Life Admin

Scripture: Deuteronomy 1:9-18

Video Link: https://youtu.be/kFuCyBhANQk

Structure:

• Introduction
• God’s faithfulness (roots)
• Moses’ administration (trunk & branches)
• Israel’s justice (fruit)
• Conclusion

Introduction:

Good morning everyone.

Are you familiar with the term ‘life admin’?

According to the Urban Dictionary, life admin refers to one’s personal day to day chores of an administrative nature.

Life admin could include things like paying your bills, responding to emails, managing your superannuation plan, organising insurance and so on.

More broadly than that, life admin may also refer to other non-paperwork tasks which have to be done but which are not necessarily enjoyable. Like getting a warrant of fitness for your car or having your prostate checked or doing jury duty or removing hair and soap scum from the shower drain.

Life admin is basically all those jobs which must be done but which you don’t really want to do and don’t get paid for. Although life admin may seem boring or burdensome it is still quite important. The consequences of not attending to our life admin can be quite damaging.   

Today we continue our series in Deuteronomy. Last Sunday we looked at the opening verses which point to the importance of time, place and words in the book of Deuteronomy.

The people of Israel are on the edge of the Promised Land with all the possibilities and problems that anticipates. After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness they are about to find a home for themselves, with God’s help.

Of course, finding and keeping a home involves quite a bit of life admin. Life admin, on a national level, seems to be what Moses is talking about in today’s passage. From Deuteronomy chapter 1, verses 9-18, we read…

⁹ At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!  ¹² But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself? ¹³ Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.” ¹⁴ You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.” ¹⁵ So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials. ¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. ¹⁷ Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” ¹⁸ And at that time I told you everything you were to do.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us.

Today’s Scripture passage can be thought of like the three parts of a vine.

Verses 9-12 are talking about God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises. God’s faithfulness is like the roots providing stability and nourishment for the vine.  

Verses 13-15 show us something of Moses’ administration of the nation. The system of administration that Moses put in place (some might call it the law) is like the trunk and branches, giving structure and strength to the vine.

Thirdly, verses 16-18 outline the principles of Israel’s justice system. Justice is the fruit of the vine.

First let’s consider God’s faithfulness…

God’s faithfulness:

If you like watching cowboy movies then you probably know the way many of those movies end, with the hero riding off into the sunset after saving the day.

It is a classic end scene and usually leaves us feeling good as we walk out of the theatre. That kind of ending imagines there is no life admin for the cowboy to do. He is free, without a care or responsibility in the world. Or so it seems.

But have you ever thought about what happens after that? I mean, quite apart from the fact that the hero has to deal with sun strike, he isn’t going to get very far before he needs to stop and set up camp for the night.

From a practical point of view, it would make more sense to ride off at dawn the next day, with the sunrise at your back. Or better still, not ride off at all but stay and make a life with the people you have helped, because the cowboy’s life is pretty lonely really. Sleeping in the desert with rattle snakes isn’t much fun.

Deuteronomy is not like a cowboy movie where the hero (God) rides off into the sunset after saving the day. God is faithful and sticks with his people, despite all the extra life admin Israel causes him.

In verse 9, on the edge of the Promised Land, Moses reminds the people of what he said to them 40 years earlier at Horeb (aka Mount Sinai)…

⁹ At that time I said to you, “You are too heavy a burden for me to carry alone. ¹⁰ The Lord your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. ¹¹ May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! 

What Moses is pointing to here, is God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises.

A few hundred years earlier, God had promised to bless Abraham with many descendants and make him into a great nation. God’s promise also included a special covenant relationship with Israel and the gift of land in Canaan.

Moses is acknowledging the fact that God has kept his promise to bless Abraham with many descendants and God has created a covenant with Israel. Now, as they stand poised to enter Canaan, Moses reassures the people that God can be relied upon to keep his promise with the land too.    

