The Lord Cares for His People!

9th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/29/12
Numbers 27:12-23


The Lord Cares for His People!
I. He faithfully supplies them with shepherds.
II. He wisely empowers these shepherds.


Say what? You’re going to lead about 2 million people out of one country, through a desert, and into another country that is currently occupied by several small nations? What are you going to do about meeting their needs? Where will you ever get enough water for that many people plus their animals? How will you ever feed this crowd? Where will the food come from? And how will you keep them clothed? What will you do to protect them from harsh weather conditions and the sicknesses, diseases and injuries that are bound to occur? What will you do to protect them from wild animals, poisonous snakes, and attacks from enemy nations? And who will be in charge? Who will lead them? Who would want to lead them on such a treacherous and potentially deadly journey?

From a purely human perspective, such an undertaking doesn’t only sound ridiculous and foolish, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. This isn’t a rescue journey; it’s an extermination journey. These people will likely all die.

Such argumentation sounds rational, logical and plausible. But it fails to consider one critically important piece of information. This is the plan, not of humans, but of the Lord, the almighty God, who does whatever he pleases. And in his love for his people, the Children of Israel, whom he will use to bring a Savior into the world, he provides these people with care.

That’s what we see happening in this event from Numbers 27. Notice that the Lord isn’t mainly concerned with how he will provide for the physical needs of his people. He’s mainly concerned with providing them with a shepherd, one who will care for their souls and lead them in the truths of the God who saves them. That’s what the Lord does as he transfers the leadership of his people from Moses to Joshua. The Lord cares for his people. And that’s what the Lord still does. Join me in pondering that comforting truth this morning.

Part I.

From an earthly point of view, the death of a nation’s leader is one of the most devastating and potentially dangerous situations any country can face. Thankfully our country hasn’t faced such a situation for 50 years and we hope we never have to again. But, as tragic as that event was, the transfer from one leader to another was completely peaceful and orderly. That’s not usually the case. Just look what has happened repeatedly in the Middle East just in the past few years. Mass riot, destruction and deaths occur.

The Lord used the event in our text to prepare his people for the death of the only leader it had ever known, God’s prophet Moses. Our text tells us, “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.’”

That’s some disturbing information to our ears. First, the Lord tells Moses he’s going to die soon. That’s a little unsettling. But then he tells Moses the reason why. Moses had been unfaithful to the Lord. But it was only one time. Just once! The Lord had told Moses and Aaron to speak to a rock and water would gush forth, but Moses and Aaron decided that wasn’t dramatic enough. They would strike the rock with a staff. That would be more impressive. And for that act of unfaithfulness, Moses and Aaron weren’t allowed to reach the goal of their journey. It sounds harsh to our ears, but the Lord holds his shepherds to a higher standard.

But don’t let that one incident overshadow the 40 years of faithful service Moses rendered. The Bible calls him the greatest of prophets in all of the Old Testament. Countless times during those 40 years Moses could have given up or cracked under the unbelievable pressure of leading these wayward Israelites. But he didn’t. He loved his Lord and his people too much to abandon them. So he served and he did so faithfully. Day after day he continued to share God’s word with them, calling them to repentance and assuring them of the Lord’s forgiving love.

But that faithful, loving shepherding was coming to an end. The last thing the Lord wanted was for his people to be leaderless. So he provided for Moses’ successor. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.’” Joshua would be the next leader of the Children of Israel, a fantastic choice. The Lord described him as possessing the spirit. Regarding that word “spirit,” it would be better to replace the lower case “s” with an upper case “S.” Earlier in Joshua’s life the Holy Spirit had entered him in a special way. That Spirit had enabled Joshua to serve the Lord faithfully up to this point. Recall that he was one of two men who had spied out the land of Israel and felt confident that the Israelites could possess it in spite of the nations that were there. Ten other spies failed to trust the Lord enough to give such a confident report.

And now Joshua would continue that faithful service to the Lord and his people by leading them. In short order after the death of Moses, the Jews entered the Promised Land and systematically took control of it with the awesome power of the Lord. City walls fell before them and enemy nations melted in fear of them. But Joshua’s main concern was not leading the people to victory, but in leading them to remain faithful to the Lord.

The Lord cares for his people. He faithfully supplies them with shepherds.

Only a very small number of you can say that I have been the only shepherd you have ever known. Most of you have had quite a number of shepherds in your life. And every one of them was sent by the Lord to care for you regarding the most important aspect of your life, your relationship with your Savior, Jesus Christ. Isn’t that astounding! We get all wrapped up in thinking about all the other things that we think we need in life. We’re filled with worry and concern. We get bent out of shape over things that don’t last. We wonder why God doesn’t provide those things for us. We wish he’d make life more simple, less stressful and more meaningful for us. But in reality, all the while he has been providing his loving care for us through his shepherds. Those pastors, teachers, friends have pointed us to our Savior and his cross where Jesus sacrificed himself for us and gained eternal life for us. What more do we really need? And yet the Lord has abundantly supplied the physical and earthly blessings for us, too, just as he did the Children of Israel. Indeed, the Lord cares for his people!

Part II.

In the business world, when there is an employee failure, the question ought to be asked if the employee was properly trained and equipped to carry out the duties of the position. If not, then shame on the supervisor!

Our Lord has never chosen a shepherd that he didn’t equip. He always supplies the necessary gifts to accomplish his work.

That certainly was true of Moses. Even though when called by the Lord more than 40 years prior to this to be Israel’s shepherd, Moses offered all sorts of lame excuses. In reality, the Lord had groomed him well with a royal Egyptian education and 40 years of life experience as a shepherd of sheep to be Israel’s leader.

And now the Lord prepared Joshua for that same role. Our text tells us, “Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.” By this act the Lord made it clear that Joshua and not someone else should be Israel’s next shepherd. Joshua was the Lord’s choice and he had his blessing.

And along with this position came the authority to lead. Again, the Lord told Moses, “Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.” When Joshua spoke the word of the Lord to the people, it was as if the Lord himself were speaking to them. He wanted unquestioning obedience.

When decisions had to be made, the Lord would assist him with that as well. He instructed Moses to tell Joshua, “He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD.” The Urim was a mysterious mechanism by which the Lord answered yes or no to important decisions regarding the Children of Israel. Just as the Lord had assisted Moses, so also he would now assist Joshua.

But chiefly the Lord equipped Joshua with his word. No matter who speaks the word of the Lord, that word has the Lord’s power and authority behind it. The Lord is the one who uses that word to work in sinful hearts, confronting sinners with their sins and announcing to them their forgiveness in Christ. Joshua had that word. With it, he couldn’t fail.

The Lord cares for his people. He not only supplies them with shepherds, he empowers those shepherds.

I’m sure that, given just a minute or two, you could create a long list of things that your caring Lord could provide for you. And some of those might truly be needs. But recall what your Savior once told his friend Martha. “Only one thing is needed” (Lk. 10:42).He was referring to his word, a word that proclaims to us the certainty of our forgiveness and our life in heaven with our Lord. That’s the most important thing any shepherd can share with you. May our Lord continue to provide that saving care for us as we share that word with one another! Amen.