Year 4, Day 90: Leviticus 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Obviously, forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

As we begin Leviticus, we get a heavy topic right off the bat: atonement.  Atonement is the process of dealing with our sinfulness.  In fact, the word atonement means “to cover.”

What is neat about this chapter is that God desires us to know the process of forgiveness.  God didn’t have to forgive any of us.  He didn’t have to provide a means to atone for sin.  But He desires it.  He wants to be in relationship with us.  Therefore, He teaches us to know atonement.  He teaches us to know forgiveness.  He teaches us to value His forgiveness.

Of course, this is even truer in the New Testament.  God didn’t have to send His Son, but He did.  He didn’t have to take our sins upon Himself, but He did.  God pours out His forgiveness upon us and simply asks that we reflect His forgiveness onto the people around us.

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Year 4, Day 89: Exodus 40

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Father

• Father: This is the pinnacle of the Covenant Triangle.  God is the Father.  He is the creator.  He is love.  Our relationship with the Father is rooted in His love for us.  We get our identity through Him.  When the Father is in our life, obedience becomes clear.

It’s neat to have a good look at Father as we end the book of Exodus.  Moses was certainly obedient as he erects the tabernacle at the request of the Lord.  That obedience comes because Moses got his identity from the Father.

Furthermore, look closely at how this book ends.  When the tabernacle is erected, the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle.  Here again we see an aspect of the Father.  The Father dwells with His people.

Also notice the response of the people.  When the glory of the Lord stayed in the tabernacle, the people stayed in camp.  When the glory of the Lord left the tabernacle, the people broke camp and moved where God led them.  Here we see a pattern take shape.  The Father gives us identity.  We are then able to act obediently to that very identity.  It starts with God and ends in our obedience.

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Year 4, Day 88: Exodus 39

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Calling, Competency

• Calling asks whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.
• Competency asks whether or not the person has the readiness to be obedient to God’s will.

As we get ready to conclude the book of Exodus, we hear about the completion of the work on the tabernacle.  We hear that the work is done well.  Bezalel has done good work.  It is worthy of praise to God and blessing upon Bezalel.

Here we have a story of competency.  This isn’t a story of character.  Bezalel’s character is not on display, his competency is on display.  Bezalel is ready for the task at hand.  He is prepared to act.  He is capable of accomplishing what the Lord has set before him.

Of course, this is also a story of calling.  Certainly Bezalel is called to do this work.  We’ve spoken about this over the last two days.  What is neat is that in this story we see the culmination of calling and competency here in this chapter.  Here is the fruit of a man who was called by God and equipped by God to accomplish that calling.

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Year 4, Day 87: Exodus 38

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Financial Capital

• Financial Capital: Financial capital is that which the world pursues with all of its heart.  However, from God’s perspective it is the lowest of the five capitals.  As with all capitals, it absolutely has value.  But it can be traded for capitals that have much greater value.

As we look at Bezalel’s work in the tabernacle, we can get a sense of the amount of material that is used in the construction.  Tons of gold, silver, bronze, wood, and fabric are brought forth.  From prior chapters, we actually remember that the materials brought forth are actually greater than what was needed.

If we look at what God is trying to do in the life of the Hebrew people, we can see a neat dynamic at work.  God is teaching the people to trade their financial capital in order to be in relationship with Him.  Financial capital is easy to love, but spiritual capital gleaned through our relationship with the Father is far more significant.

What is neat, though, is how little each family would have honestly had to give in order to bring the tabernacle into existence.  Each family would have needed to give about 1/20 of an ounce of gold and silver.  For a people who had just plundered Egypt, this would have been a pittance.  God asks little of us; yet He desires so greatly to bless us with spiritual capital: relationship with Him.

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Year 4, Day 86: Exodus 37

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Purpose and Play

• Purpose and Play: This is the idea that when we are truly following God there will be a sense of both purpose and play in our lives.  God’s purpose is great.  However, God also desires us to enjoy creation as well.  We need a sense of both purpose and play when following God.

It is easy to read this chapter and get lost in the mechanics of the words.  After all, this chapter seems to be speaking about the profound work that went into the building of the tabernacle and its implements.  It seems to be a chapter that focuses on the work of following God.

However, if we read closely into the words, we see that this chapter is not just about perfection.  As Bezalel goes about producing the elements of worship he adorns them with objects in creation that he sees in creation.  Bezalel speaks not just to the efficiency of the tabernacle elements but also to their beauty.

