The Big Ask

Ex 25:2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering." (NKJV)

 

I wonder if Moses was afraid to ask people for money? I know that this is tough. My wife had a meeting with some women last night about our ladies ministry in church and she was talking about raising funds. One of the women said: "Don't put me in charge of that. I don't want anything to do with fund raising." Why is that? Because asking for money is hard. And why is it hard? Because we are so consumed with keeping it for ourselves. This is such a sensitive subject that we very rarely talk about it.

 

But look at this. God told Moses to "speak to the children of Israel that they bring Me an offering". The word for speak there means "speak, declare, converse, command, warn". This was not an option for Moses. God wanted him to open his mouth and challenge people to give. Now it wasn't necessarily money that they gave back then. It was gold, silver, bronze, thread, linen, skins, wood, oil, spices, precious stones. It was things that they would want to hang on to…but it did not matter. God was getting ready to build a place for Himself to dwell and the challenge needed to be made.

 

The response: Willingness from the heart. How cool is that? People were motivated from the inside, from their inner man, and they responded and gave. Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights and a lot of things happened on the ground during that time (which is coming) and when he came down and challenged the people to give, they responded generously with a willing heart. "Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting…" 35:21 "They came, both men and women, as many as had a willing heart, and brought…" 35:22; "The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women who hearts were willing…" 35:29

 

I love how this is echoed in the NT. "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor 9:7 There is that heart thing. There is that inner man motivation.

 

Why did they respond this way? Because Moses asked. Because Moses spoke. Because Moses challenged, Moses probably shared the vision of what God showed him…and God moved in hearts.

 

We can't be afraid to ask. We can't be afraid to challenge. We can't be afraid to converse. We can't be afraid to warn. Just speak and watch God move.

 

Praying for My Pastors

Ex 24:17 "The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel."

There is a new song that we sing at church that was written by Christy Nockels called: "A Mighty Fortress". It's first line is: "Our God is a consuming fire, burning holy flame with glory and freedom." This is what the children of Israel experienced. The glory of God. Moses and Joshua went up the mountain to be in the presence of God, and what did the people see? The glory of God. They didn't see God, they just saw the top of the mountain and it looked like it was being consumed by fire. The people saw that the presence of God was not something sweet and simple and felt good. No, it was hot. Bright. Massive. Devouring. Something to be feared. Something to stand back in awe.

I know that I just wrote about how God wants our fellowship. How He desires relationship. How He calls us a holy nation, His chosen people, a royal priesthood. (9-9-11 post.) And He does. He wants personal closeness. But I think that we in the modern church have emphasized that to the point where we forget about the glory of God. The massiveness of God. The awesomeness of God. The power of God. The fear of God. "Our God is a consuming fire, burning holy flame with glory and freedom. Our God is the only righteous Judge ruling over us with kindness and wisdom." (Nockels) There is a balance. God is loving, but God is also just. God is kind, but God is also powerful. God is merciful, but God is also a righteous Judge. And when we truly see His glory, we will be awestruck.

This leads me to think of how this happened. Moses and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel lead the way. They went to the mountain and worshipped. Then only Moses and Joshua actually approached God and got the closest. When Moses went up into the mountain a cloud covered the mountain and the glory of the Lord appeared. The thing that hits me is that I really need to pray for my pastors. The leaders of people can approach, but it can all boil down to the spiritual condition of a few. When those that God has placed in leadership approach God, commune with God, live in the presence of God, learn from God, walk with God, see God then the people that they lead will see the glory of God. If those in leadership just go through the motions, people will not experience that God is a consuming fire. But if those in leadership have a genuine walk with God and spend time in His presence, people will see. People will experience the glory of God. People will be awestruck.

This is how I will pray: That my pastors will be so consumed with living in the presence of the Holy that His glory is revealed to everyone who watches.

 

Assurance

Ex 23:20 "Behold I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared."

I love how God has it all together. When uncertainty hits us, and it will, He knows what is going on. He has it all under control. He will keep us and He will bring us.

The children of Israel were out in the wilderness with no clue where they were going. All they knew was that they were follow a pillar of fire and a cloud and now they had to follow a bunch of laws that God had just laid out. God was pretty clear in what He wanted. There is no one who could say that they had not been informed or warned. Just do what He said and follow where He lead. It should not be all that difficult. (In fact, when you look as many of the laws, you can see the foundation for what we have codified today.)

And here was God's promise. I am sending an Angel before you. Now it is interesting, this Angel was not like any normal angel. The people had to obey Him and they should not provoke Him for God's Name was in Him. Now who could this be? I am thinking Jesus. Jesus was the Messenger who was going to go before them. And Jesus was going to keep them in the way and bring them to the place that God prepared for them.

