Laying Hands, Burden of Commission

Two things struck me about this passage: the laying on of hands & the commissioning.

The laying on of hands signifies communication & reception - the person doing the laying is communicating something, transferring something (in this case Moses is transferring/bestowing authority onto Joshua); the person having hands laid on them is receiving something (in this case authority). It's notable that the Lord COMMANDED this. It must have been important to God that the people involved here really 'got' the significance of this transfer of authority. And if laying on of hands is something that God commanded, & that Jesus did a lot, perhaps it is something we should be practicing more.

The King James version doesn't use the word commission. Rather it uses the word "charge". V19: and gave him a charge in their sight. V23: he laid his hands upon him, & gave him a charge. One of the Biblical definitions of charge is 'burden'. So when Moses laid his hands on Joshua he was giving him the 'burden' of authority & leadership. Leadership really IS a burden, isn't it? Doesn't sound very appealing, does it? Perhaps that is why so many shy away from positions of leadership - they don't want the burden. But Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you & learn from me, for I am gentle & humble in heart, & you will find rest for your souls." (Matt 11:29) Jesus is telling us to TAKE the burden. In doing so, we'll learn from Him. For starters we'll learn gentleness & humility. And when we do, we'll find rest. Life really IS so much easier & less tiring when we're humble, don't you think?

Created over 1 year ago