Numbers 27:12-23 is concerned with the death of Moses and with Moses' successor. Moses was one hundred twenty years old, and the Lord told him that the time had come for him to be gathered to his people. His going raised the question of leadership. Who would be his successor? When God told him that he would now be gathered to his people, Moses said, "Let Jehovah, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the assembly, who will go out before them and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in; that the assembly of Jehovah may not be as sheep which have no shepherd" (vv. 16-17). This indicates that Moses did not consider his loss of the leadership. His heart was not set on his situation but on God's people. Moses seemed to be saying to the Lord, "It is right and fair for me to be gathered to my people. But, Lord, who will take care of Your people? If the people do not have someone to lead them out and bring them in, they will be as sheep without a shepherd." The Lord responded to Moses' word by telling him to take Joshua and cause him to stand before the priest and the whole assembly, to lay his hands on him in order to bestow upon Joshua some of his majesty, and then to charge him to be the leader (vv. 18-23). In this way God raised up a new leader.

At the end of chapter twenty-seven we see a wonderful picture—a picture of a new people, a new army, and a new leader. The new people had been renumbered, the new army had been re-formed and strengthened, and the new leader had been appointed to serve, not by himself but with Eleazar the priest, who would receive divine instructions by means of the Urim and Thummim. This means that there was among the people a new theocracy. Hence, at the end of this chapter we see a new people, a new army, and a new theocracy.

After all the events recorded in chapters twenty-five through twenty-seven, in chapter twenty-eight we have the crucial matter of God's food. At the beginning of this chapter, God came in and seemed to say to the people, "Do you have everything you need? Are you satisfied and happy? How about Me and My satisfaction? You need to take care of My food. I have been taking care of you for years. I have prepared everything for you in a new, complete way, and now you are ready to possess the land which I promised to your forefathers. I ask you not to forget Me. Remember that I am hungry and that I need My food."

God is hungry and wants to eat. Although He is almighty, He cannot provide Himself something to eat. His food must come from His people. This is why He said, "My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, My satisfying fragrance, you shall observe to offer to Me" (28:2).