Focal Passage:
“Then Moses spoke to the Lord, saying: “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”“
Numbers 27:16-17
This is a prayer of supplication for a wayward people. Here is the mark of a true leader; upon being told that he will not be crossing the Jordan with the people he has led through the wilderness of sin for forty years, instead of whining in protest about his right, Moses asks God to raise up a new leader so that the wayward people, whom by the way, got him fired, will not “…be like sheep which have no shepherd.”
Matthew Henry says of this prayer: “Envious spirits do not love their successors, but Moses was not one of these. We should concern ourselves, both in our prayers and in our endeavors, for the rising generation, that religion [that is, faith in Jesus Christ], may be maintained and advanced when we are in our graves. God appoints a successor, even Joshua; who had signalized himself by his courage in fighting Amalek, his humility in ministering to Moses, and his faith and sincerity in witnessing against the report of the evil spies. [So we should all strive to be like Joshua] This man God appoints to succeed Moses; a man in whom is the Spirit, the Spirit of grace. He is a good man, fearing God and hating covetousness, and acting from principle. He has the spirit of government; he is fit to do the work and discharge the trusts of his place. He has a spirit of conduct and courage; he had also the Spirit of prophecy. …In Joshua’s succession we are reminded “that the law was given by Moses,” who by reason of our transgression could not bring us to heaven; but “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ,” for the salvation of every believer.”
Castaways Point 