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A Shared Sense of Purpose by Rev. David Chapman Scripture Text: Exodus 17:8-16 |
Time and time again in this life, we see people brought together in a common bond to fight a common foe because they realize a common goal. In the late 30s to the mid 40s, the lives of millions were threatened and the freedom of the world lay in peril – the United States of America led a coalition made up of Great Britain, France, Russia, and many smaller nations to make up the Allied Forces that fought against and defeated Germany, Italy, and Japan. The concept of freedom did not have the same meaning for all the allies, but the threat to the freedom they knew caused them to come together with a shared sense of purpose.
In the 50s and 60s we saw another coalition form - this time, the coalition consisted of groups of people who would fight for freedoms denied them in a land in which a document called the Declaration of Independence stated: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
To see this promise fulfilled, groups with acronyms such as SCLC, NAACP, SNCC, CORE, and others came together. Though varying in age, philosophy, race, education and profession, individuals came together with a shared sense of purpose. Others, though not to be applauded, for they were and are evil, also have come together with that same shared sense of purpose: Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini and the top terrorists of our day, Osama Bin Laden and Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi. The thought ringing in my spirit and soul is this: if evil people can come together, surely those of us who call ourselves the Children of God ought to be able to work together with a shared sense of purpose. The Holy Scriptures are replete with examples of folk coming together with a shared sense of purpose: Nehemiah and the remnant of Jerusalem; Jehoshaphat, Ahab and the King of Edom; Esther and Mordecai; Paul with Priscilla and Aquila - people of God who came together with strengths and weaknesses to accomplish a God given purpose. Our text today reveals the varying dynamics between and the importance of the people of God having a shared sense of purpose as they travel to a God appointed destination. Come with me now to Rephidim so we might observe the people of God and find help in our time of need…
The first thing we encounter is a God anointed, God appointed leader giving directions to another God anointed leader who does what he’s asked to do. Moses said to Joshua, Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. This wasn’t hard for Joshua to do, because he not only had a shared sense of purpose with Moses, it was obvious he had great respect for him also.
Purpose is achieved much easier when the people of God respect God appointed leadership. This is true from the local church level to the national level. When respect is absent, there is often rebellion, confusion, and division. Now, I know from time to time we encounter leaders whose actions make it hard to give the level of respect that should cause one to follow. But if the God ordained purpose is still in view, then the purpose, not the person, can take priority and move us to do that which we know is right. One must be able to see past the person and see the purpose.
So Joshua goes down into the valley to command an ill equipped, poorly trained army – a group of people who for almost 400 years were slaves, not warriors. We must also note that those fighting for Israel were probably not all Israelites. Numbers 11:4 refer to the “rabble;” (NIV) the King James Version calls them the “mixed multitude.” Yet in this text, we hear of no division or attempt to separate those who are fighting in Israel’s army. The situation was too grave for them to worry about who was fighting by their side as long as they knew they were on the same team, with a shared sense of purpose, under the banner of the one true and living God. What mattered was they were a people standing together, fighting a bitter foe whose aim was to see they didn’t get to where God wanted to take them or accomplish what God determined for them to accomplish.
The foe we face is much more formidable than the foe Israel faced. The devil’s job is to kill, steal, and destroy everything and everybody that God would use to see God’s purpose fulfilled on this earth. Knowing that we face such a foe ought to have every Christian on this planet make every effort to band together. But what do we too often hear and see? “They are not of us - they’re not white, not black, red, brown, yellow, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Baptist, (Regular, Southern, Freewill, National, American or otherwise.) Then we’ve got the Liberal-Conservative, Democrat-Republican thing going on. I’ve found none of this in my Bible. But I did find a conversation between Jesus and John one day as recorded in Mark 9:38-40. “Teacher,” says John, “We saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.” I also recall Paul in 1 Cor. 1:13 asking, “Is Christ divided?” But the scripture that impacts me the greatest is John 17. In the streets between the Upper Room and Gethsemane – following the institution of the Lord’s Supper and just before the agony of Calvary, Jesus prayed that the Church would be one as He and His Father were one. How can we allow the incivility of our society and its politics to influence the Church as it does?
