God’s leadership boot camp, part iii Numbers 11:10-17; Numbers 13:1– 14:10 Numbers 26:63-65

God’s Presence Godly leaders learn to wait on God – as long as it takes To be a godly leader, you have to spend time in God’s presence

Ungodly Leadership Will Destroy God’s People People always seek a leader People without godly leadership will go astray Ungodly leaders: wilt in the face of worldly pressure They lie to cover up their failures

Ungodly Leadership Will Destroy God’s People Godly leaders stay loyal to their people Godly leaders must take charge on spiritual issues Sin robs us of God’s presence

Who’s the Leader? Numbers 11:10-17; Moses becomes overburdened with his leadership responsibilities God presents Moses with a plan to extend the filling of the Holy Spirit to 70 others What direction does God give as to those who should be selected? What does He leave to Moses?

Who’s the Leader? Numbers 11:10-17; God gives Moses specific instructions as to what to do Two of these seventy do not follow those instructions very closely And yet they still receive the filling that God has given Joshua is disturbed by this and sees it as a slight to Moses’ leadership Moses recognizes what is going on in Joshua’s heart and seeks to correct it Jesus experienced a similar event in His ministry [See Mark 9:38-41]

Lessons in Leadership When a godly leader has a burden that becomes too great, God provides him or her with help We should never worship a man, no matter how godly he is If followers appear to worship us, we must make certain to redirect their worship

The Spies Are Chosen Numbers 13:1– 14:10 God instructs Moses to select 12 spies To send them into the land to spy it out and to bring back a report What does God instruct Moses in selecting these spies? – The gender of the spies – Their tribe of origin – Their position within their tribe

The Spies Are Chosen Numbers 13:1– 14:10 What does God leave to Moses? Which man to select Their spiritual attributes

The Route of the Spies

The Key Distinctions The ten misunderstood their mission They were sent to determine the best way to obey God’s instructions, not to determine whether to obey or not They saw God in light of their circumstances Their report did not contain one mention of God Their negative reaction to their mission spread like a plague The two understood their mission How is it best to do what God has instructed us to do For they saw their circumstances in light of their God They based their report on God’s track record in Egypt and the wilderness Although they freely admitted the obstacles they also recognized that nothing was too great for their God

Key Differences Between These Groups Disobeyed God Believed the land had no future Displayed cowardice motivated by fear and unbelief Utterly ignored God in their report Suffered from a grasshopper complex Obeyed God Insisted they should enter the land and possess it Displayed courage motivated by faith and an experiential knowledge of God Had a calm assurance in their God Saw themselves in relation to God

Lessons in Leadership A godly leader must be able to pick godly subordinates A godly leader will be forced to either stand up for God, or to back down There will come a time when a godly leader will have to stand and trust in his God: – When he may be in a distinct minority; – Even against his own people; – Even when facing physical danger If you compromise on spiritual issues or values, you will lose God’s protection

The Reward for Obedient Faith Numbers 26:63-65 Moses takes a census Moses had taken a census before prior to the first opportunity to enter into the land [1:1 – 2:33]. He wants to know what he has 38 to 40 years have passed since they last considered entering into the land to possess it All of the adults who were alive then have now died in the wilderness The only ones alive now are those who were under twenty when the spies first reported, together with Moses, Joshua and Caleb.

Lessons in Leadership Standing strong in obedience and faith, brings godly blessings Consider the statements of Caleb [Jos. 14:6-14] God may not act immediately, but God will not tolerate the rebellion of his men and women against Himself