Numbers 27 Study Notes

27:14 The Lord had been dishonored at the Waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it. God did provide the needed water for the people, but the action of Israel’s leaders was reprimanded (20:9-11).

27:15-17 Moses’s words the God who gives breath to all speak of God’s sovereignty over all humankind. He is the master of the universe who can thwart even the ways of a pagan diviner like Balaam and accomplish his desires for his people. Moses, the elder statesman of Israel, appealed to God the way a humble servant would appeal before his master. Moses desired that the newly appointed leader would be just as concerned as he had been for the welfare of the nation (cp. Jesus’s compassion in Mt 9:36). The language of going out and coming in has to do with successfully leading the people in battle. The shepherd can also be a military metaphor (1Kg 22:17).

27:18-21 The phrase take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him reflects the language of formal appointment. “Take” means to exert authority. It is similar in usage to the way the word is used in the introduction to the Korah rebellion, when the Kohathite leader attempted to usurp the authority of Aaron the high priest. Possession of the Holy Spirit in the OT was for the purpose of carrying out the specific tasks to which a person had been appointed by the Lord.

27:22-23 The formal transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua begins with a statement about Moses faithfully following the Lord’s instruction. The ceremony involved the oversight of the high priest Eleazar in the ritual ceremony, accompanied by the laying on of hands in symbolic transfer of blessing and authority. The parallel passage in Dt 31:1-8,14-29 highlights the placing of the book of the law next to the ark of the covenant. This emphasized the need for Israel’s faithfulness to the Lord’s commands.