God understands this dynamic.  We have purpose, of course.  But we can also have play.  We can have fun and enjoy the work of God.  After all, if we are going about the work that God has created us to accomplish then why should we not be able to enjoy it?

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Year 4, Day 85: Exodus 36

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Authority, Power

• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.
• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

As we continue the story of Bezalel, we get an opportunity to see him live out his calling.  God equipped him with His Spirit.  Now we hear Bezalel succeed at the work of creating the tabernacle.

Bezalel is obedient to what God has asked of him.  But he also serves as God’s representative during the construction.  He is a model of living out identity.  He is a model of living out of a relationship with God.  We are told that all who felt the desire came to help Bezalel.  He has the authority to go, succeed, and lead.

Of course, he also has the power.  Having the authority from God, he now boldly goes forth to create.  He has artisans underneath him.  He directs weavers and other craftsmen to live out the vision that God has given to him.  He boldly goes forth and directs the people around him to accomplish the will of God.

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Year 4, Day 84: Exodus 35

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Teacher

• Teacher: One who holds forth the truth and is excited by it. The teacher looks for ways to explain, enlighten, and apply truth.  A teacher's authority doesn't come from how smart they are but from the Word of God and the power of a transformed life.

Although it is a small part of the passage, I think it is worth looking to the end of the passage at Bezalel.  Notice that there are a few things said about this man.  First, he is a skilled craftsman with the ability to grasp vision.  Here is a man capable of putting what God desires into reality.

Notice, however, that this ability has been granted to him by God.  He can do this things because God has empowered him.  God has given him the ability to see and work with what needed to be done.  Bezalel has what he has because it first came from God.

Second, notice that with Bezalel he is not just a craftsman.  He is a teacher.  He doesn’t care only to do; He also cares to teach others to do with him.  For Bezalel, doing is one thing.  It is another thing to teach others to do alongside of himself.

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Year 4, Day 83: Exodus 34

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

We’ve spent a number of days on identity lately.  It therefore makes sense to spend a day on obedience.  Moses’ identity comes from God, and here in this chapter we can see the natural result of this identity.  Moses is prepared to be obedient.

Moses is called up the mountain.  Moses is told to bring two stone tablets.  When Moses is told these things he follows the directive.  He also worships.  Here we have the picture of obedience.

What is really neat is the result of this obedience.  Moses talks to God as a person talks with another person.  His face shines brilliantly for all to see.  When our identity comes from God and we are obedient into that identity, we find that our relationship with God is observable to the people around us.

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Year 4, Day 82: Exodus 33

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

As we continue the story in Exodus 33, it is still a prime opportunity to speak about identity.  In this chapter we hear God tell Moses that he is to lead this rebellious people.  Moses is to remind the people that they are a stiff-necked people.  Moses is to be the mouthpiece of God.

However, Moses does a great job at knowing His identity.  He is not to become God.  He is not to judge them.  He is not take God’s complaints against the people as His own.  He is not to own God’s wrath upon the people.  Rather, Moses’ job is to convey God’s message so that the people can relate to God better.

Likewise, it is not Moses’ job to take the Hebrew people and their sin upon himself when he relates to God.  He is not capable of doing that.  Rather, He is merely the mediator between the people and God.

What a great reminder for us as Christians.  We cannot take God’s place in judgment over people.  Neither can we take the sins of the people upon ourselves as Christ did.  Rather, we are simply mediators.  We are mediators between God and mankind.  We cannot be God.  We cannot take away their sin.  But we can be a part of God coming to mankind so that relationship might be possible.

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Year 4, Day 81: Exodus 32

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

In Exodus 32 we see a huge roadblock to identity: human impatience.  The Hebrew people are waiting at the bottom of the mountain.  They get impatient with what Moses is doing up on the mountain.  So they come to Aaron and ask for a new identity.  They want to become the people of the Golden Calf.

How do we know that this passage revolves around the topic of identity?  When our identity comes from the Father, we end up happily in obedience living a satisfied life in God.  But these Hebrew people do not end up in obedience.  They end up in gross violation.  They end up in sin.  They end up breaking the very first commandment that God had just given to Moses!

