ORDER MY STEPS IN THY WORD

God’s Order for Leadershipof Israel for forty years, his death surely was asshocking, if not more so, to them than the shockwe Americans experienced when President Ken-nedy was killed. Imagine what it would havebeen like had John F. Kennedy single-handedlyled our nation for forty years, as Moses had ledIsrael. Suppose Kennedy had taken us throughthe extreme hardships and great victories experiencedby the children of Israel under Moses.Suppose Kennedy had set our original guidelinesof life, as Moses had done in giving the childrenof Israel the commandments from God. Mosesinstructed the people, he led the people. And thepeople knew that it was Moses with whom Godcommunicated and to whom God listened. Suddenlythat man who had led the children of Israelfor forty long years was dead.out of the bondage of Egypt to the boundaries ofthe Promised Land. For forty years he taughtthem—he taught them both by his walk with Godand by his walk among men.God and Moses’ relationship had developed tothe point that they were on the best of terms.They spoke intimately, “face to face” as recordedin Exodus 33:11. Psalms 103:7 says thatGod “made known his ways unto Moses, his actsunto the children of Israel.” While the childrenof Israel saw the acts of God, God told Moses thewhys and the wherefores of His acts, the reasonsbehind them. During the forty years in whichMoses led the children of Israel, God’s blessingsremained upon them because Moses stood, withoutfaltering, in their behalf. Moses intercededtime and again for their mistakes and shortcomings,and God always honored Moses’ requests.So long as Moses interceded for Israel, God continuedto bless the children of Israel, and greatand gracious things happened. Yet one day thishuman monument, Moses, died.Joshua 1:2:Moses my servant is dead. . . .What a tremendous personal vacuum Moses’absence made. After Moses had led the children108The Transfer of LeadershipWhat a tremendous shock this was to the peopleof Israel when they realized that this manwho had led them and put up with their murmur-ings, bickerings, and insecurities for so manyyears was now gone. The man who had laid outGod’s guideline for their lives was dead.Thus Israel needed a new leader. And Godalready had a leader singled out for them. It wasJoshua, Moses’ minister, his assistant and understudy,whom God had called to take up the reins109