30 May 2010
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Numbers 27:15-23
15. Moses said to the LORD,
16. "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community
17. to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
18. So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.
19. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.
20. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.
21. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."
22. Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.
23. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.
-- one good thing about having kids is that it forces you to go back and learn things that you had forgotten -- since we have been home-schooling Brooke, I have been trying to find little teaching moments wherever I am where I can drop nuggets of wisdom to help her learn -- but, in the process, it has really opened my eyes and caused me to ask questions and seek out answers for things around me that I had never thought about before
-- for instance, just the other day, we were buying shrimp -- and they had a lobster tank right there at the counter -- and as we were waiting for someone to help us, we looked at the lobsters -- and it occurred to me that I didn't really know much about lobsters
-- I knew they were invertebrates -- I knew they were crustaceans -- I knew they lived in the ocean -- and I knew that the best habitat for them was on a plate with butter and hush puppies -- but, other than that, I realized I didn't know a lot about them -- so I got on the computer and started looking up facts about lobsters in order to learn more about them and use them in our home-schooling
-- did you know that lobsters can grow to be 100 years old? -- and that some species of lobsters can weigh up to 40 pounds? -- that's an awful lot of lobster -- I had no idea that a female lobster could produce up to 100,000 eggs each year and that each year, there are these mass migrations of up to 100,000 lobsters at a time, moving from one part of the ocean to another
-- I also learned about the lobster's shell -- the shell is really their exoskeleton -- this is what protects them from predators and from the harsh environment they live in -- without their shell, they are vulnerable to attack
-- but, their shell is also a liability for them -- a lobster can only can only grow as large as its shell -- in order for it to grow larger, it has to get rid of the old shell and grow a new shell through a process called molting
-- I leaned that the brief period of time between when the old shell is discarded and the new one is formed is the most dangerous time in the life of a lobster -- During this terribly vulnerable period, the transition must be scary to the lobster -- no longer does it have the protection of that old, hard shell
-- but now, they have to be careful or ocean currents will pick them up and bounce them against the rocks -- they have to watch out for hungry schools of fish that are ready to make them a part of their food chain -- and they have to hide from all the dangers of the ocean that they used to just walk by without a care
-- For a while at least, that old shell must look pretty good -- the lobster might be thinking it was crazy to let it go -- but in just a few days, the new shell will harden and give the lobster a new and larger protective barrier -- and when that happens, the lobster emerges from its place of hiding, bigger and stronger than every before and ready to take on the world
II. Lobsters and Churches -- Scripture Lesson (Numbers 27:15-23)
-- you know, when you think about it, we're not so different from lobsters -- sometimes, we get trapped in our shells and we can't grow because we're clinging to the past -- sometimes, we can't grow because we're unwilling to embrace change -- but the Bible teaches that if Christians and churches are going to change and grow, then we have to put the past behind us -- we have to get rid of our old shells and step out in faith
-- sometimes this means letting go of church traditions in order to create new traditions -- sometimes this means letting go of old programs in order to start new programs and new ministries or new missions -- sometimes this means letting go of old pastors and leaders so that new ideas and new ways of doing things can happen
-- a great example of this is seen in this passage here in Numbers 27 -- for forty years, Moses had been the leader of the Israelites -- through him, God had rescued the Israelites from bondage in Egypt -- it was Moses who had defied Pharaoh in God's name -- it was Moses who brought the people across the Red Sea -- it was Moses who had led them in the wilderness
-- when they were hungry, Moses went to God for their provision -- when they were thirsty, the people turned to Moses for help -- when enemies threatened or when they faced difficulties in their journeys, it was always Moses who had the answer -- it was always Moses who God used to bring them through
-- for forty years, Moses was the man -- for forty years, Moses was their leader -- but, now, it's time for a change
-- for the second time in his life, Moses has led the people to the edge of the Promised Land -- but things are different, this time -- Moses is much older -- Aaron is gone, passed away years ago -- in fact, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, everyone else who had come up from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea and stood with Moses in that spot the last time are gone -- it's a new generation that is standing on the banks of the Jordan River this time, ready to cross over into the Promised Land
-- it's obvious to all that it's time for the old to pass away -- it's time for a change -- no longer will the Israelites be wandering in the wilderness -- no longer will they be moving from place to place as God leads -- no longer will they be homeless strangers just passing through
