Faith Amongst Grasshopper HeartsSample

Leadership, Transition and Commissioning

The time had  come for Moses to pass on the baton, and being the great leader that he  was, he did not want to leave a leadership vacuum as his legacy. 

Today's  reading deals with this transition and contains Moses' plea and God's  answer. There are some noteworthy moments and concepts in our passage:

• Notice how Moses recognises the fundamental spiritual nature of humanity. He addresses God as the "God of the spirits of all humankind". (Another translation renders it, "the God who gives breath (Ruach) to the flesh of man".)
• Moses also speaks of the nature of leadership: To lead out of the past and in to the future and to be a shepherd. (The shepherd model of leadership merits further thought and we'll look at this tomorrow...)
• Moses had a deep concern  that the people should not be shepherd-less. This gives us an insight  into his caring pastoral leadership style. He could have been insecure -  after all Joshua gets the "cherry on the top" of leading the people  into the Promised Land. He could have argued that such a big task needed  an experienced and proven leader, but Moses doesn't cling to power, he  wants what's best for the people. 
• In God's eyes, Joshua is qualified for leadership because the Spirit is in him. It is not Joshua's skill-set or training, but his willingness to be led and guided by God's Spirit.
• Commissioning  to leadership happens in the presence of the priest and the community  with Moses clearly passing on the baton. Leadership is about God,  community and continuity.
• Authority is best received rather than taken.
• The leader's task is to listen to God.  The "Urim" referred to in the passage refers to an ornate vestment worn  by the priest. When they made inquiries of the Lord, different gems on  the vestment would glow, indicating the Lord's answer. Joshua had to  learn to work with the priest to discern God's will. 

What qualities or aspects of leadership do you see in this passage?