See the land which I have given to the sons of Israel.

Numbers 27:12-23

^{From the daily reading in the One Year Bible ( link available on links page )}

 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go up to this mountain of Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the sons of Israel. ¹³ When you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was; ¹⁴ for in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to treat Me as holy before their eyes at the water.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

Joshua to Succeed Moses

¹⁵ Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 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 the Lord will not be like sheep which 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 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. ²⁰ You shall put some of your authority on him, in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. ²¹ Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. 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.” ²² Moses did just as the Lord commanded him; and he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. ²³ Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

We had previously touched on the consequence of Moses actions at Meribah when we read about that account.    Numbers 20:7-13  

Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ⁸ “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.” ⁹ So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; ¹⁰ and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. ¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” ¹³ Those were the waters of Meribah,

We see in this the importance of esteeming the holiness of God. If Moses of whom it says: Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.(Exodus 33:11), suffered this consequence for his momentary lapse, then we should certainly take care to recognize the holiness of God.

What I want to look at today though is not Moses lapse or the consequence of that action. I want to look instead at Moses response to God and the consequence he would experience. Moses had often reasoned with God, interceeding on behalf of the Israelites. He was able to obtain a more favorable outcome for them on several occasions. Here though when God's judgment is to affect only Moses, he quietly accepts his fate. Moses was a "type" or model of Christ. His call, his purpose was to deliver the nation of Israel from their physical captivity in Egypt to their promised land, their inheriance. Moses though, had come to understand that his inheritance was not a land here on earth, but rather an eternal relationship with God the Father, one he walked in while living and knew would be his when his days were complete. Moses had completed his task. He had brought the people out of their captivity and brought them to the point of entering into the promised land. God allowed him to look and see the physical inheritance the Israelites would receive. Moses had already seen and possessed his spiritual inheritance in God. 

As a true leader and shepherd of his people, Moses concern is for them not him.   Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ¹⁶ “May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, 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 the Lord will not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”     Moses knew that the people needed a God appointed leader.     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 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and commission him in their sight.   A man in whom is the Spirit.

Jesus speaking of what would happen upon his death says:  “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ ³² But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Like Moses, Jesus asked the Father to appoint for us a leader to guide us when He was no longer here. He assures us saying:  I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; ¹⁷ that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.(John 14:16-17)

Joshua was appointed because the Spirit was in him. Jesus asked the Father to give us that same Spirit to abide with us and in us, to be our guide. We are not left without a shepherd. We have the Holy Spirit and Jesus still interceding for us. We need to recognize like Moses that our true inheritance is not in land or  possessions here on earth. Our true inheritance is in God. It's all that we have and possess in and through Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Our inheritance is to walk in the fullness of the love of God and His call on our lives.

Paul says it well in Romans 8:31- 39              

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Moses knew his true inheritance was in the Lord. We too need to understand that there is nothing that can separate us from God, our true inheritance.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, my deliverer and Holy Spirit, You have done all and provided everything that I need to live and walk in the fullness of my inheritance in You. Both now, here on earth and forever with You. Help me to walk in all that You have called, commissioned and equipped me to do through the finished work of the cross, the power of the resurrection and Your indwelling Spirit. May I too be a servant and deliverer of Your people.  Amen