Numbers 27:15-18 (NIVUK)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 ‘May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.’
18 So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him.
Yesterday we heard Jacob describing God as like a shepherd. Today we see Moses calling for a leader for the people to take them into the Promised Land, a leader who is also like a shepherd. God selects Joshua to be the one who will, ‘lead them out and bring them in’. Joshua and Jesus share the same name, Joshua being the Hebrew form and Jesus the Greek, meaning ‘God saves us’, or ‘the Lord is my salvation’. In appointing Joshua, is God also looking forward to Jesus coming as The Good Shepherd, to go before us and bring us safely into God’s kingdom?
Thank you Jesus that you come not as a mighty warrior, disciplinarian, or powerful politician to rule over us, but as a shepherd to go before us and lead us with compassion and care.
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