Rise up, O LORD!  And let Your enemies be scattered.  And let those who hate You flee from You flee before You.  Numbers 10:35.

This is the prayer, the song, the cry of Moses as he leaves “the Mountain of the LORD,” and heads out into the wilderness.

He has enlisted his brother-in-law, Hobab, who knows this country, and “will be eyes for us.”

He has God’s presence in the form of a cloud by day and fire by night.

Yet he is afraid.  He is trying to keep up appearance.  Trying to exude confidence.

But he is afraid.

He sings this song.  His trust is where it belongs, in the LORD.

But he is aware that there are those out there who hate the LORD.  Who are the LORD’s enemies.  Wouldn’t want to be them.  But still, Moses is aware that he will have opposition.  And he is afraid.

Yet on he goes.  Three days.  Into thoroughly unknown territory.  Moses has imagined this land, land traversed by his ancestor Jacob and his sons.  Land between him and the land of promise, Canaan.  It has no doubt been the subject of lore handed down through 400 years.

But Moses has only known Egypt, and Midian.  He is now called upon to lead “myriads” to a place and along a path completely unknown to him.

Moses is called to lead, but he himself does not know where he is going.

It is one thing to hire a guide.  One who has been there before.  That is what Moses attempts with Hobab.

But a guide is not a leader.  A guide is only a source of information.  A human GPS navigation aid or map.

A guide does not lead.  A guide takes no risks.  A guide does not inspire.

A leader need not have been there before.  They are explorers and pioneers, as well as leaders.  They lead not out of experience, but out of vision, out of confidence in God who has called forth the journey.  A leader is a great example, a great model, to those following into uncharted territory precisely because like the followers, the leader has never been there before.

The leader is able to inspire faith and confidence because it is real.  He is feeling it, too.

He says, “This is how we are going to go forward.”  And he not only says it, he does it.  He models it.

Actions speak louder than words.  Impotent is the command to do as I say and not as I do.  A leader says do as I say and as I do.

Moses hires a guide.  But he puts his trust in the LORD.

Moses leads.  To where he has never been before.

Arise, Oh LORD.  Let your enemies be scattered.

Lead me on.  That I may lead on others.