Jump Start # 2039

Exodus 32:25 “Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control– for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies.”

One of the popular topics today is leadership. It’s talked about in business. It’s the makeup of government. It’s necessary within a congregation. Of all the animals in the created world, God describes His people as sheep. We are not turtles. We are not deer. We are not gators. We are not birds of a feather that flock together. We are sheep. And, sheep need shepherds. The leadership term that God uses in the congregation is overseers and shepherds. Sheep aren’t driven like cattle. They are not left to their own and somehow they find their way back like homing pigeons. They need to be guided, led and watched over.

So, sprinkled throughout our Bibles are shepherd leadership passages. Jesus is the good shepherd, that knows His sheep. The Lord is my shepherd. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art with me. The shepherds of Ezekiel were rebuked for not taking care of the people. Shepherds are supposed to lead.

Our verse today, is another that falls under the category of leadership. Moses was gone. Aaron was in charge. Aaron didn’t take charge. He didn’t lead. He followed the people. When Moses returned, there was a golden calf and the people were worshipping an idol. Had did this happen? How did it happen so fast? What was Aaron doing? Did he try to stop them? Did he teach them? Where was the leadership?

Aaron reply was, “They said to me, ‘make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’” Our verse adds more pain to the situation. It states, “…the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control.” The situation resembles out of control kids who dangle their parents as puppets, crying and throwing a fit until they get what they want. They make a scene in stores. They are loud in church. They are disruptive and interruptive at home. The parents are along for the ride and the kids are running the show. Out of control.

Aaron was Moses’ brother. Instead of defending God’s appointed leader, he let the people have a golden calf.

There are lessons we learn from this:

First, the church is not a democracy. People do not understand that today and they didn’t get that in Aaron’s day. Back then, the concept of a democracy was not known. We know it all too well today. The voice of the people. Rights. My rights. Democracy is the bedrock of our constitution and the freedoms this country is structured and built upon. But democracy doesn’t work within a congregation. The will of the people is not what we follow. Rather, it’s a theocracy, which is the will of God. In Aaron’s time, the people wanted an idol. They got what they wanted. Today, churches are bowing to pressure to accept same-sex marriages. “It’s what the people want,” is the defense. They are bowing to organizational structures that are not found in the Bible. In business, giving the customer what they want works. In spiritual matters, giving the people what they want leads to disobedience and sin. Today, people want a church to be a school, a restaurant, a bookstore, a counseling center, a day care. Might as well toss in a place to get the dog groomed, do your taxes and get your oil changed in the car. Multi service. The wholeness of a person. Sounds great. But is that what the church is supposed to be? Running short of money this month, call a church, they are supposed to give out free money. That’s what people think. That’s what you are there for. It’s funny we don’t think this way about other places. You don’t complain that the Post office doesn’t serve hamburgers and shakes. Why not? The answer is obvious. That’s not what the Post office is about. Why can’t we get that through when it comes to the church? It is supposed to praise God and prepare us for Heaven.

Second, leading means to take charge. One doesn’t have to be mean, loud or threatening to lead. But he must be visible, setting an example and by his character, established trust. Aaron should have answered the people. Aaron should have reminded the nation about patience. Instead of calling for gold to make an idol, Aaron should have called for a prayer session. Let’s get our minds back to where they ought to be. When leaders do not know what to do, the people will take charge.

The same is true in the home and in the church. Down every isle of the store, the child wants this and that. Parents can’t constantly cave in to the pleas of the child. It will spoil the child and crash the budget. Parents must lead. Plan ahead. Think it out. Keep the child occupied. Shouting back doesn’t seem to work. In the church, there will always be some who want to change things. Why can’t we do this? I want to have this? Leaders take people to the Bible. Here’s what we do. Here is what we are about. Remind. Teach. Show. Don’t ignore questions. Don’t intimidate folks. Lead.

Third, not every can lead. Moses came back and got things back under control. Aaron wasn’t Moses. Even though they were brothers, Aaron couldn’t lead like Moses. Joshua could. When Joshua takes over, decades later, he shows the skills that Moses had. All of this reminds us that not everyone should be in leadership roles. You see this at work. Some are just not any good at this. They can’t manage people. Someone comes with a request and they tend to favor some over others. They bend the rules for some. They play favorites. It’s messy and leads to jealousy and toxic behavior. The same is true at church. Not everyone can lead. Some are really nice guys, but they lack leadership skills. They don’t have a backbone to tell people “no.” Some wilt under pressure and avoid confrontations at all costs. Those are not the traits that will bring out the best in others, nor lead them as God wants.

With leaders, there needs to be followers. Leaders must know God’s will and be willing to put God before all things. Leadership is not about power, prestige or control. It’s about helping people. It’s about serving. It’s about making things better. It’s about changing family destinies for eternity.

What a mess Aaron created and allowed. He wasn’t cut out for leading. There are lessons we ought to see in this. There are some in leadership roles today, who are not leaders. They, like Aaron, are creating and allowing messes. Congregations are dying, while the leaders are asleep at the wheel. People are upset and leaving and leaders don’t know why.

It’s time for leaders to lead as God intended.

