Next Man Up…

Yesterday, I wrote about Moses being forbidden by God to enter the promised land because of his sin of striking the rock with his staff. If you missed yesterday, I encourage you to go back and read it. Anyway, in Numbers 27 Moses is reminded by God that he cannot enter the promised land….and what does Moses do? Does he complain? Does he get angry with God? Does he say, “I’m out!” No, Moses doesn’t say or do any of those things. Instead, Moses says this: “Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation who may go out before them and go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd.”

Wow! Moses is not concerned about himself but about the people. Moses knew the people would need a leader, the very same people who often rebelled against his leadership. Moses wasn’t concerned about himself. As someone who has been accused, and rightly so, of being a little self-centered, this really resonates with me. My focus, and I suggest yours as well, needs to be on the work of God. My focus and yours needs to be on what part we play on God’s grand stage of activity…and we should be content if our part is a leading role or the part of an understudy. The idea of “next man up” is valid for the follower of Jesus.