Unity in spirit is strength, but most important, as Psalm 133:3 tells us, unity commands God’s blessing. And it was the blessing of God that was causing Israel to prevail. Moses, Aaron, and Hur had gone up on the hill. While Joshua and the Army of Israel fought in the valley, Moses, Aaron, and Hur were on high in prayer. Here, we are reminded the weapons of our warfare are not carnal and that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of evil. There is no doubt Amalek had the better army, but Israel had God and God had given them leaders with a shared sense of purpose.
Knowing that Israel could not overcome Amalek by their own effort, Moses stood on the hill with his hands lifted up to heaven holding what represented the power and authority God had bestowed upon him. But even Moses couldn’t do it by himself. He began to tire. When his hands went down, Amalek prevailed over Israel. How many of us find ourselves in Moses’ situation? We are equipped with the power and authority God has bestowed upon us by God’s Spirit, but we come to realize the flesh is not up to the task. We grow tired and weary. The road to fulfilling God’s given purpose becomes difficult; victory seems to be slipping away. But thanks be to God! There by our side stands Aaron and Hur - a church officer, a clergy colleague, a family member or a friend. Have you received a call during what seemed to be your darkest hour? And the person on the other end of the line says, “All of a sudden, you were on my mind, and I felt I needed to pray for you.” Having that shared sense of purpose, they don’t need to be asked - they step up and do what needs to be done. But what if? What if they were too busy criticizing? What if they refused to step up because someone else did? He’s a liberal, he’s a conservative, she’s a fundamentalist! It’s getting so ridiculous in church circles these days that who you voted for for President is used to define you more so than whom you confess as Lord.
What if Aaron and Hur were envious of Moses or jealous of Moses’ elevation by the Lord?
What if Moses was too proud to accept help? What if he were afraid to allow Aaron and Hur to step into his sphere of authority? But that’s “what if!” It didn’t happen! Aaron and Hur stepped up - one on one side, the other on the other side! We need folk who have a shared sense of purpose in Christ to step up. Labels, finger pointing, and self-righteous attitudes are hindering our quest for victory. Joshua and Israel in the valley, Moses, Aaron and Hur on the Hill--- And here is the Victory! God is working in the midst of a people who are united by a Shared Sense of Purpose. If someone tells me that they have received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then we should have a Shared Sense of Purpose.
People continue to come together to accomplish what seemed to be the impossible. It happens every day. Many groups from all walks of life come together with a shared sense of purpose. Even in the world of fiction we see this purposeful coming together in distinctly different groups. Right here, I’m reminded of J.R.R Tolkien’s tales of the Hobbits – most recently made into a trilogy of films. The storyline in all three films is one of good against evil. The diverse groups that come together in a place called Middle Earth are the Hobbits, Dwarfs, Elves, and Men. They fight an evil force headquartered in a place called Mordor.
The hobbits, dwarfs, elves and men have come together in what is called the “Fellowship of the Ring.” The destruction of the ring will destroy the evil of Mordor. The task of the ring’s destruction falls on a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins. He is accompanied by one Sam (Wise) Gamgee, who has pledged to aid Frodo to the end. The scene I’m reminded of is near the end of the third film. Frodo and Sam have reached Morod. They are on Mount Doom, close to the volcano of fire in which the ring can be destroyed. For all those who have come together with the shared sense of purpose, the destruction of evil - the destruction of the ring - was vital. But the task has taken its toll on Frodo. He is completely exhausted – he can’t go another step. As he is lying among the rocks and the intense heat of Mount Doom, the real hero of this story (in my opinion), Sam Wise, kneels beside Frodo and says, “Mr. Frodo, I can’t carry it, (referring to the ring, for only Frodo could carry it to its destruction) - but I can carry you!”
I hear somebody in heaven saying, “You can’t carry your sin, but I can and will bear it for you.” Thank God we have a Savior who can carry our sin. I can’t carry your sin, and you can’t carry mine. But I can carry you - and hopefully you are willing to carry me. Let us go together to where God wants to take us. Because we are free of sin and are equipped with the power and authority of God, let us move forward with a Shared Sense of Purpose.
David L. Chapman has been a Pastor for the past 27 years, serving pastorates in West Virginia and Virginia. David has pastured the Union Branch Baptist Church for the past 15 years. He also serves as Vice President for Professional Effectiveness on the Ministers Council.