearing the news of his own death, Moses turns to speak to God. His first instinct is prayer. His concern is not for his own legacy, but for the future of God's people. This is the mark of a true shepherd. He has spent forty years dealing with this stiff-necked people, and his love for them, patterned after God's own love, has not diminished. He knows their propensity to wander, and so he brings that concern straight to the throne of grace.
16 “May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,
Moses addresses God with a significant title: "the God of the spirits of all flesh." This is not just flowery language. He is acknowledging God's absolute sovereignty over every human being. God is the one who gives life and breath, and He is the one who knows the inner workings, the spirit, of every man. Therefore, only He is qualified to choose the right kind of leader. Moses is not asking for a committee to be formed or for a vote to be taken. He is asking the omniscient God to make the selection. This is a foundational principle for leadership in the church: God appoints, men merely recognize that appointment.
17 who will go out and come in before them, and who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of Yahweh will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”
Here we have the job description. The leader must "go out and come in before them." This is military language, first and foremost. He is to lead them in battle, going out to confront the enemy and coming back in victory. But it is more than that. It is the language of daily life, of total leadership. He is to be visible, present, and active among the people. The second phrase, "lead them out and bring them in," reinforces this. He is a shepherd. The imagery is potent and recurs throughout Scripture, culminating in Jesus' declaration that He is the Good Shepherd (John 10). The great fear, the great danger, is that Israel would become like sheep without a shepherd, scattered, vulnerable, confused, and prey for wolves. A leaderless people is a dying people.
18 So Yahweh said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
God's response is immediate and specific. The man is Joshua. And the primary qualification listed is not his military prowess or his long resume as Moses' assistant, though those were true. The essential thing is that he is "a man in whom is the Spirit." The Spirit of God was already at work in him, equipping him for wisdom, courage, and faithfulness. This is not something Moses could impart, but something God had already given and which Moses was to recognize. The laying on of hands, then, is not a magical transfer of power, but a public identification and commissioning of the one God has already chosen. It is a formal act of setting apart, an ordination.
19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight.
This is not to be a private affair. The transition of leadership must be public, before the priest and all the people. Why? To prevent any confusion or challenge to Joshua's authority later on. It establishes a clear, undeniable line of succession. The whole congregation needs to see that this is God's doing, mediated through His servant Moses. It involves both the religious authority (Eleazar the priest) and the civil body (the congregation), showing that Joshua's leadership encompasses all of Israel's life.
20 And you shall put some of your splendor on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him.
Moses is to put some of his "splendor" or "honor" or "authority" on Joshua. This is the visible transfer of the mantle of leadership. Moses had a unique authority, a glory that came from speaking with God face to face. A portion of this recognized authority is now publicly bestowed upon Joshua. The purpose is explicitly practical: so that the people will obey him. Authority is not for the leader's ego; it is for the good of the people, that they might have unity and direction. True authority flows from God, and here it is being channeled through an orderly, established process.
21 Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Yahweh. 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.”
Here is a key difference between Moses and Joshua. Moses spoke with God "face to face," but Joshua will receive divine guidance through the priesthood, specifically through the Urim and Thummim. This establishes a check and balance, and a dependence on the established means of grace through the tabernacle worship. Joshua is the civil and military leader, but he is to submit to the word of God as it is revealed through the priest. This is a model of distributed authority under God. Joshua gives the commands to go out and come in, but his commands are to be informed by God's will sought through proper channels.
22 So Moses did just as Yahweh commanded him; and he took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation.
Moses' obedience is simple and complete. There is no hesitation, no jealousy, no clinging to power. He does "just as Yahweh commanded him." He presents Joshua to the priest and the people, fulfilling his final great duty as Israel's leader. This faithful obedience in letting go is as much a mark of his greatness as his powerful leadership was.
23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses.
The act is completed. The hands are laid, the commission is given. The phrase "just as Yahweh had spoken" closes the loop. This entire event, from Moses' initial prayer to the final act of commissioning, is a seamless outworking of the will of God. It is a beautiful picture of a peaceful and orderly transfer of power, a stark contrast to the grasping and political maneuvering of the world. God's plan for His people moves forward, and He always provides the leadership His people need for the task at hand.
Application
This passage is intensely practical for the Church today. First, we see the heart of a true leader in Moses. He is not concerned with building his own kingdom but with the health of God's kingdom. Pastors and elders should be praying for the next generation of leaders, actively looking to raise up men to take their place, without any sense of threat or rivalry.
Second, the primary qualification for leadership is the presence of the Holy Spirit. We often look for charisma, business acumen, or public speaking ability. God looks for a man filled with His Spirit, a man of godly character, wisdom, and faithfulness. All other skills are secondary to this. The Spirit is the one who equips a man for the real work of shepherding souls.
Third, leadership succession should be orderly and public. The commissioning of elders and deacons is not a mere formality. The laying on of hands is a solemn, public act that identifies a man as one set apart for office, providing clarity and stability for the congregation. It is the church's way of saying, "We recognize God's hand on this man."
Finally, all human leadership points to Christ. Joshua, whose name is the Hebrew form of Jesus, was a great leader who brought God's people into their inheritance. But he was a type, a foreshadowing. The Lord Jesus is the true Joshua, the perfect Shepherd-King in whom the Spirit dwells without measure. He leads us out against our spiritual enemies and will bring us safely into the final promised land, the new heavens and the new earth. He is the leader who will never die and never need a successor. Our ultimate security is not in any man, but in the great Shepherd of the sheep, given to us by "the God of the spirits of all flesh."