Their disobedience ends up in judgment.  It ends in destruction.  It ends in death.  It ends in plague.  When our identity is not from the Lord, we can expect things to turn out for the worst, not for the best.  When our identity is not found in the Lord, life becomes rather tough.

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Year 4, Day 80: Exodus 31

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity, Authority

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.
• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.

In this chapter of Exodus we begin with a beautiful statement of calling.  God tells Moses that He has enabled craftsmen within the community to accomplish what He has set before Moses.  When God plans, God equips so that His plans may come to fruition.

This is really a neat example of both identity and power.  When God equips us, He is giving us identity.  When we are equipped by His hand, we will find both success and satisfaction.  We live out of our identity from the Father and suddenly life feels full.  The secret to identity is not looking to our own desires but instead to the Father and His desire for us.

However, there is more to God’s equipping than identity.  There is also authority.  When God equips us, the King desires for us to go forth and accomplish His will.  He desires for us to be His representative into the world.  He equips us so that we can act out of His authority that He has given to us.  God doesn’t just want us to know who we are; He wants us to have the authority to live it out.

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Year 4, Day 79: Exodus 30

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Up, Out

• Up: Up is the word we use for what we worship.  If we are following God’s will, God will occupy the Up position.  Our life, our identity, our mission, our family on mission is all derived from Up.  This is why God needs to be in our Up position.
• Out: This is the focus of our mission.  These are the people to whom God has called us to go.  These are the people into whom we are focused on attempting to speak God’s truth.

In Exodus 30 we hear much about the word holy.  God is holy.  The incense is holy.  The tabernacle and its implements are holy.  What we are hearing in this passage is that these things are separate from the world.  They are set apart from the world.  They are of God.  This is the Up dimension to our life.  When we are in the presence of God, it is a holy time.  God has called us to understand that we are separate from the world.

However, this doesn’t give us permission to separate ourselves from the world.  Jesus was absolutely holy, but yet He still spent time among the tax collectors and sinners.  He still walked among fallen human beings and even called them into discipleship!  This is our Out dimension.  Yes, we are holy unto God.  He has separated us from the world.  But He has still called us to go into the world and call the world into a holy relationship with Him.  Our holiness does not allow us to stay in Up and never do anything else.  Our holiness is completed when we go through our In and end up in Out drawing others into a holy relationship with God.

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Year 4, Day 78: Exodus 29

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Rhythm

• Rhythm: We are designed to work from rest, not rest from work.  God has created us to be a people of rhythm in which we rest (abide), grow, work (bear fruit), and prune.  The better we understand this natural rhythm in life, the more satisfied we will feel in life and the more we will be able to be in tune with succeeding in what God desires our life to be about.

In the end of Exodus 29, we hear about the daily sacrifices offered before the Lord.  There is a distinct rhythm to this.  At the opening of the day we remember God as we go out to become productive.  At the close of the day we remember God as we return safely home and rest in order to be able to work tomorrow.    Being present with God is often about our rhythms of worship!  Being able to abide and bear fruit and everything in between often starts with our own personal rhythms.

Much of life is lived better when we have rhythms that help us focus and center our life.  As we see here when we have a rhythm of worship we easily remember God and what He has done for us.  When we have a rhythm of study we have an opportunity to consistently draw close to God.  Rhythms help make us into the followers of God that He desires us to be.  Rhythms help keep us grounded and on track with our Father.

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Year 4, Day 77: Exodus 28

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Protection

• Protection: In the Lord’s Prayer, God demonstrates that we are to pray that we should be “delivered from evil.”  We are to ask for God’s protection upon ourselves.  It is also absolutely proper to pray for God’s protection over those around us as well.

In Exodus 28 we see that Aaron is getting a robe.  One of the neat features of Aaron’s robe is that upon it is inscribed all the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  Every time Aaron goes into the tabernacle he carries a reminder with him of the people.  He bears a witness to God about who God’s people actually are.

I think this is really neat.  When Aaron goes into worship, He is remembering the people around Him.  This is not too different from us remembering those around us in our prayers for protection.  As Aaron held the Hebrew people before God, so we too hold ourselves and others before God and ask for Him to watch over our lives.

This is a great reminder to us all.  God does not need us to hold others before Him in order to remember them.  But He desires that we do so.  He wants us to remember His people and to uplift them in our daily worship of Him in His presence.

