The Grammar of Godly Succession Text: Numbers 27:15-23
Introduction: The Unbroken Chain
We live in a throwaway culture. We discard traditions, institutions, and leaders with the same thoughtless ease that we discard yesterday's coffee cup. Our age is defined by its radical discontinuity. We are obsessed with the new, the disruptive, the revolutionary. But God is not the God of chaos; He is the God of order. And a central part of that order is the principle of godly succession. God's covenant purposes do not die with His servants. The baton must be passed, and it must be passed according to His instructions.
This passage in Numbers is not simply an administrative detail, a bit of historical record-keeping about how Israel got its next general. This is a foundational text on the nature of authority, leadership, and the continuity of God's people. Moses, the singular, monumental leader, is about to depart. He has been told he will not enter the Promised Land. A lesser man would have responded with bitterness, with jealousy, or with a desperate attempt to cling to power. But Moses is a true shepherd, and his first thought is not for his own legacy, but for the flock.
The modern world sees leadership as a matter of charisma, popular vote, or raw power. The corporate world sees it as a line on an organizational chart. But the Bible presents leadership as a stewardship, a charge received from God and passed on to another. Here we see the pattern for how authority is to be transferred in the household of God. It is not a democratic free-for-all, nor is it a despotic seizure of power. It is a divine appointment, publicly recognized, and formally commissioned. What happens here with Moses and Joshua is the blueprint for all legitimate transfers of authority in the covenant community. To neglect this pattern is to invite wolves into the sheepfold and to abandon the flock to chaos.
The Text
Then Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, "May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 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." So Yahweh 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. And you shall put some of your splendor 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 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." 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. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses.
(Numbers 27:15-23 LSB)
A Shepherd's Heart (vv. 15-17)
We begin with Moses' selfless plea for the people.
"Then Moses spoke to Yahweh, saying, 'May Yahweh, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 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.'" (Numbers 27:15-17)
Having just been reminded of his own sin and impending death, Moses' immediate reaction is not self-pity but pastoral concern. This is the mark of a true man of God. He addresses God as "the God of the spirits of all flesh," acknowledging God's absolute sovereignty over every human life. God is the one who gives life, and He is the one who equips and calls leaders. Moses does not presume to name his successor. He does not poll the congregation. He asks the ultimate King to appoint His own regent.
The qualifications Moses requests are profoundly practical. He asks for a man "who will go out and come in before them." This is military language. The leader of Israel must be a commander, one who leads from the front, not a bureaucrat who directs from the rear. He is to "lead them out" to battle and "bring them in" to safety. This is a picture of courageous, protective, masculine leadership. The task ahead is conquest, and it requires a warrior.
But the reason for this request is what is most striking: "so that the congregation of Yahweh will not be like sheep which have no shepherd." This metaphor runs through the entire Bible. Jesus looks on the crowds with compassion because they are "like sheep without a shepherd" (Matt. 9:36). A flock without a shepherd is utterly defenseless, directionless, and doomed. Moses understands that without God-appointed leadership, the people will scatter and be devoured. This is not just about efficiency; it is about survival. God's people require godly leadership.
The Divine Appointment (vv. 18-20)
God's response is immediate and specific.
"So Yahweh 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. And you shall put some of your splendor on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him.'" (Numbers 27:18-20)
God's choice is Joshua. But note the first and most essential qualification: he is "a man in whom is the Spirit." Before any public ceremony, before any transfer of authority, there must be an inward reality. The Spirit of God was upon certain individuals in the Old Testament for specific tasks of leadership, wisdom, and power. This was not the universal indwelling that all believers enjoy after Pentecost, but it was a genuine empowering by God for the office. Leadership in God's economy is not a natural talent; it is a spiritual gift. Without the Spirit, a man can be a manager, a CEO, or a politician, but he cannot be a shepherd of God's people.
