Daily Devotion | Numbers 27:12–23 | 2026 June 10

Title: Daily Devotion | Numbers 27:12–23 | 2026 June 10

Scripture: Numbers 27:12–23 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 June 10

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Jose M.

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters, peace be to you. Thanks be to God’s grace that we have come to a new day to learn God’s Word. Today, the passage we are studying is Numbers 27:12-23. Let us pray.

O God, we thank You for Your grace. Lord, thank You for treating us so kindly and mercifully, allowing us to see how deeply You love us. Lord, You have become our prophet, our priest, and our king, so that by relying on You alone, we may obtain eternal salvation. We truly thank You. Lord, may You have mercy on us and lead us today to still receive spiritual nourishment from Your Word. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Let us look at Numbers 27. The latter part of this chapter tells the story of Joshua succeeding Moses. The LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel.” After seeing it, you will go to your people, you will die on this mountain, just like your brother. The LORD also gave the reason: because you rebelled against My command in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, not honoring Me as holy in the sight of the people at the waters. So the reason Moses and Aaron were punished was that they did not sanctify God’s name before the congregation. The same point is made in Numbers 20, verse 13, where it says that these are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them He showed Himself holy. The LORD showed Himself holy, but Moses and Aaron did not sanctify His name. Therefore they disobeyed God’s command, and in the end they were punished.

Now, a question arises: what does it mean to sanctify God’s name? Or what does it mean to hold God’s name as holy? In this, we have a concept: God’s transcendence. As the prophet Isaiah said, “Your ways are higher than our ways, and Your thoughts higher than our thoughts.” When the Bible says we are to sanctify God’s name, it means to respect this transcendence of God. Regarding the circumstances God gives us, we must fully submit. That is what it means to sanctify God’s name: we completely surrender to His will, acknowledging that His will is higher than our will, believing that His will is good. Even though we do not understand, God’s will is good. This is sanctifying God’s name. Or to put it more plainly, it means having a reverent fear of God.

We have mentioned before that in our fellowship with God, God has both transcendence and immanence. Moses, as a man of God who spoke with God face to face, clearly had a deep experience of God’s immanence, right? God called Moses into the tent of meeting and spoke with him face to face. So Moses experienced God’s immanence very deeply. The same was true for Israel: God dwelt among them. God was willing to relate and redeem them. But God’s transcendence cannot be violated. That is to say, God’s Word must be strictly carried out, meticulously, without any compromise, earnestly and seriously. At that time, God told them to speak to the rock to bring forth water, but they struck the rock with the staff. In human eyes, what is the difference between striking the rock and speaking to the rock? Is there really such a big difference? But because they disobeyed God’s command, they were punished and could not enter the land of Canaan.

I think this is a very deep reminder for all of us: do we truly sanctify God’s name? That is, do we regard God’s Word as a decree, do we faithfully obey His commands, do we fully surrender to the circumstances He sets? This matter of sanctifying God’s name, acknowledging His transcendence, and fearing God must be continually practiced in our lives. God is indeed immanent in our lives. God opens our eyes and relates to us. He died for us on the cross, showing such mercy and redemption. Yet in the matter of sanctifying His name, we still cannot be careless in the slightest. Because Moses and Aaron were careless, they were finally disciplined by God. Why did they do this? We explained it last time, so we will not repeat it here. So this also shows us that a person’s death is not simply because he grows old. Aaron grew old, Moses grew old, so they had to die. No. Their death was because they broke God’s law, so God made them die on the mountain. If God had wanted them to enter Canaan, there would have been no problem at all. So this again shows us that a person’s life breath depends on God. If God lets us live, we can live. If God does not let us live, we will leave this world. But we must submit to God’s arrangement. So here I need to remind you: obeying God, besides obeying His commands and words and following His Word in daily life, also means submitting to all the circumstances God gives us. This is also part of sanctifying His name: fully surrendering to the circumstances He arranges, giving thanks and praise, not being discontented. This is also an expression of sanctifying God’s name.