Roger

Jump Start # 1792

Exodus 32:25 “Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control-for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies”

Exodus 32 is a chapter of great triumphs and terrible defeats. Moses is up on the mountain with God. The Lord engraves the stone tablets, the Ten Commandments. What an incredible moment that is. The commands are carved in stone, not written on paper. They were intended to be lasting. They were intended to stand throughout the generations. God gave Moses those stone tablets. I don’t know if Moses did this, but I think I would have taken my finger and traced the words that were written by the finger of God. Amazing!

As Moses and Joshua come down from the mountain, a noise arises from the camp of Israel. They are partying. While Moses was getting the law of God, Israel was busy breaking the law. The people grew impatient waiting for Moses’ return. The next in command was Aaron, the high priest. The people pressured Aaron to make a golden calf, an idol, a visible god, that they could worship. Immediately, several of the first commands were broken. Aaron took charge in making this idol. God was angry. Moses was angry. God was ready to wipe the people out. Moses threw the tablets down and they shattered. The golden calf was destroyed. The nation was punished. Many died that night. It was a terrible end to a wonderful event for Moses.

Great lessons come from this story. One of the first lessons we see is the lack of leadership by Aaron. He allowed the nation to lead him. He justified making the calf on the fact that the people wanted it. Instead of leading the nation in a prayer, reminding them to hang in there and be patient, he caved in to their demands.

The nation of Israel was not a democracy. There was no voting to be done. There were no polls to reflect how the nation felt. God ruled. End of discussion. That same principle needs to understood today in the home and in the church. These are not democracies either. When we listen to the voice of others over the word of God, then trouble will happen.

Modern churches today vote. They vote on policy and doctrine. Look at the history of various churches and you see major doctrinal swings and shifts that follow the feelings of society. A couple of generations ago, no churches had women preachers. Wasn’t allowed. Society changed and so did the churches. Generations ago, most churches were pretty strict about divorce. Society changed and so did their rules. Homosexuality became acceptable in society and the modern church followed. Now, the flavor of the month is transgender. Society is changing it’s thinking about who is a woman and who is a man. The old expression, “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it must be a duck,” doesn’t fit anymore with modern thinkers. It may walk like a man, talk like a man and even shave like a man, but it could be a woman. Very confusing. In a moment, the modern churches will be rethinking the transgender issue. As society welcomes the latest perversion, modern churches will adjust their teachings, doctrines, policies and signs on the bathroom doors. The modern church dances to the beat of society. They are doing what Aaron did. The people want a golden calf, so we will provide one. We want the people to be happy. The customer, we have been told, is always right. That might be true in business, but it’s a disaster in the church and at home.

Democracy does not belong in the home, either. The home, as designed by God, is to be run by dad and mom. They have the experience and the authority given to them by God. In many homes, there are more kids than parents. If the home were run by popular vote, the parents are outvoted every time. Having their own way, the kids would stay up as late as they want, eat what they want, go to school when they want and grow up to be spoiled, selfish, and ruined. The home needs direction, rule and discipline. It is in the home where respect is learned and accountability is practiced. Letting the kids do what they want is dumb psychology, weak parenting and an invitation for trouble down the road. I had to go to school. There was no debate nor any discussion. I had to go to church services. End of discussion. I had to be home at certain time that my parents decided. I had to fill the car up with gas when I borrowed the car. I had to clean my room. I had to watch what I said. I had to eat supper with the whole family. I was taken to visit grandparents. We went to the funeral home. What did all of that get me? I graduated. I got good jobs. I became responsible. I got married and stayed married. I had a family. I have people that trust me and call me friend. What did it do? It shaped me into a responsible adult that now follows Christ.

Aaron blew it as a leader. I’m sure the people loved him. If popularity is what you want, then you let the people do what they want. They will love you and you will be their favorite. They will sing your praises. They will honor you. They will pat you on the back. But as a leader, you have failed to lead. You allowed the people to go where they want. In Aaron’s situation, the people went straight to sin. God was angry. God was ready to wipe all of them out.

The leader must know where the people need to go. The shepherd of Psalms 23, understood that it was green pastures and quiet waters that the sheep needed. He had to know where those places were. He had to lead the flock there. The flock may not have wanted to travel. Maybe they wanted to just stay where they were. The shepherd knew better. He led. He didn’t drive. He didn’t beat. But he took the sheep to where they needed to be.

In leading, the elder in the church or, the parent, may not always be the good guy. He may have to make some unpopular calls. He may lead them where they need to be, not where they want to be. The leader has to know when to say, “no.” He does that, not to be mean or restrictive, but because he knows what is best for the group he is leading. His goal is their wellbeing. He wants them strong, healthy and growing.

Democracy works great in politics, but it’s a terrible mode to follow in the home and in the church. We need to allow God to be the one in charge. We need to do what God says. “I don’t feel like going to church,” isn’t a reason to stay home. There are many things in life that a person doesn’t “feel like” doing, but it has to be done. Maybe an attitude adjustment, seeing the good in things, opening your eyes, will change that spirit and attitude.

Aaron let the people have what they wanted. They got just that. Of those people, only Joshua and Caleb entered the promise land. God knows what is best. Trust him.

Roger