"As for
this Moses" (Ex. 32:1).
What are the
most important words in the Bible for any Christian leader to hear? I think a
case can be made for many, but when it comes to the specific calling of
leadership in the church, a good case could be made for these four words,
"As for this Moses" being right near the top of the list. Packed into
these four words is one of the most important lessons for leaders and also one
of the most important conditions for Christian leadership.
Ministry is a
calling. It is not just a job, but it is a job. It is not just a position, but
it is a position. It is not just a profession, but you need to be utterly
professional. But above all you cannot be in it for the adulation of man, and
you should not be in it for the adulation of man. If the reason you are in
ministry is because you seek the praise of your fellow man, you will go wrong, eventually. Probably sooner rather than later.
Moses was
gone for 40 days on the mountain to receive the law of God, and just before he
returned to his people, whom he had led through trials, combat, and victories, they
were ready to forget him. "As for this Moses..." I don't think you
will find four more dismissive words in the whole Bible. This was the man who
had given his all to Israel to be God's agent to bring them out of slavery and
oppression. He had given up every good thing Egypt, the centre of civilisation
at the time, had to offer, and as soon as he was gone the people were willing to
forget him, and all that he had taught them about being faithful to God.
As Christian
leaders if your motivation for service is that you expect adulation from your
fellow man for your service, remember Moses. You are not a fraction of the
leader he was and look what he got returned for his service. Forgotten within
weeks. And yet when God was planning to destroy this people because of their
idolatry, this same Moses advocated for God to have mercy on them instead. He
was God’s man all the way, he cared more for God’s approval than man’s
approval, and he was willing to serve his people no matter how much they were
ready to reject him,
“7
And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out
of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside
quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a
molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your
god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord
said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked
people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them
and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation” (Ex. 32:7-10).
Encouragement,
support, thankfulness and steadfastness are great things to receive from the
people you lead. As human beings this does encourage us. But to have God listen
to you like he listened to Moses is more important that all of those things
combined. To be in it for faithfulness to God is meant to be the Christian
leader’s prime motivation. Everything else is a bonus when it comes and when it
is not forthcoming it is good to remember these four words, "As for this Moses..." Even the greatest leader to precede Jesus was at times on the
outer with many of his own people. But he persevered anyway. Go and do
likewise.
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