There are two aspects of what this Angel was going to do that I need to hang onto. He was going to keep them in the way.

He was going to keep them, He was going to guard them. As they went along their journey, He was going to uphold them and protect them. He was going to guard their lives. How cool is that? I think the same promise that God gave the children of Israel He gives to me today. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go, I will guard you with my eye." Ps 32:8 God is always there. He is always guiding and protecting and guarding and keeping along this journey we call life.

Then "I will bring you into the place which I have prepared." Now God was talking about bringing the children of Israel into the promised land, but He is still doing this. "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:2,3 Jesus is still in the business of preparing a place. He is still in the business of bringing us to that place. God promised it to the children of Israel and it happened. He promised it to those of us who are His children, and it will happen.

As we remember what happened ten years ago today, God is there. As we go through different life circumstances, God is there. God has not changed. He has it all together. He has it all under control. He will keep us and He will bring us. (Written on 9-11-11)

 

20/20 Vision

Ex 20:20 ""Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." (NKJV)

I have thought about what it would be like to have 20/20 vision again. It is something that I kind of took for granted when I had it, but unfortunately as I got older I lost it. Now, I am very near sighted. I can read the smallest print around. But when it comes to seeing stuff in the distance, I desperately need my glasses. Oh, to be able to see things clearly again.

God was giving the children of Israel the ability to see things clearly in this chapter. Exodus 20 is known for laying out the 10 commandments. These were basic laws that God expected His people to keep. This was 20/20 vision from God's perspective. And it was all based in His character. Worship Him alone. Why? He alone is God. He alone is worthy. Don't take His name in vain. Why? His name is holy. Don't murder. Why? God is life. Don't steal and don't lie. Why? Because God is truth. Don't commit adultery. Why? Because God is pure. Don't covet. Why? Because God is all we need and He is the ultimate provider. Honor your Mom and Dad. Why? Because God is the ultimate authority. Every commandment that is laid out is centered in what God is like. This is basic stuff. This is 20/20 vision.

And look at what Moses said in 20:20 "Do not fear…but fear, so that you may not sin." Don't be afraid, but be afraid. Don't be terrified, but be terrified. How does this work? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The respect of the Lord? Yes…but also the terror of the Lord. I am afraid that we have forgotten what it means to be afraid. We have watered down what it means to fear the Lord. It actually means to be afraid. If I am afraid then I will respond a certain way. If I am afraid, I will be careful. If I am afraid, I will choose to make the right decision and do the right thing. If I am afraid, I will not sin. And If I don't sin, I don't have to be afraid. Fear but don't fear.

Beyond that, love…because love drives out fear. If I genuinely love, I will not sin because I do not want to disappoint God, and if I don't sin I don't have to be afraid of punishment. John put it this way: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." (NKJV) I John 4:18

So spiritual 20/20 vision is this: Fear God and don't sin. If you don't sin you don't have to fear God. And if you genuinely love God you won't know what fear is. No more looking over my shoulder. No more waiting for the shoe to drop. No more wondering what the consequences will be. Just a life of obedience and no fear, just love.

 

Up Close and Personal

Ex 19:4-6 "'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." (NKJV)

To think that God is close…that He is personal…that He is intimate…amazing. When God spoke to Moses He wanted him to convey to the people of Israel that He was a God who cared, who loved, who supported, who protected, who wants relationship. Just look at these words: "I bore you on eagle's wings." The word "bore" is a cool word. It means "carry, support, sustain, endure". God was a personal God with the children of Israel. He lifted them above all of the garbage that they were going through in Egypt and beyond and He was the One who sustained them. He was the One who supported and carried them.

Also: "I brought you to Myself." He is saying that He gathered these people to Himself. He brought them near. This is a God of relationship. This is a God who is close.

Also: "You shall be a special treasure to Me." You are valued property to Me. This is not a possessive thing. This is a heartfelt love that God has for those who were His.

Also: "You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This was giving to Israel favored nation status. They were a dominion of rulers, a set apart people unto God.

Now this is what blows me away: I Pet 2:9, 10 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

Peter was telling a group of non-Jewish Christians the very thing that Moses was telling the children of Israel. You are chosen, you are special, you are a kingdom of priest…a royal priesthood. You are a special treasure…His own special people. You are a holy nation…and look at this, the same words you are a holy nation. God has given to the church the same favored status that He gave to the nation of Israel. God has come near. He has come close. He always has desired relationship.

