Pray for Successors

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Pray for Successors

Date: Jan. 9, 2017

Passage

Numbers 27:12-23 (ESV)

12 The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) 15 Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, 16 “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation 17 who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” 18 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. 19 Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. 20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. 21 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” 22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, 23 and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 27:16-17

“Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.”

1. Trust God and pray for his work (12-17)

God was not going to back down on his judgment against Moses. Moses may have done a million good things, but not honoring God as holy before the people was enough to keep him out of the Promised Land. Moses accepted God's pronouncement and concerned himself with the advancement of God's plan, specifically that a leader be raised up to lead the people.

2. God establishes leaders (18-23)

God told Moses to appoint Joshua as the next leader. The people needed to have confidence in Joshua's leadership. Thus there was a commissioning ceremony led by Eleazar the High Priest. The people would rally around Joshua and Eleazar. God establishes his leaders.

Prayer: Lord, you are God. I want to be content with how you lead my life. Raise up leaders for your mission.

One Word: Pray that God may raise up successors

Gatekeepers

1 Chronicles 26:1-32

Key Verse: 26:12

Today's Question

By what sin did our first parents fall from their original condition?

See answer and references