-- it's time for the people of Israel to cross the river -- it's time for them to step into the promises of God -- to take up a new mission -- to begin a new adventure -- to take a new journey -- so, it's time for Moses to step aside
-- transitions are never easy -- not for leaders or for the people -- so God calls Moses away from the people for one last time -- He leads Moses up into the mountains -- to the highest mountain in the Abarim range -- some translations say to Mount Abarim itself -- and from that vantage point, God bids Moses to look out over the people of Israel -- and to look out onto the Promised Land
-- many have said that we will never know what impact we have made for the Kingdom of God until we get to Heaven -- but up here on this mountain, God lets Moses get a glimpse of what his leadership over the past forty years has meant to the nation of Israel
-- Moses looks out over a group of people that is different from what he started with -- they have grown -- not only in numbers -- but also spiritually -- they are more mature -- more open to God than before
-- they no longer murmur against the Lord -- they no longer complain of the hardships of the desert and long to go back to Egypt -- instead, they are ready to go forth and do what God calls them to do, wherever He calls them to do it -- even if that means crossing the River and waging war against the Canaanites -- they trust that God will see them through
-- Moses shifts his gaze and looks out over the Promised Land -- finally, he has seen that which God has promised -- he sees the land flowing with milk and honey that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- finally, he sees the desire of his people and he knows it is time -- he knows they are finally ready to enter
-- but, God tells him that it is not for him -- that he will not be the one to lead the people across the river -- but that another will take his place
-- so, with the heart of a pastor -- with the wisdom of a leader -- Moses prays for the people of Israel and asks that God would raise up a new leader to take his place
-- look back with me at verse 15 again
15. Moses said to the LORD,
16. "May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community
17. to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."
-- there's several nuggets of wisdom in these three verses
-- first, we see the growth of Moses -- over the course of the past forty years, he has learned humility and trust -- the reason God was not letting Moses carry the people across the river was because of what Moses did when the people had asked for water in the desert
-- the first time the people had come to him, God had told Moses to strike a rock with his staff and that water would flow from the rock -- he did as God said, and the people drank their fill
-- but, the second time the people had come to him about water, God told Moses to stand before the rock and speak to it in the Lord's name and that water would gush out -- but Moses didn't trust that God could bring water out without his help -- and so he struck his staff against the rock twice to make it give up water and then he tried to take credit for the miracle along with God -- his lack of trust and his pride caused him to sin against God
-- but now, Moses has learned his lesson -- he has realized that all he has accomplished -- everything he has done -- has only been done because of God -- and now he shows his trust and faith in God by willingly letting go of the reins of power -- by willingly laying down the leadership of the people so that God could use another in his place
-- the second thing we see here is that leaders are exalted to their places of authority through the will and power of God -- whether we're talking about the leader of the nation of Israel or the leader of the United States -- the Bible is clear -- God is the one who selects and allows men and women to rise to positions of authority and leadership
-- Moses recognizes that fact clearly -- I'm sure he remembers who he was when God first called him -- an itinerant shepherd who stuttered and couldn't speak plainly before others -- but God chose him and put him in the position of power -- so, now Moses asks God to choose the next leader for Israel in the same way
-- Moses recognized that it was God alone who knew the heart of a man -- it was God alone who could look past the exterior to the heart within and who would select a person with the right moral qualities and gifts and talents needed for that moment and that time -- so Moses asks God to appoint the right person to the task
-- the final thing we see here is the mission and ministry of the new leader -- Moses asks God to appoint a person who will "go out and come in before them -- one who will lead them out and bring them in" just like a shepherd does for his flock
-- before a shepherd leads his flock into the pasture, he goes out first and checks out the pasture -- he makes sure that there is no danger -- that no wolves or bears or anything else that might harm the sheep is there -- and then, and only then, after he has made sure things are o.k., he comes back and gets the flock and leads them in
-- Moses indicates here that was to be the primary role of the new leader for Israel -- the people were entering an unknown land -- a land with hidden dangers -- both physical and spiritual -- and it was the job of the new leader to scout out the land first -- to map out the dangers and to devise a plan to overcome obstacles -- before he led the nation across the river
-- let's look at God's response to Moses' prayer
-- verse 18
18. So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.
19. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.
20. Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.
21. He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."
22. Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.
23. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.
-- so, God tells Moses to go back down the mountain to where the people are waiting -- once he is there, he is to take Joshua, son of Nun, and lay his hands on him before Eleazar the priest and in the presence of all the people and commission him to a leadership role
-- this was an important moment for the people of Israel -- for most of them, Moses had been the only leader they had ever known -- they didn't know any other way of doing things -- and, as we know, people are generally resistant to change -- we like things to stay the same -- we like things to go on exactly like they have for years -- but, as we said earlier, we can't stay the same and go with God -- we have to change and to grow if we are going to fulfill His call in our lives and in our churches
-- when Moses and Eleazar -- the political and religious leaders of the nation -- laid their hands on Joshua -- it showed the nation that Joshua was accepted as the new leader by both of them
-- it was a dramatic way for God to tell the nation to begin the transition from Moses to Joshua -- from the old to the new -- and to accept the changes that were going to come through this transition
-- and, it was a visual reminder to the people that Joshua was not Moses -- he wasn't going to act like Moses -- he wasn't going to talk like Moses -- he wasn't going to lead like Moses -- because that's not what the nation needed at this moment
-- Joshua had his own gifts and talents -- he had his own skills and his own way of doing things -- just because Moses had done things in a certain way didn't mean that Joshua had to do it the same way -- just because God had used Moses to bring water from a rock didn't mean that He would use Joshua in the same way
-- the nation of Israel was embarking on a new adventure -- and they needed a new person to lead them on the journey -- and this person had been appointed by God and approved by Moses and Eleazar
III. Closing
-- the Bible is a road-map of change -- God is constantly asking His people to leave behind the old and to embrace the new -- He sometimes asks us, like Abraham, to go to places that we don't know just because He asks -- just like with the first disciples, God sometimes asks us to lay aside all of our former patterns of worship and theological understandings to accept new wine and new wineskins -- and just like He did with the nation of Israel in this passage, sometimes God asks us to allow our former leaders to move on so that new people can lead the church down new paths and through new adventures
-- I don't know what river we are standing next to right now -- I don't know what new path the Lord has laid out for you and for me -- I don't know where God wants this to go in the years ahead or what He wants it to do
-- but, I do know this -- God has a plan for you and for this church -- for a time, He allowed me to share this journey with you -- but now, it is time for another
-- in our modern-day churches, we typically are not able to have a transfer of leadership like the one that we see in this passage -- and that's true whether we're talking about the Methodist Church or the Baptist Church or any other denomination
-- usually, the former pastor has to leave before the new pastor comes on the scene -- and, so, that forces us to trust in God all the more
-- we have to trust that God has called and appointed the person with the right skills and talents to take over leadership in this church
-- we have to trust that God gave the Bishop and his cabinet the wisdom to put the right person in place
-- and, we have to trust God when the new pastor doesn't do things exactly the same as in the past -- just because it's different -- just because it's new -- doesn't mean it's not exactly what God wants us to embrace
-- we can't stay where we are and go with God -- and if God has called a person with different gifts and talents to lead this church, that means that God is leading us down a new path
-- when it was time for the nation of Israel to step into the Promised Land, God raised up a new leader with new gifts and talents to show them the way
-- and the fact that you are about to welcome a new pastor and a new leader into your church is a sign that God is about to do something as remarkable with you
-- so, let me leave you with these thoughts as we close
-- first, trust God -- trust that God knows what He is doing and He has called into place the right person for the job at hand
-- second, embrace change -- for without change, we become locked in our shells and we slowly die -- it is only when we change an grow that we become who God has called us to be
-- finally, look to the future -- don't look back, but look at where God is leading you -- Moses' generation looked back at Egypt with longing eyes and lived their whole lives in the wilderness -- but the next generation looked at the promise, and crossed the River to a land flowing with milk and honey
-- if you want to be all that God has called you to be -- if you want this church to do all that He has called it to do -- look ahead and trust the leader that God has put before you
-- let us pray
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