• We should take a look at how Moses prepared the next generation after the Exodus
• He had a heart for the people, and thought ahead as to who would lead the people after him
• Oftentimes people think the opposite way and only focus on their time, not considering what happens beyond their own time and their own idea of their responsibility
• This mentality should not be attributed to a godly agency. We should care beyond ourselves
• If we can easily dismiss the future, what does that say about our heart for the entire time?
• Even though Moses was not going to be allowed to enter the Promised Land himself, he was entirely invested in God’s people and their future–and he looked to God for guidance in this
• God began to prepare Joshua 40 years before Moses’ death
• Numbers 27:12-23
• God put Joshua and Moses into a mentor relationship
• Exodus 17:9-13
• Moses plucks Joshua out to lead this battle and war, and upon winning God makes sure that this is a memorialized landmark moment in the growth of the upcoming leader of Israel
• Exodus 24: 12-14
• Joshua goes with Moses up the mountain, in no insignificant way, even when Aaron didn’t go
• Joshua gets to see Moses at his best and worst, in victory and failure, in joy and anger
• Exodus 33:7-11
• We can learn much even by simple passive observance
• Joshua gets to observe even as Moses talks with God as even friends speak
• We see great humility from Joshua as he’s in a significant position of learning and inheriting leadership and developing his agency
• People have the tendency to allow their pride to inflate when they’re in a position of power or prominence–but neither Moses nor Joshua exhibit this trait
• Joshua was singled out to lead when he was only 20 years old–and to lead an army
• This legacy was full of agency and hope
• And Joshua gets to be a disciple of Moses’ leadership, holiness, and heart for the people from a very young age
• Moses validates Joshua as a leader
• Deuteronomy 31:6-8
• God commits to being with Joshua, too
• This is an established model–and we cannot be lax or flippant with the command to disciple others in the Lord.
• This relationship between the 2 men resulted in one of the greatest periods of flourishing that Israel ever experienced

Questions:

1. IN WHAT WAYS HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SUCCESSION IN THE CHURCH?
2. WHAT HAS BEEN IMPRESSED UPON YOU IN REGARD TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND YOUR SERVICE? WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO IMPRESS UPON THE NEXT GEN?
3. HAVE YOU BEEN CALLED AS A MENTOR TO SOMEONE? AND HOW HAS THAT RELATIONSHIP MATURED YOU?