Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. (Deuteronomy 34:9)
After the people of Israel had wept 30 days for Moses, they turned their attention to their new leader, the man appointed by God to succeed Moses, Joshua the son of Nun. This was not their first exposure to Joshua; he had been following Moses for years and was one of two men who encouraged the people to enter the land in spite of the evil report that had delayed their entrance years before. More important is the fact that Scripture says, when Moses had laid hands on him to ordain him for this task, Heaven had filled him with the spirit of wisdom. That is to say he was filled with the Spirit of God, demonstrating he was the man God had raised up for this part of their journey.
It’s important to see that, in the Kingdom of Heaven, the death of one man doesn’t result in the death of God’s purpose. It is inevitable that even the best of His servants will eventually pass from this life but God always has another person or persons ready to assume the mantle of leadership well before the other person leaves the scene. For example, although the circumstances were quite different, before God brought an end to Eli’s priesthood, the prophet Samuel was ready and waiting in the wings to shepherd Israel. And so as darkness falls on one’s tenure, the light dawns on another; one season ends and another begins.
Many congregations and ministries in existence today were started by a gifted, God-called person or family, and as those ministries grew, they became closely associated with those personalities. People were naturally drawn to the ministry because of how God used that person or family — nothing at all wrong with that. However, anything God brings into being will never be predicated solely on or dependent on one person or family. In time, someone else will be raised up to step into position to lead the ministry forward — that is the way it has always been.
As I said, if God brought the ministry or congregation into being, the absence of one doesn’t spell the end for His purpose. When He raises up those who are to lead His people, He will fill them with His Spirit, and thus we conclude, it was never the person leading the people in the first place. Even with Moses and Joshua, the people were being guided properly because the person God selected was being led by His Spirit. By His Spirit — that is how we can know who God has chosen and who we can trust to follow.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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