Creation

Day 4 = the stars were made to proclaim the glory of God. Exhorters have this as their nature— to call out the glory in others. They can draw large crowds and be seen by many (like the stars), spreading God’s Word and His glory broadly. 

The Principle 

Sowing and reaping. Exhorters can quickly bounce from one idea to the next, never staying on one thing long enough to truly reap the benefits and see a result. They need to learn to invest now for the future— and to persist through the entire process.

The Legitimacy Lie

“I am legitimate when people want and need to be around me.”

The true exhorter isn’t a person looking for a party; they are a party waiting to happen. As such, they find rejection difficult to swallow. 

The Enemy’s Tactic 

Canaanite curse (Genesis 9:18-27). Canaan saw his father, Noah, naked. Rather than covering him, he showed his brothers— seeking to please his brothers, and getting them to lower their standards. As a result, he was punished to stay in the hill country ratter than the fertile land— where sowing was more difficult. When the Israelites later went into the Promised Land, they found it hard to drive out the Canaanites and settle, because the Canaanites had iron chariots. 

Potential Pitfall 

Can be a people pleaser, as well as give up when things become a struggle. They don’t like the time between the sowing and the reaping— and readily bounce prematurely.

The Cross 

Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me…”

On the Cross, Jesus felt the separation between Himself and the Father. Though we will never be separated from God, exhorters must learn to not base their interpretation of what God is doing based on external circumstances alone. There’s always a time— of barrenness— between sowing and reaping. Grow comfortable apart from circumstances.  

The Blessings

Moses. Moses faced consistent demands from the people. He leaned he could not stay around with them all— to please them. His father-in-law, Jethro, advised Him to work through others (see Exodus 18:1f.). In turn, Moses had enough time to purse intimacy with God, lead the people well, write 5 books of the Old Testament, outlined detailed laws and directives for worship. And, in all, he spent  80 years in the wilderness to do so. 

The Tabernacle

The fourth item in the Tabernacle was the golden lamp stand with the oils (Exodus 25:31-40, 37:17-24). The light illuminated the path forward, and represented the revelation of God’s nature. The oils were painstakingly prepared, just like the principle of sowing and reaping— and were necessary for the process to work. 

The Birthright / Destiny 

Thyratira (see Revelation 3:19-29) was a church known well by Jesus for their reputation of good works. They revealed God to others in doing so. They were  doing more than many others— they were busy. He encouraged them that it’s not just about “doing more,” it’s about finishing— about being faithful all the way to the end. Those who endured would be given the Morning Star.

Person to Study

Moses, Paul, John Mark