And His desire for me is up close and personal, right now, in this place, at this time…and forever.

 

 

Good Advice

Ex 18:20 "And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do." (NKJV)

I love good advice…sometimes. I say sometimes because there are times when I think that I know what to do and how to do it and no one can sway me. There is one word for that: stubborn. Frankly, a stubborn person, one who shuns the advice of others, one who does not let anyone else in to give their opinion or help is called one thing: a fool. "Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words." Prov 23:9 There are times when I am a fool and there are times when I am wise. How I wish I were wise all the time because "…in the multitude of counselors there is safety." Prov 11 and Prov 24.

Moses got this. For a while he thought he could do it all himself. He was trying to solve all of the people's problems all alone. I am not sure if he did this because he didn't trust anyone else (you know, if you want to see the job get done right, do it yourself) or if he just didn't think of other alternatives. Anyway, he was getting burned out. Enter Jethro, his father in law. Now for a guy to take advice from his father in law is an amazing thing. That, many times, is the last guy you want to hear from. But Jethro was an observant man and he cared about his son in law. He saw that Moses was a one man show and that he would never last. So he gave him some solid advice. Spread out the responsibility. Spread out the decision making. Give the smaller disputes to other guys and only handle the big deal cases. As you look at this, this was the beginning of the current court system that we have, with Municipal, Common Pleas, Appellate Courts and the Supreme Court. Moses was the Supreme Court with minor courts below him. What did Moses do? He took the advice. He implemented the plan. He saved his brain.

Jethro also gave him this advice: Teach the people. Show them how to live (walk) and what they need to do (work). Don't just be a judge, be a teacher.

I wonder if I sometimes get stuck in the judge role without being a teacher? Without showing. Without setting an example. There is nothing wrong with decision making…but it is easier to make decisions when disputes are cut down because of proper teaching. It is incumbent that those of us in leadership teach. It is imperative that we lay out for others what God's word says so that they know what to expect. When this happens, no one can say: "But I didn't know.". When we take the time to patiently and passionately teach the word of God people's lives will change. Look at what Paul encouraged Timothy to do: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 2Tim 4:2.

As I think about a meeting that we have coming up, be sure to teach. Don't just send people on a guilt trip, teach them what God's word says and watch them respond…and then spread the load.

Great advice, Jethro. Thanks.

Angst

Ex 16:18b "…he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."(NKJV)

When I was in college and law school there was one thing that I wanted to do: Work with people. I didn't care about tax law, or corporations, or corporate paper, or things that attorneys do that rake in the cash…I wanted to work with people. And I believed that I was being called by God to do this...to listen to people in their needs and to give solid advice. (Is. 50:4) I now know that this is where God led me. Thirty plus years later I am still working with people listening and advising and it is not just job, it is a ministry. The thing is, in my early days I thought that working with people would be fun. Now I realize that working with people can be fun, but it is also challenging. People have problems, and with problems come questions and complaining and angst. (What a great word.)

Moses got a great big dose of angst from people. Webster defines angst as "a feeling of anxiety, apprehension or insecurity". This is what these people were feeling and this is what Moses got an earful about. And it came out in the form of complaining. This is the second time these people asked Moses why he brought them out into the wilderness to die. The first time was when the Egyptian army pursued them. Now, it was about 75 days after they left Egypt and they were complaining about being hungry. They liked their pots of meat and bread in Egypt. Now their bellies were grumbling and it came out of their mouths.

Once again, God came through. Let's see. He came through when he got them out of Egypt. He came through in leading them with a pillar of fire and a cloud. He came through when they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. Could He do it again? Could God do one more miracle and fill the stomachs of all of these people? Here come the quail and here comes the manna…with instructions. Only pick up one omer per person. If they did this, if they followed the law of God (before there was the actual written law of God), if they were obedient, then "he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack." Amazing. God is true to His word.

As I think about my life and the lives of those around me, I see that God has not changed. When we do what He says, He supplies all that we need, at just the right time. It is amazing, but I have watched Him work and supply just enough at just the right time over and over again. This was especially true when our girls were in college. Two girls in private schools and universities can be a test. But God came through every time. He allowed me to bring in cases, and make extra money. He allowed Georgann to have a job that helped supply. No bill went unpaid. No need went unmet, at just the right time.

Yet I still act like the children of Israel. I still am human and have a short memory. I can still feel that internal feeling of angst. I am thankful that God is faithful even though I am faithless, because He cannot deny who He is. (2Tim 2:13) He said: "If you obey I will supply." This has been true throughout all of time, and He still does it.