The Transmission

UV 499/10,000 Deuteronomy 34 v 9 The transmission for a mission Deu 34:9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. The other day in a time of prayer the Lord promised to give us the authority of Joshua. The Holy Spirit revealed the difference between the leadership of Moses and the leadership of Joshua. No one murmured against Joshua while they murmured against Moses. Yet, it was the laying of the hands of Moses upon Joshua that led to the transmission of the spirit of wisdom on the latter. It was on account of this anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom , that the people of Israel listened to him and obeyed the commandments the Lord gave through Moses. There is a series of cause and effect sequences in this uni-verse: Moses laid his hands upon Joshua as directed by the Lord: Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom: The Israelites listened to him without murmuring: they obeyed the commandments of the Lord. The transmission of wisdom should precede the assumption and exercise of authority. In the early church, too when the apostles laid hands upon people and prayed they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The anointing, the authority and the spirit of wisdom is the basis of godly or spiritual leadership. It is transmitted through the laying of hands though it is not the only means. We must be careful who we ask to lay their hands upon us to pray. We need to discern if they have the anointing themselves: do they speak with God face to face like Moses? In other words, do they relate and communicate directly with the Lord? We need to discern their gifts and their fruits of the spirit manifesting in their lives. The mere laying of hands that is not backed by a life lived in close fellowship with the Trinity would be in vain, an empty gesture. As believers,we all have traces of wisdom but we need to be filled with the spirit of wisdom. We need to be saturated with godly wisdom so that it overflows into our decisions, actions, reactions, relationships, leadership, professions and lives. Scripture also warns that we must not lay hands on other people in haste. We must discern their hearts and their motives. In the early church, Simon wanted the apostles to lay their hands on him so that he could profit monetarily by laying his hands upon others. It should also not turn into a cultic practice where certain teachers even virtually sell “keys” and other physical objects for specific sums or donations in order to raise money for their projects. Such practices in the contemporary church needs to be condemned by one and all and seen for what it is- it does not come from God. The transmission is meant to fulfill a God-given mission and not to turn it into a money-making machine. Prateep V Philip