Numbers 27:20

_AND THOU SHALT PUT SOME OF THINE HONOUR UPON HIM, THAT ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MAY BE OBEDIENT._ Put some of thine honour upon him. In the whole history of Israel there arose no prophet or ruler in all respects like unto Moses until the Messiah appeared, whose glory eclipsed all. But Joshua was honoured and qualified in an eminent degree through the special service of the high priest, who asked counsel for him after the judgement of Urim before the Lord. THAT ALL THE CONGREGATION OF ... ISRAEL MAY BE OBEDIENT - literally, may hear....

15-23 Envious spirits do not love their successors; but Moses was not one of these. We should concern ourselves, both in our prayers and in our endeavours, for the rising generation, that religion may be maintained and advanced, when we are in our graves. God appoints a successor, even Joshua; who had signalized himself by his courage in fighting Amalek, his humility in ministering to Moses, and his faith and sincerity in witnessing against the report of the evil spies. This man God appoints to succeed Moses; a man in whom is the Spirit, the Spirit of grace. He is a good man, fearing God and hating covetousness, and acting from principle. He has the spirit of government; he is fit to do the work and discharge the trusts of his place. He has a spirit of conduct and courage; he had also the Spirit of prophecy. That man is not fully qualified for any service in the church of Christ, who is...

Verse Numbers 27:20. _AND THOU SHALT PUT, C._] מחודך _mechodecha_, of _thine honour_ or _authority_ upon him. Thou shalt show to the whole congregation that thou hast _associated_ him with thyself in the government of the people....

OF THINE HONOR - i. e., of thy dignity and authority (compare Numbers 11:17, Numbers 11:28). Joshua was constituted immediately vice-leader under Moses, by way of introduction to his becoming chief after Moses’ death....

EXPOSITION MOSES AND JOSHUA (Numbers 27:12-4). NUMBERS 27:12 AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES. IT is impossible to determine the exact place of this announcement in the order of events narrated. It would appear from Numbers 31:1 that the war with the Midianites occurred later, and certainly the address to the people and to Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:1 presupposes the formal appointment here recorded; but the chronologer of the concluding chapters of Numbers is evidently very uncertain; they may, or may not, be arranged in

AND THOU SHALT PUT SOME OF THINE HONOUR UPON HIM,.... Meaning not the Spirit that was on Moses, and the gifts of the Spirit; for to do this was the work of the Lord, and not Moses, see Numbers 11:17, but of the honour of civil government; suggesting that he should give him a share in it, and use him not as a minister and servant, as he had been, but as his colleague and partner; and let him have some of the ensigns of power and authority, and some exercise of it; not only to inure him to government, but to make him respectable among the people: THAT ALL THE CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL MAY BE OBEDIENT; to him as their ruler and governor, hearken to his words, and obey his commands....

4. THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD, THE DEATH OF MOSES AND HIS SUCCESSOR ANNOUNCED CHAPTER 27 _ 1. The daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1)_ 2. Moses' death announced and his request (Numbers 27:12) 3. Joshua appointed (Numbers 27:18) The question of the daughters of Zelophehad was concerning their inheritance. Their father had died in the wilderness and there were no sons. They expected and claimed a possession among the brethren of their father. They fully counted on the Lord and His goodness, though their case was not met by the previous instructions. “It is impossible for God to be like a poor man, who says, ‘You expect more good than I am prepared to bestow.' God could not m

THE RIGHT OF DAUGHTERS TO INHERIT, IN DEFAULT OF MALE ISSUE. To guard against the alienation of property from a family through the absence of male heirs by natural descent, the system of the Levirate marriage was instituted (Deuteronomy 25:5 *, p. 109); and that law, which assumed that only males could inherit, is here supplemented by another law allowing daughters, in default of sons, to become heirs. For a qualification of the present law, see Numbers 36; and for the fulfilment of the claim made by Zelophehad's daughters, see Joshua 17:3 f *. NUMBERS 27:3. The denial that Zelophehad (a Manassite) was implicated in the rebellion of Korah presumes that Korah led a movement of the secular tribes against the

_The appointment of Joshua_....

DISCOURSE: 179 APPOINTMENT OF JOSHUA TO SUCCEED MOSES Numbers 27:15. And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: and give him a charge in their sight. And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him, after the judgment of Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out,