Change in Isra’el
27: 1-23
Change is seldom easy, whether on a personal or national level. In Chapter 27 we witness two such changes. The first was a change in how the Israelites divided the family inheritance. They were counted for the purpose of conquest and for dividing the Promised Land (to see link click Ec – The Second Census: The New Generation of Hope). The story of Zelophehad’s daughters is directly related to the census. Only fighting men twenty years old and older were counted. After their father had died, the five daughters knew that they would be passed over because they did not have a brother. Therefore, they courageously petitioned Moses for a share in the parceling out of the Promised Land (see Eu – The Daughters of Zelophehad).
The second change was a change in national leadership. God’s reminder of his fast-approaching death prompts Moses to ask ADONAI to appoint a new leader for the wilderness generation. The new high priest is already in place, with Aaron’s appointment of his son, Eleazar, just prior to Aaron’s death on Mount Hor (20:22-29). Numbers recounts only the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua (see Ev – The Successor to Moshe), not the actual death of Moshe, since that will come later at the end of the book of Deuteronomy (see the commentary Deuteronomy Gj – The Death of Moses). Joshua had joined Caleb as one of the two faithful spies who brought back a favorable report of the land (see By – The Report of the Spies). Joshua had been a close assistant and advisor to Moses for some time (Exodus 17:8-13, 32:17 and Numbers 11:28).
Joshua, however, does not simply step into the shoes of leadership as a new Moses. Moshe gives only some or a portion of his authority to Joshua (27:20). ADONAI spoke to Moses’ face to face in a direct and unmediated way (12:6-8). Joshua, on the other hand, will rely on more indirect divine guidance through the priest and his casting of lots using the Urim and Thummim (see the commentary on Exodus Gb – The Urim and Thummim: The Means of Making Decisions). The era of Moshe and his revelation of God’s words to Isra’el were drawing to a close and would never again be repeated in Isra’el’s history. For a brief interim period, Joshua and Moses would share in the leadership of Isra’el until Moshe’s death. Joshua would then take over the full responsibility of leading Isra’el as they moved into the Promised Land of Canaan, but his leadership would be guided by the written Torah of Moshe.616
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