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Year 4, Day 76: Expdus 27

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: In

• In: This is the word we use to express our relationships with our spiritual family.  These are often the people who hold us spiritually accountable.  They are the ones to whom we typically go for discussion and discernment.  These are the ones with whom we learn to share leadership.  They are the ones with whom we become family on mission.

In Exodus 27 we seem to have a fairly harmless passage about the tabernacle and its division of space.  However, what we can see within that tabernacle set-up is that there are three distinct divisions in the space.  There is the common courtyard.  Then there are the two inner sanctums: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.  Anyone could access the common area.  Only a select few get access to the holy spaces.

I can’t help but think about this same division in relationships.  Anyone can see me – flaws and all.  But how many people really get a chance to look within me and see the holy space within me?  How many people really get a chance to see my character, sense my spirit, and feel how God is alive and active in my life?  How many people really truly get an opportunity to go deeper than what lies upon my surface?

For that matter, how many people truly get an opportunity to show me there spiritual being within?  How often do I get to experience someone else’s part in God at work in this world?

This is what being In means.  Being In with others means that we are vulnerable with them.  We let them see past the flawed façade that we create for others to see.  We let them into our spiritual being where we are growing and in need of care.  These are the ones that move past that outer courtyard and into the inner depths in our lives where God is truly at work.

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Year 4, Day 75: Exodus 26

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

In my blog post from 3 years ago, found by using the theological commentary above, I talked much about the motivation in many cases being more important than the action itself.  In this chapter we talk about the image of the cherubim, while graven images were strictly forbidden among the Hebrew people.  When is it okay to adorn our worship spaces with images?  When isn’t it?  Is an image okay if it leads us closer to God and more fully into His worship?

I think at the heart of this discussion is a question about identity.  What drives us in worship?  What fuels our spirituality?  Is God the source of our identity or is God some mystical Santa Clause that we believe will simply fulfill all of our wishes?  Do we worship God because out of His identity comes love or do we worship Him out of some over-conditioned sense of guilt mixed with a distinct fear of judgment?

When our identity comes from God, we do not need to fear.  When our identity comes from God, we do not worship graven images.  When our identity comes from God our relationship with God is secure.  When our identity comes from God, it will lead to proper obedience to the ways of the Father.

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Year 4, Day 74: Exodus 25

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: King

• King: This is the pinnacle of the Kingdom Triangle.  When we look towards God’s position in the universe, we acknowledge that He is an omnipotent king.  Authority comes from Him.  Power comes through His authority.  He is looking for representatives for His kingdom.

King.  It is a word that means the supreme authority in a land.  You know what you find in most king’s courts?  You find people who wait to hear directives from the king and who act upon them.  You don’t find many people openly questioning the king.  You don’t find many people telling the king they are wrong.  You don’t find many people telling the king that they’d rather just do things their own way.

The thing that I love about this chapter is that it demonstrates the kingship of God.  God begins to tell Moses about the place in which He will be worshipped.  God doesn’t ask Moses what He would like.  God doesn’t take a survey of the people and ask what will enable them to enter into His presence better.

No, God gives the marching orders.  God tells Moses what needs to happen.  God is the King.  He empowers Moses, not the other way around.  Moses serves the King, not the other way around.  Authority comes from God.  We enter in His presence and need to remember that.

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Year 4, Day 73: Exodus 24

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: D1

• D1: This first stage of discipleship is filled with enthusiasm and confidence.  Quite honestly, both of these qualities come from the newness of the process and a bit of an over-glorified perspective on what it takes to actually disciple others.  The majority of this stage is developing relationship with the mentor and being in the mentor’s presence to watch what they do.  Disciples in this stage need high direction and high example.

It may seem a bit strange to focus on the portion of this chapter that is about Joshua.  After all, so much happens before we get to Joshua’s mention at the very end.  Certainly there are many directions that could be taken in this chapter.  But I think it is neat to watch Moses’ example as He prepares to do one of the most memorable actions of the Old Testament: receiving the Law on stone written.

Up until this moment, the spiritual tasks have always been shared by Moses and Aaron.  Here, Moses takes Joshua.  Moses takes Joshua up the mountain with him in order to meet God.  Why would Moses do this?

Moses knows that he isn’t going to be able to lead forever.  When the people get to the Promised Land, they are going to need a military general to lead them in the conquest over the native people.  I’m sure Moses can’t possibly know what will actually happen and how long it will take to get to the Promised Land; but he is smart to invite the younger Joshua with him in order to begin to show Joshua what it takes to be in relationship with God.

