Savings is not unbiblical but worry is. When the Israelites gathered more Mana than they needed for one day, God was displeased. It signified that they did not trust God. They already had an issue of distrust. Whenever they faced any difficulty, they grumbled against Moses. This daily provision was much beyond provision. It was a daily lesson of God’s ability to take care is them.
Worry signifies distrust in God to take care of us.
See Exodus 16.
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On a recent travel, I counted the number of times people checked my boarding pass. As I stepped into the aircraft, the flight attendant was the 12th one to ask for my boarding pass. Why so many times?
Here are some possibilities why I had to show my boarding pass to 12 different people.- To be thorough. They want to make sure that the right person is entering the right flight.
- To be sure. They want to avoid unticketed passengers entering the flight.
- To provide more jobs. Now, this is certainly a good hearted effort on their part.
- Lack of trust. They don’t trust any of those 12 people to do their job properly. So, they want to cross-check to see where a mistake has occurred.
- Lower pay. If you have many people doing a job that one or two properly trained people could accomplish, you must not be paying them much.
- Lower skill. Due to the lower pay, you have employees at a lower skill strata.
I have two thoughts on this issue. First, the authorities want to make sure things are done appropriately. Second, there is a lack of trust in the employees to do their jobs efficiently.
How much do you invest in your people? Do all it takes to make them competent. Then hold them accountable. Expect quality.
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Leadership must stay in control until they enter the domain of the divine. Moses was fully in control of the entire process of constructing and setting up the tabernacle for the presence of God to dwell. But once God came down with his glory, Moses had to back off (Exodus 40:34-38).
It’s important for us to sense or “see” the move of God’s Spirit in a particular situation. At that moment we allow God to do his work. If we continue pushing our agenda, we risk forfeiting or stalling the work that God intends to do.
As we learn to recognize the move of God, we can allow for more of God’s work in people. The divine presence brings his divine initiative and his divine power. At that point, step back and watch him work.
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It’s amazing to see those who consistently pay the price to be in God’s presence. Some suffer ridicule and others suffer physical abuse, but those things don’t deter them.
Some borrow money for the bus ride. Others take the bus to the location they can afford and walk the rest of the way. Others clearly told their bosses that they will come to work only after church and work till evening. “You can keep me or let me go – it’s up to you.”
But others will come if it’s convenient. If all factors are favorable, then they’ll be in church. I don’t put down such people. Because I know that people will pay a premium price only for those things they value.
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“There is no need for appreciation – they’ve only done what they were paid to do.” Oh yes, I’ve worked under such leadership, and seen the results. Resentment, dissatisfaction, and sometimes, even rebellion are the results of such a perspective on leadership.
It may sound too simplistic, but when leaders bless the people, they are truly blessed. It impacts their mind, perspectives, and ultimately their work. The leader’s words of blessing flows through the people all the way into the final product.
Moses saw their work and recognized that they performed according to the Lord’s command – then Moses blessed them (Exodus 39:43). It is amazing to observe how the people followed Moses and followed through in response to his leadership. He was a leader who truly blessed the people.
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It’s common for leaders to complain about not having enough help. Some wish they had a staff or a team of leaders. This is most critical during times of transitions, when people in leadership or ministry positions move away to other locations.
So it’s always a good idea to keep a backup of leaders. For every area of ministry and at every level, keep building new leaders. One is never enough. Create such a culture where all the leaders raise up other leaders.
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With all the current experts in leadership, management and business, we might think these are new concepts. But you may be surprised to know that these practices were prevalent in ancient times as well. Read this record from a few thousand years ago and observe the text in bold to identify the various organizational levels.
“These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses: and with him was Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroider in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen” (Exo 38:21-23).
Leadership: Commandment of Moses
Management: Responsibility of the Levites
Administration: Direction of Ithamar
Production: Made all that the Lord commanded Moses
Sure, there are various ways to look at organizational management levels, but the text in Exodus is clear that they had a very clear form of order.
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It’s interesting to notice the throw away culture that has developed in the western countries and now is spreading to other nations as well. Most items are used and thrown away without being re-used or re-filled. Some items could be used longer. But we discard them with some product left in them.
The opposite can also be a problem. Holding on and holding things longer can be the sign of a hoarding problem. Keeping items for another few uses or some day when you need it can be a problem. After some time, every room will be full of items you don’t use, but someday “it might come in handy.”
There is a deeper issue here.
Remember.“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matt 6:26)
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For a group of former slaves, gold is quite an expense! Even though they looted the Egyptians before they left, the cost would be much. Actually, when this group “plundered the Egyptians” and got the gold into their hands, it would be quite difficult to let go.
So I go back to the question in the beginning: Why gold? Why was so much gold used in furnishing the Tabernacle where God dwelt? I understand two factors here.
First, they wanted to express the value they placed on God’s presence. They understood the Tabernacle as the place where the actual presence of God dwelt. Thus they placed so much value on his presence that they were willing to spend their most valuable possessions. I’m sure everyone did not give. Only those who valued God’s presence so much.
Second, God wanted them to part with material things that gave them a false sense of security. God is their only security.
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Irritation stemming from unmet expectations are a sure recipe for anger. But why should your expectations be met according to your desires? Unfortunately, expectations become the primary measure in our relationships.
But what if our relationships were not based on our expectations? What if the basis or focus of our relationship shifted from our expectations to something else? What would that something else be?
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