The Leadership of Moses, pt4
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 154
When we talk about Moses, it’s easy to take him out of context and forget the incredible circumstantial environmental challenges that he had. These leadership lessons that we learn from him are so applicable in the trenches of leadership.
Numbers 8:11
Aaron then shall present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the Lord.
The wave offering was something that the children of Israel brought as a thanksgiving offering. It was an additional offering. They would take the produce of their ground, lift it up to the Lord, and wave it. Like when we lift our hands and are expressive during worship.
Here it says something different. It doesn’t say to present a wave offering. It says to present the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering. In other words, the Levites are the wave offering. This is a whole other level of leadership. I don’t think they picked up the priests and waved them around. Maybe they danced around. It doesn’t say. But Moses said to present THEM as the wave offering.
Numbers 8:15
Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering.
Here it is again. It was purposeful. Moses repeated it. “You are the wave offering.”
This is a good perspective to have in ministry. Several years ago, I was in a peddle-to-the-metal situation. Many good things were happening. Many levels of discipleship. Many trips to the Soviet Union. Training teams to go to the Soviet Union. We had also just finished a major building project. We had a guest in to minister, and during his lunch with the elders and me, he said, “If you are growing in God, there will never be a time in your life where you will have less responsibility than you do now.”
The table went silent. We all felt taxed. Everyone had served their hearts out. Only one of them was full-time staff. I wanted to hide under the table. I couldn’t take on another ounce. What he was saying was not about having more activity, but more responsibility. God will trust you with bigger and greater things, and you will have to manage it and be a steward of it.
Thankfully, it isn’t about doing more things. Delegation is not dumping something on someone else so you can do what you want to do. Delegation is giving someone the authority to carry out a command so you can do something that is more important or so you can take on more. Delegation isn’t to clear my desk; it’s so my desk is clear.
Having a wave offering mentality is saying, “Everything I am belongs to You, Lord. It’s all Yours.” That has to be the attitude of a leader. If you think like that, God is able to renew your mind and give you supernatural strength, even when you are highly engaged with the pedal to the metal. It’s total surrender.
When you are a wave offering, you can’t be taken advantage of. It doesn’t mean that people won’t take advantage of you. It just means that you can’t be taken advantage of because you are doing it as unto the Lord. I’ve done things for people, and in the process of doing it, I knew I was being taken advantage of. But for me, I knew I was doing a wave offering, waving it unto the Lord. I felt like He was in it, and I was doing it unto Him. If you do it this way, then you will do it again because it is for Him.
I’m not saying this is easy, but it is easier than operating in the flesh. If you walk in the Spirit, you won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh (having self-preservation, measuring yourself out).
Moses was a wave offering. He left everything behind. He was constantly giving all. Because he gave all, he expected all.
God wants us to be a wave offering. And that is a high calling.
Join us next week as Keith Tucci continues to put leadership truth in the context of the local church. And as always, please like, share, rate/review, and invite others to listen. See you next week!
