shalom from oneforisreal.org
life can sometimes feel unfair when we
look at people around us
who seem to be more successful or
somehow win more favor from god
especially if we judge things according
to their outward appearance
but if we take a step back for a moment
and look into things with a closer
examination
and better understanding we will find
that the term
unfair doesn't really exist when god is
in the picture
this truth is revealed in a powerful way
in our weekly reading portion taken
from the book of numbers chapters 25
verse 10 to chapter 30
verse 1. one of the highlights of this
reading portion
is the handing over of the leadership
role from moses
to his successor joshua the son of nun
which takes place
prior to the entry of the people of
israel into the promised land
we read the following in numbers chapter
27 verses 12
to 18. the lord said to moses go up into
this mountain of avarim
and see the land that i have given to
the people of israel
when you have seen it you also shall be
gathered to your people
as your brother aaron was because you
rebelled against
my word in the wilderness of sin when
the congregation quarreled
failing to uphold me as holy at the
waters before their eyes
these are the waters of meriva of kadesh
in the wilderness of sin moses spoke to
the lord saying
let the lord the god of the spirits of
all flesh appoint a man
over the congregation who shall go out
before them
and come in before them who shall lead
them out
and bring them in that the congregation
of the lord
may not be as sheep that have no
shepherd
so the lord said to moses take joshua
the son of nun a man
in whom is the spirit and lay your hand
on him first it's important to note that
god and his kindness
made sure that moses would see the
promised land with his
own eyes before his death we at times
have the privilege of seeing the fruit
of our hard labor
but at times it is only the next
generation that will reap
what we have sowed another important
note from this passage
is the heart of moses as a true shepherd
who isn't so much concerned about
self-pity at this point
but rather is concerned who will who
will be the next shepherd
of israel it would be wonderful to see
more of this type of care in the world
today
especially with our leaders but
regarding the punishment moses receives
this is where you might say god is
really unfair
why does moses the great leader of the
exodus from egypt and the prophet of god
and the faithful servant of his people
miss out on entering the promised land
just because of one mistake well
there is a very crucial reason for this
moses with no doubt
had god's calling on his life and played
a major role
in the birth of israel as a nation at
mount sinai
and delivering the laws and commandments
of god for israel to follow
but moses spiritually representing the
giving of the law by god
cannot be the one to bring the people of
israel into the promised land
because of the deeper meaning of this
event
israel's entering into the promised land
is a picture
of the spiritual entry each person must
go through into a right relationship
with god paul the apostle explains in
romans 3
20 that the law reveals our sins but
can't save us from them
for by works of the law no human being
will be justified in his sight
since through the law comes knowledge of
sin
this is exactly why religion and keeping
the law can never be the way to bring us
to god
and spiritually enter the promised land
but now god in his love and mercy will
appoint a new shepherd named
joshua which means in hebrew the lord
will save to bring his people into the
land
while moses represents the law of god
which reveals our sins and need for
redemption
joshua represents the saving hand of a
good shepherd
who will lead his people into the land
joshua's name foreshadows a greater name
that is above
all names with exactly the same meaning
yeshua
jesus for he will save his people from
their sins
matthew 1 21 are you struggling with god
or feel things are unfair in your life
the truth is that like israel and even
moses we all deserve to die and be
judged
because of our rebellion and sin but
praise god for the picture of
joshua who is a clear picture of messiah
yeshua
the good shepherd who is the only one
who can take us
into god's presence in the promised land
that is all for this week but please
join us next week for another
installment
of five alive wishing you god shalom
from one for israel
and don't forget to share our ministry
one for israel is an initiative of
native-born israelis
on the forefront of media and high-tech
evangelism
boldly proclaiming salvation to israel
raising up leaders and equipping them
with the tools they need
to transform our communities we also
provide humanitarian aid to holocaust
survivors with the love of yeshua
join us as we share the gospel in israel
become
one for israel
you