The process of commissioning has three parts. First, Moses is to "lay your hand on him." The laying on of hands is a biblical symbol of identification and transference. It identifies Joshua as Moses' chosen successor and formally transfers the authority of the office to him. This is not a magical act, but a formal, covenantal sign. Second, this must be done publicly, "before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation." Authority is not a private affair. It must be publicly recognized so that there is no confusion about who is in charge. This public ceremony binds both the leader and the people to their respective duties. Third, Moses is to "put some of your splendor on him." This refers to the visible authority and majesty that God had invested in Moses. This is a visible sign to the people that Joshua now carries the weight of Moses' office, so that they "may obey him." Godly authority is established for the sake of godly order.
The Structure of Authority (v. 21)
God then clarifies the nature of Joshua's authority and how it differs from Moses'.
"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." (Numbers 27:21)
This is a crucial detail. Moses spoke with God "face to face," as a man speaks to his friend. Joshua will not have this same kind of direct access. He is the civil magistrate, the commander. For divine guidance in matters of national importance, he must go to the priest, Eleazar. Eleazar will then use the "judgment of the Urim" to inquire of the Lord. The Urim and Thummim were sacred lots, kept in the high priest's breastplate, used to discern God's will. We don't know exactly how they worked, and we don't need to. The point is the principle: God established separate spheres of authority.
Joshua holds the power of the sword, but Eleazar holds the means of divine inquiry. The state is not the church, and the church is not the state. The general must consult the priest. This is a system of checks and balances, established by God Himself. Joshua's command to "go out" and "come in" is legitimized by the inquiry made before Yahweh. This prevents tyranny. The leader is not a law unto himself; he is under God and must seek God's counsel through the means God has appointed. This is a permanent principle. Civil rulers are not to be the heads of the church, and pastors are not to be kings. Both are under God's authority, each with their own God-given sphere of responsibility.
Obedient Implementation (vv. 22-23)
The passage concludes with Moses' faithful obedience.
"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. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as Yahweh had spoken by the hand of Moses." (Numbers 27:22-23)
There is no hesitation, no argument, no dragging of feet. Moses' obedience is as prompt and precise as God's command. He follows the procedure exactly. He takes Joshua, presents him publicly, lays hands on him, and commissions him. The authority is transferred cleanly, openly, and obediently.
This is the peaceful and orderly transfer of power that God desires for His people. It stands in stark contrast to the bloody, treacherous successions that characterize the pagan world. The foundation for Joshua's entire ministry is laid here, not in his own strength or ambition, but in the sovereign call of God, mediated through the lawful authority of Moses. The legitimacy of his rule is unquestionable because the process was dictated by God and obeyed by man.
The Greater Joshua
This entire event is a glorious picture of a greater reality. Joshua, whose name in Hebrew is Yehoshua, is the very same name as Jesus in Greek. Joshua is a type of Christ. He is the one who will finally lead God's people into their promised inheritance, something the Law, represented by Moses, could not do.
Moses, representing the old covenant, can bring the people to the edge of the Jordan, but he cannot bring them across. The Law can show us the promised land, but it cannot give us entrance. It reveals our sin and condemns us to die in the wilderness. It takes a new leader, a greater Joshua, to lead us into the rest that God has prepared.
And how was our Joshua commissioned? He was not appointed by man. At His baptism, the Spirit descended upon Him. The Father's voice from Heaven declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). He was publicly presented. His authority was not his own; He received it from the Father. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt. 28:18). He is the ultimate leader who goes out before us, fighting our battles against sin, death, and the devil, and He is the one who will bring us safely in to the promised land of the New Jerusalem.
Unlike the first Joshua, our Jesus does not need a priest with Urim and Thummim to discern God's will. He is our great High Priest, and He is the very Word of God Himself. The fullness of God's splendor rests upon Him, and it is to Him that all men are commanded to give their obedience. The orderly succession from Moses to Joshua was a shadow. The reality is the succession from the Old Covenant to the New, from the Law that condemns to the grace that saves, all fulfilled in the person and work of our Lord, the true Joshua, Jesus Christ.