Also notice Moses’ approach to Joshua.  Joshua doesn’t have to do anything except to follow Moses.  He’s there to observe.  This isn’t an insult to Joshua; it’s a smart move on Moses’ part.  It will allow Joshua to simply absorb what is happening as well as be comfortable in the spiritual role of leadership before enabling him to have too much authority.

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Year 4, Day 72: Exodus 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

Over the last few days we’ve spoken a good bit about how the Law reflects God’s grace – even if the Law focuses on crime and punishment and retribution.  The Father desires relationship.  The Father desires that we live in a way that His character shines through us.

This leads me to the topic of identity.  If the Father desires to shine through us, then how is it that I commune with Him?  How do I spend my time?  Do I spend my time around the things of His creation where I can learn about His character or do I spend time around things of human creation where I can learn the character of humanity?  How can I gain identity through the Father if I so seldom put myself in His proximity?

This is what is so neat about Exodus 23:10-19.  These verses can easily be read as legal statements indicating how we should and should not live.  Certainly they are that.  But they are so much more than that.  They are statements that put us in the midst of God’s creation so that we might get to know the Father who gives us identity.  They are statements that help shape our time and our activity so that we ensure that we stay rooted in the presence of the Father.

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Year 4, Day 71: Exodus 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Father

• Father: This is the pinnacle of the Covenant Triangle.  God is the Father.  He is the creator.  He is love.  Our relationship with the Father is rooted in His love for us.  We get our identity through Him.

It may seem strange to look at a legal chapter like Exodus 22 and turn to speak of the loving Father who calls us into relationship with Him.  After all, on the surface Exodus 22 seems to be about wrongdoing and vindication.  What does law and punishment have to do with love and relationship?

The truth is that God desires relationship with Him first.  He calls us to be in relationship with Him so that we can then be in relationship with others in such a way as to reflect our relationship with Him.  God sees us in our sinful state and reaches down to give us hope.

God reaches into the Law to likewise give grace.  God cherishes life so much that restitution against loss of animals is paid rather than allowing the victim to kill more animals.  God allows the victim of a break-in during the night to defend himself by killing the intruder; yet a victim of a break-in during the day has no reason to kill the intruder.  Although the Law certainly has consequences and many of those consequences are harsh, the reality is that we see within the Law a God who does see life through the eyes of grace.

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Year 4, Day 70: Exodus 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Identity

• Identity: Our true identity comes from the Father.  Only when our identity comes from God can we be obedient in ways that satisfy our person to our core.

In Exodus 21 we have an interesting set of laws.  In this chapter we can see laws governing slaves, marriages of slaves, children of slaves, and retribution from damage.  This chapter seems to lack grace completely and be all about the Law.

However, I think there is some grace to be found.  If our identity comes from God, there should be grace and love in all things – even things that are dominated by the Law.  In this chapter we see that slaves are to be freed after seven years of service.  If a slave is married, then when the slave is freed the slave’s wife and children are freed with the slave.  There is grace here, because it prevents the master over the slave from dominating the slave and taking more than what should be asked of the slave.  God wants us to reflect His characteristics of love and grace rather than the human harshness in our own hearts.

We also see grace in the laws of retribution.  If a man is injured, he can only ask for what his injury cost him.  If a person’s property, in this case an ox, causes injury then the property is dealt with while the man goes unpunished – unless the man is negligent and knew about the potential for injury.  If a pregnant woman is injured and goes into childbirth and the baby is born injury free, then only a small fine is applied.  Again we see that retribution must fit the crime.  These are ultimately laws of grace, not laws of severity.

These are laws that reflect the character of God.  These are laws that come from a people whose identity resides in God.  These are laws that are born out of relationship and allowing communities to continue to function in the midst of a broken world.

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Year 4, Day 69: Exodus 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: P=V²/R Principle

• P=V²/R Principle: In this equation, we know from physics that power equals voltage squared divided by resistance.  The principle is that our spiritual power is affected by our spiritual connection to God (voltage) and our own personal fear or unwillingness (resistance).

I find the Exodus 20 response of the people to be fascinating.  Moses goes up to the mountain.  God makes His presence known.  The people draw back in fear.  They beg and plead Moses to be an intermediary between them and God.  They actually ask Moses to not let God speak to them – as if Moses could control that!