Next, let us look at Moses’ response. In verses 15 to 17, Moses said, since I am about to leave, please appoint a man over the congregation who will lead them out and bring them in, guiding them, so that they will not be like sheep without a shepherd. This is an expression of Moses’ love for the Israelites. In fact, for Moses, serving this group of people for forty years was truly exhausting, right? These people eventually caused him not to enter Canaan. In Deuteronomy, Moses even complains. That is indeed the case. Yet Moses’ love for the Israelites was such that he knew their stubbornness and rebellion. He knew that if no one governed them, they would fall into complete disorder. So Moses said, “O God, please appoint a man to govern them, to guide them, so that they will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

This verse 17 reminds us of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels. When the Lord Jesus saw the Israelites, they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He loved them. So from this connection in Scripture, you can see that the true shepherd who ultimately leads Israel is Jesus Christ. The same wording appears in both the Old and New Testaments, so we make this connection. This verse is recorded in Matthew 9:36: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” So you see, Matthew did not write this casually. It surely reflected the heart of Jesus Christ at that time, but it also fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy in Numbers 27.

Then God answered: take Joshua the son of Nun, lay your hand on him, and have him stand before Eleazar the priest. Commission him before the congregation, and put some of your honor or authority on him, so that all the congregation of Israel will obey him. Here in verse 20, it says “put some of your honor on him.” The meaning is clear: Joshua was not truly someone like Moses who would rise later. God would later give a prophecy through Moses: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you.” That prophet like Moses was clearly not Joshua. Why? Because Joshua received only part of the honor, not all of it like Moses.

Moses’ position in Israel’s history is very unique. Moses was certainly a prophet, because he received words from God to tell the Israelites. At the same time, he governed the Israelites like a king, leading them. He was not a priest; his brother was the priest. But he was the one who conveyed God’s word before God and the high priest, so in that sense his position was higher than Aaron’s. So Moses’ identity was unique, somewhat combining the three offices of prophet, priest, and king in one person. It is similar, but Joshua clearly was not that. The whole congregation was to obey Joshua’s words. But note: he had to stand before Eleazar, who would inquire for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. So from this perspective, Joshua probably could not speak directly with God face to face.

Although later in the book of Joshua, God did speak face to face with Joshua, yet in major matters he still needed a mediator – Eleazar as a mediator to inquire for him. Even later in David’s time, he still had to go to the priest to inquire of the LORD. This shows that the role of the king, of which Joshua was somewhat like a king – the king of Israel – could not directly communicate with God. He needed the office of priest before him to inquire for him. He and the whole congregation of Israel were to go out and come in at the command of Eleazar. So here it seems that God placed the office of priest above the king.

What does this mean? It means that the military victories of the king of Israel must serve a higher purpose: the glory of God. This must be clear: the king does not have autonomy; his mission is to glorify God. So the explanation concludes: Joshua was brought, stood before Eleazar the priest, had hands laid on him, and was commissioned as the LORD commanded Moses. Through this laying on of hands and prayer, Joshua succeeded Moses. So the laying on of hands in our churches today has some continuity with this. The laying on of hands by the previous generation of pastors on the next generation allows this office to continue. It is a transfer of office, showing that before God, the service of those who serve God never ceases.

Now, we need to spend a little time discussing Israel’s political structure. Some sisters may not care much about this, but I think it is very important. Among the people of Israel, God established three offices: prophet, priest, and king. In fact, the modern Western principle of separation of powers is an imitation of this principle, though it does not imitate it very well. The prophet is somewhat like the legislative power, the king somewhat like the executive power, and then there is the judicial power. The three offices of prophet, priest, and king are roughly analogous.

So what I want to emphasize is this: if we look at the political system revealed in the Bible, what is it? It is a system of mutual checks and balances among prophet, priest, and king. This political system is clearly revealed in Scripture. Some say the Bible does not talk about politics, but that is not true. Especially when we later study the historical books, we see that among these three offices, God established a system of mutual restraint.

