Numbers 27:16–17 “May the LORD, who is the god of all people’s souls, choose someone to lead this community out and back in, so that the Lord’s people don’t feel like sheep without a shepherd.
They were not going to let Moses lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. He cared about the people and knew they needed a strong leader to save them from sin. In order to keep fighting, they needed a leader who would lead them into war. Where else could you find someone with Moses’s heart who would pray to God for the people?
In the above prayer, he asked God to send a man with the heart of a shepherd. Joshua was the answer to that prayer from God. Joshua is a form of the name Jesus used in the Old Testament. That day, God answered Joshua’s prayer. Joshua didn’t finish the job all the way, though. Even though he was a great leader, some of the enemy stayed in the land. He agreed to a contract with an enemy group that lied to him. The Israelites were tired and wouldn’t push the other people out. Because of this, Israel has been at war all its history. Along with that came idolatry, which was the worst thing that could have happened to Israel.
In the end, God answered that prayer through Jesus. He takes care of us. We can win every battle with Him, unlike the first Joshua. He’s not being tricked into giving in on anything. Someone became our Shepherd. He looks out for, feeds, leads, and takes care of us, the sheep in His pasture. Thanks be to God for the ultimate answer to this prayer and for being able to lead us to victory!
Thought: Jesus goes into battle before me. I only need to follow.