What this points to is our own human resistance.  Faith and relationship with God is easy when we ask other people to do the heavy lifting for us.  Faith and relationship with God is messy when we come into direct relationship with God and hear His voice.  In fact, faith and relationship with God is downright hard and scary when we come in direct relationship with God.  I completely understand why the Hebrew people drew back in fear and asked Moses and Aaron to do all the hard work.

The reality is that our human nature is far more likely to latch onto fear (resistance) rather than latch onto a personal spiritual connection to God (voltage).  We are far more likely to be afraid of God, or be afraid of failing, or be afraid of being wrong than we are to actually want to drawn near to God when we see Him on display.  As a result, our power is often small because our resistance is large.

God wants our power to be significant.  We need to learn to latch onto our spiritual connection with God more than our fear.

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Year 4, Day 68: Exodus 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: In, Out

• Out: This is the focus of our mission.  These are the people to whom God has called us to go.  These are the people into whom we are focused on attempting to speak God’s truth.

In Exodus 19, we see God calling the Hebrew people to be His priests.  In the theological commentary found by following the link above, we discover that God is doing more than just establishing priests among His holy people.  What we see is God establishing a kingdom of priests who are supposed to go out into the world.

In discipleship language, what we see is that God is telling the Hebrew people about their Out.  God’s calling to them as His “chosen people” doesn’t mean that they are better or more important or more special.  Rather, God is telling them that they actually are a “purposed people.” 

Their Hebrew heritage brings about a relationship with God (Up).  The ability to dwell in the company of other Hebrew people should allow them to better discern God’s calling for their life (In).  But perhaps most importantly their calling as a kingdom of priests identifies their Out: the world.  They are purposed by God to help draw the world into relationship with God.

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Year 4, Day 67: Exodus 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: 8-6-4 Principle

• 8-6-4 Principle: The 8-6-4 principle is a principle that speaks about the multiplication possible in discipleship.  If 1 person disciples 8 people, those 8 people each disciple 6 people, and those 48 people each disciple 4 people, then you have 8+48 + 192 = 248 people in discipleship.  The initial person could never have the time necessary to disciple by themselves all 248 people affected; but as a collective it is possible.

The 8-6-4 principle shows the multiplicative property of discipleship making.  1 person cannot possibly hope to disciple hundreds of people.  Even 8 people cannot hope to disciple hundreds of people.  But working together as a collective, a large group can be reached by everyone doing their part to reach a smaller subset of the larger group.

This is precisely what Jethro tells Moses to do in Exodus 18.  Jethro tells Moses that he cannot possibly hear the complaints of the hundreds of thousands of people that he led out of Egypt.  But if Moses can divide the whole assembly into groups of tens, then the leaders of the tens could report to the people over them.  Those leaders could report to people over them.  This would continue until Moses was hearing from the leaders of the leaders of the leaders.

If Moses can reach 10 people, those 10 can reach 100.  Those 100 can reach 1,000.  Those 1,000 can reach 10,000.  Those 10,000 can reach 100,000.  Those 100,000 could reach as many as 1,000,000.  All of this can be done with nobody needing to worry about more than 10 people.  1,000,000 people can be led intimately with nobody being more than 6 steps away from the central leader.  This is what happens when we let go of the myth that we must all touch the central figure in an organization for us to be important within the organization.

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Year 4, Day 66: Exodus 17

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Calling, Character

• Calling: Whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.
• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

In the story of the battle with Amalek and his people, we get a nice portrait of calling and character.  If we look at character, we can see four people properly acting out of their character.  Joshua has the character to pick men to fight with him who are loyal and brave to Joshua and his cause.  Moses, Aaron, and Hur have the character to go up on the hill and preside over the battle.  Each of these characters has the internal relationship with God necessary to accomplish their tasks.  Each of these characters has the identity from God to fulfill the role to which God has called them.

Speaking of roles, we can take a great glance at calling in this passage.  Notice that Moses is called to be the religious leader presiding over the battle on the hill.  Joshua is called to be the military general, leading the people and creating a military reputation that will serve him much later in life.  What is great about each of these examples is that Moses lives out his calling without conflicting with Joshua and Joshua lives out his calling without conflicting with Moses.  Each one does masterfully what they are actually called to do.  Because of their character, they can work together in their calling from God.

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