First, God curbed the power of the king. In Israel’s history, the king could not act arbitrarily. He had to obey the priest, as is clearly seen here, and he also had to obey the prophet. The king, though he had executive power to govern the people, had the higher purpose of glorifying God, and he was supervised by the prophet. So in a good dynasty, such as David’s, when it was healthy, the king listened to the prophet and the priest. That was a healthy political system, stable, and could bring the Israelites before God. But conversely, you see a very evil thing: the king has an instinct to expand his power and suppress the priest, making his kingship truly seem as if he himself were God. But God’s intention was not that. God established three offices – prophet and priest – to restrain the kingship, so that the king would walk in God’s will. But when you look at ancient Chinese history, it is very interesting: you cannot find the position of prophet and priest at all. There is only the king. Such an evil emperor acted arbitrarily, without being restrained by a prophet or a priest.

Remember, this is a manifestation of human depravity. Do not think it is merely an Eastern cultural characteristic, because I have done some research on political systems. What you need to know is this: in any polity, because we are descendants of Noah, we all originally received God’s revelation. In the governance of a community, the three offices of prophet, priest, and king should indeed exist. God established them, and all people should know this. But the kings, those who rule, constantly expand their power, wanting to make themselves God. In the end, they fall under God’s even more severe curse, because the entire nation becomes their prey for satisfying their selfish desires – devouring the people, drinking their blood, oppressing them, and never bringing the people before God.

This is the corruption of kings. In Israel’s history, you can also see this expression of kingly corruption. When the king’s power became too great, driving away prophets and suppressing priests, then Israel began to decay. When we study the historical books later, we will discuss this in detail. For example, in the days of Ahab in the northern kingdom, the prophet Elijah was driven away by King Ahab. The priests there were false priests, hired by the king for money. So when the power of the king became overwhelmingly dominant, the prophet and priest disappeared, and the nation fell. Conversely, if a king like David listened to the prophet and respected the priest, then such a kingship was pleasing to God.

Now, in Chinese history, did such offices as prophet and priest ever appear? In fact, I think we can find some traces. For example, the office of court historian, those who wrote history, like Sima Qian. I think they might have been somewhat like prophets. They reminded the king that he could not do this or that. Of course, Emperor Wu of Han did not listen to Sima Qian, and in the end, this evil emperor removed the office of prophet, the office of historian. Then he himself received even heavier punishment.

Originally, the prophet and priest were a protection for the kingship, preventing the king from acting arbitrarily. After a person becomes king, he has many impulses. The prophet and priest can restrain and remind him that his kingship must follow God and glorify God. This is why God set Eleazar above Joshua – to restrain the kingship, so that the king would know his mission is to glorify God and worship God.

The prophet then reminds the king, telling him what to do. This is the perfect pattern. The modern Western political system is somewhat similar, with three powers – legislative, judicial, executive – separated to ensure this balance. But the West has also degenerated because its purpose is not to glorify God, so that so-called political system cannot sustain itself.

Well, that was a digression about the political system revealed in the Bible. It actually reflects very high wisdom. Next, we see that the true prophet, priest, and king pointed to here is Jesus Christ. Only Jesus Christ is the true priest. He is Himself the high priest, and He offered Himself as a sacrifice. He is a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He is the true king, leading His people out of darkness into marvelous light. He is the true prophet, revealing His truth to us. So here we see that in human society, the three offices of prophet, priest, and king are held by different persons. But in the one mediator, both God and man, the Lord Jesus Christ, He perfectly fulfills all three offices. Regarding the order, it seems that prophet comes first, priest second, and king third. That is the order. Although all are equal before God, there is an order among prophet, priest, and king.

So thanks be to the Lord. I think in this passage, we see that when Joshua was chosen as Moses’ successor, the entire political structure of Israel began to take shape. The purpose of the king was to lead Israel into Canaan, not to glorify himself. He had to lead the way and glorify God’s name. The purpose of receiving his office from God was to follow God, to sanctify God’s name, and to submit to God’s arrangements.

This is the most blessed nation and the most blessed form. But later, when the Israelites disobeyed this command and the kingship expanded, the result was the downfall of the nation, and everyone perished. So this revelation also tells us how we can glorify God in the church. The church also has pastors, elders, and deacons – a similar structure – that can ensure the church’s organization is more in line with God’s will, rather than an episcopacy where one person decides everything. But discussing church polity is very complicated, so we will not expand on it here. We can share it another time if there is an opportunity. Well, our sharing today ends simply here. Thank you all.