Praise the Lord! Numbers 17 was a whopping thirteen verses long! What a nice break.
What I don’t get a break from is deep and rich content. And this chapter had a lot.
The Cure for the Common Leadership Struggle
Tired of always wondering who is in charge? I know I am. Which is why I am recommending a brand new style of conflict resolution! It is quite simple, really.
Have all the potential leaders put their names on a staff. Then put those staffs in the tent of meeting overnight. In the morning, the staff that buds is the one God has chosen to be the leader!
The added bonus is that the leader can celebrate by eating the almonds that have grown on his staff.
I promise there was no innuendo intended in that phrase.
Please Direct Your Complaints To . . .
God.
He chose Aaron and he chose Moses.
The people are directing all their complaints against Moses. But God sees it differently.
” . . . so that you may make and end of their complaints against me . . .”
When you question whether or not someone God has chosen to do a specific task should be doing that task, you are actually questioning God’s competence as an HR rep.
Speaking of Choosing . . .
Several times in the last few chapters, God has affirmed his choice of Moses and Aaron to lead the people. That got me thinking about a few things.
Why does God choose? What does he choose people for? What is his goal?
Some people would say that God chooses who gets “saved” and who “goes to hell.”
From my vantage point in the middle of Numbers, I can’t really speak to either of those. But I do know that God has chosen some people to do other things.
- He chose a man through whom he would bless all nations.
- He chose the younger son not once, but twice, to carry on the family legacy of blessing the nations
- He chose a man to lead that family’s descendants out of slavery.
- He chose that family to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (again, in order to bless all the nations)
That is not an exhaustive list, but it is clear that God chooses people. I won’t debate that. What he chooses them for is another matter entirely.
So, if God chooses you, it is because there is work to do and you get to do it.
And if God chooses someone else, shut your mouth and let them work.
Have you ever felt chosen for anything?
The Whole Dang Thing 
My family and I are searching for a new church. We all have liked different churches that we have visited. Then we visited one that we did not have on our radar to consider joining. It seems as though God may have chosen us for it or it for us.
I love Lord of the Rings. While applying for a job at the church I am currently employed, I learner that all the computers were named after lotr characters and knew I was home. Great posy sir! Love your thoughts on trusting God as the chooser of leaders.
Dang. First time typing a response on kindle is a cause for typos.
So you knew the church was home when you sat at the “Denethor, Steward of Gondor” computer? Just between you and me, maybe you shouldn’t preach on that one. 🙂
Actually, gandalf is the one that sold me. Now that will preach!