A Life Worth Living

1
A Life Worth Living

• Moses (2) The Development of a Leader (Exodus to
  Deuteronomy)
• Sunday, June 26, 2005

2
Big Ideas from Last Week

• Leadership is for everyone
• You become a leader on the inside, not by learned
  techniques
• There is a value to failure
• 1) crushes pride
• 2) teaches compassion for others
• 3) makes us more open to spiritual help

3
Big Ideas from Last Week (cont.)

• When the stakes are high you have to decide which
  kingdom you will represent
• Even small problems must be dealt with

4
This Week More Insights from Exodus

• With Gods help Moses successfully leads the
  people out of Egypt
• There is a subtext of God demonstrating to
  Pharaoh that they are not equal
• The people worry and grumble easily over matters
  like food and water
• God displays His favour on Moses by providing
  these things through him (and by visiting with
  him in a visible way)

5
A New Way to See God

• In the 3rd month they arrive at the mountain
  where God first appeared to Moses in the burning
  bush
• The first big ideas of the Judeo-Christian belief
  system are made clear
• 1) God is real and powerful
• 2) He is not to be approached lightly
• 3) He cares about morality
• 4) He protects or avenges the weak

6
First Pass at the Law

• A Kingdom of Priests, a Holy Nation
• Two Tablets responsibilities toward God and man
• An eye for an eye
• Protection for slaves
• A Sabbath
• 3 National Feasts
• Promise to provide and protect them as they push
  forward into their land

7
Four Places Where We See Moses Grow as a Leader

• First--Exodus 178-13 (War Against Amalek)
• 11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up,
  that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand
  down, Amalek prevailed.
• 12 But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a
  stone and put it under him, and he sat on it and
  Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one
  side and one on the other. Thus his hands were
  steady until the sun set.

8
Exodus 1813-27

• Second--Learning from an unlikely source Jethro,
  his father-in-law, who comes out to meet him and
  rejoices to learn of what God has done
• 17 "The thing that you are doing is not good.
• 18 "You will surely wear out, both yourself and
  these people who are with you, for the task is
  too heavy for you you cannot do it alone.

9
A Strategy

• Exodus 1823 "If you do this thing and God so
  commands you, then you will be able to endure,
  and all these people also will go to their place
  in peace.
• Learns about delegation and training others

10
Exodus 32-34

• Third--Strong response to Golden Calf (Civil War)
• About 3,000 die as the Law is given (Pentecost)
• God offers to bring Moses forward with a better,
  less obstinate, group of people
• Moses refuses and fights with God
• 1) for the people
• 2) for Gods Presence

11
Exodus 33

• 2 "I will send an angel before you and I will
  drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the
  Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the
  Jebusite.
• 3 "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey
  for I will not go up in your midst, because you
  are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you
  on the way."

12

• Exodus 3315 Then he said to Him, "If Your
  presence does not go with us, do not lead us up
  from here.
• 16 "For how then can it be known that I have
  found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is
  it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and
  Your people, may be distinguished from all the
  other people who are upon the face of the earth?"
• 17 The LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this
  thing of which you have spoken for you have
  found favor in My sight and I have known you by
  name."
• 18 Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your
  glory!"

13
Exodus 34

• Moses gets to see Gods back, not His face (for
  he would not be able to live)
• It is enough to make his face shine more than all
  others

14
Exodus 35-40

• Fourth--Work on the Tabernacle begins and is
  accomplished exactly according to Gods
  instructions
• The Priests are properly prepared
• The Anointing Oil is provided by the Lord as
  Gods Glory descends and fills the Tabernacle

15
At Least Some Parts of the Goal are Accomplished

• The people are no longer slaves
• They have a sense of identity (Genesis), a Law, a
  Priesthood, a Tabernacle
• They have learned to be obedient to God
• They have a place of worship where Gods Presence
  meets with them

16
Moses as Leader

• Moses knows that the power necessary for a great
  task comes from God, not from himself
• He has learned about the necessity of delegation
  and of training others
• He can learn from an unlikely source
• He can give a strong response when necessary

17
Moses as Leader

• He prays for his peopleits not enough that he
  goes forward with God they must, too
• He gets to know God face to face
• He wrestles with God, even leading Him to change
  His mind (Ex. 33)
• He pushes in, going ever further into intimacy
  with God (Show me your glory

18
Moses as Leader

• He obeys Gods instructions to the letter
• Finally, he issues in the benefit for others that
  he himself has won with God (Ex. 40)