Read Numbers 27:18-21 – And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him—all the congregation.” (NKJV)
If Joshua had a coronation-type moment, this is it. God instructs Moses to present Joshua before the priest and the people of Israel, identifying him as the future leader of this desert journey. Perhaps the most important element in this moment of the story is found in God’s description of Joshua. He is a man “in whom is the Spirit”. Now the word “is” was added to help the sentence work in English, but the original phrase is “in whom the Spirit”. Does this mean that God has put His Spirit in Joshua or that Joshua is a spiritual man? We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that nothing qualifies a man for leadership like being a man of the Spirit. That priority should drive us to pursue God with all of our hearts; so when our challenge rises, we will be fully equipped for the work of God.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
National Men’s Leadership Conference: March 8-10, 2012 . Dallas, Texas . www.men.ag.org
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