Numbers 27:12-17  One day the Lord said to Moses, “Climb one of the mountains east of the river, and look out over the land I have given the people of Israel. After you have seen it, you will die like your brother, Aaron, for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zin. When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) (NLT)

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My good friend Will Heath ([https://www.successionsherpa.com/](https://www.successionsherpa.com/)) says succession planning is deeply personal long before it becomes tactical. 

As this chapter in Numbers comes to an end, Moses is reminded of his signature failure. He is given instructions regarding his most important next steps. He is also reminded of two things he has done exceptionally well. 

God told him to climb a mountain (verse 12). There were sights to see he would only view from afar. Some failures lead us into greater understanding and hard-won wisdom. Others set us back more permanently. The consequences of Moses and Aaron’s sin at “the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin” were about to take their full and final effect. 

Moses would soon go the way of all the world. He would breathe his last. He would die. 

Moses’ heart is then displayed for all to see. When God told him he was going to die, he quickly turned his thoughts toward the responsibility that lay ahead in his absence. Someone would have to take the lead. This is when Moses may well have been at his best. This man who had constantly prayed for these people and sought God’s best for them continued by praying for them and asking God to provide them with the leader they needed to finish the journey. 

Then Moses said to the Lord, “O Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Please appoint a new man as leader for the community. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle, so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭27‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As much as he had to put up with from that complaining group of people seemingly always eager to lean into disobedience and sabotage, Moses loved them and shared God’s heart regarding their wellbeing and future success. 

Sometimes we have to wait for God’s answers to our prayers. Sometimes he answers them immediately. God immediately responded to Moses’ prayer.

The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will use the Urim—one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord—to determine his will. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭27‬:‭18‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The next leaders for the generation who would enter the Promised Land were appointed, equipped, and commissioned (verses 22 and 23). 

Moses had mentored Joshua for many years. There was no one alive who knew Moses’ heart and mind like him. There was no one alive like him who had seen Moses at his best and at his worst. He knew the rhythms and routines. He grasped the importance of his responsibilities. He began to share the load with Moses before Old Mo climbed one last mountain. 

With only one or two notable exceptions, Moses had walked with God more closely than anyone since Adam. No one knew God’s heart and mind, will and ways better than Mo. Breathing his last was no big change. His exhale here led to his first breath of heaven. He finally experienced all of God’s goodness the way he had longed to do for so long. 

Moses’ sin disqualified him from entering the Promised Land, but it did not keep him out of God’s heavenly presence. There is no sin you have sinned that will keep you out of his presence forever if you will come to God with genuine repentance. There is no sin you have committed that will prevent you from a full and meaningful life if you take it as seriously as God does and follow his remedy for forgiveness, healing, and reconciliation. 

It’s Sunday. This is a good day to lean into God’s amazing grace. Leave behind the pains and problems of the wilderness. Enter the goodness of God’s promises. Today can be the best day of the rest of your life as it becomes the turning point that sends you in the right direction from here to eternity.

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I will receive God’s healing grace and take my best next steps of faith.

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Our Father, please forgive me for my signature failures. Draw me ever closer to your loving heart. Direct my steps for the rest of my days. Empower me to live according to your good will and your better ways. Amen.