God’s faithfulness in keeping his word is the source of our life and redemption. If our faith and hope are not rooted in the eternal promises of God, then our life admin loses its meaning and the fruit doesn’t develop as God intended.  

God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob put the nation of Israel in a privileged position. But with blessing and privilege comes great responsibility. In verse 12, Moses recalls the weight of that responsibility…

¹² But how can I bear your problems and your burdens and your disputes all by myself?

There is a parallel telling of this story in Exodus 18. When Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, visited Moses and saw how Moses was being worn out dealing with the life admin of the whole nation, he gave some fatherly advice about delegating responsibility and Moses listened.

Leaving the wilderness to enter the Promised Land is not the end of the story, where everyone lives happily ever after. In Deuteronomy, Moses makes Israel face the facts that blessings, gifts and prosperity (the so called good life in the land) comes with work. It requires people to pull their weight and share the responsibility of administering justice and mercy. If you want the treats, you have to do the mahi (work). 

Moses’ administration:

God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises is like the roots providing stability and nourishment for the vine that is Israel. In keeping with this metaphor, Moses’ administration is like the trunk and branches giving structure and strength to that vine. From verse 13 we read…

¹³ Choose some wise, understanding and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you.” ¹⁴ You answered me, “What you propose to do is good.” ¹⁵ So I took the leading men of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them to have authority over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens and as tribal officials.

Moses uses a somewhat democratic approach, letting communities and tribes within Israel choose their own leaders. But unlike contemporary western democracy, which is done by popular vote, Moses identifies three criteria for selecting leaders. They should be wise, understanding and respected.

Wisdom, in the Bible, is a very practical thing. It is not abstract or theoretical. Wisdom is knowing how to do what is right.     

Understanding is also practical. It is not something you can gain simply by reading a book, as helpful as reading is. Understanding comes with life experience.

Wrapped up in this idea of understanding is something we call discernment. If wisdom is about knowing how to do the right thing, then discernment is about knowing what the right thing is to do. Being able to separate good from evil.

Wisdom, understanding and discernment are about competence. Good administration relies on people who are capable. 

It’s important too that Israel’s leaders be respected. Respect is different from fear. In New Zealand culture, respect is something that is earned through service and exhibiting good character qualities. Respect goes hand in hand with moral authority and trust. Respect holds the door open for right relationship. It allows good chemistry between people to happen.   

We asked Becca if she would consider leading our children’s ministry because Becca is competent. She has practical wisdom and understanding in working with children and relating with families.

Becca is also respected. She has done her apprenticeship. She has served in the life of the church in a variety of ways and demonstrated good moral character in the process. The staff and Deacons know that Becca will work well with the team. Competence, character and chemistry.

Returning to Deuteronomy. Different societies and cultures organise themselves in different ways. The kind of society or culture we come from shapes the way we do our life admin.

In broad terms, the culture of the ancient near east was more collective and less individualistic than modern western culture and this is reflected in Moses’ system of administration. 

For example, Moses encourages the Israelites to take collective responsibility, rather than exercise individual freedom. Accordingly, he sets up a system in which decisions are made in consultation with the group, rather than each individual doing what seems best in their own eyes.

There is a clear hierarchy with Moses’ administration but this is not at the expense of equality. As we will hear shortly, Moses instructs those in positions of authority to treat everyone equitably.

The hierarchy, with leaders in charge of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands is functional. Being a leader does not make a person more valuable than anyone else. Everyone, whatever their role, is to be afforded value and respect.   

It is interesting that Moses chooses a mainly collective approach to the administration of Israel. For a great deal of his life, Moses worked alone in the wilderness taking care of sheep and goats. He enjoyed (or perhaps endured) a lot of personal freedom and didn’t really have to answer to or consult with anyone.

Collaborating with others (as usually happens in collective societies) wasn’t really an option for Moses. He didn’t have much choice except to be self-reliant.

And as for identity, well Moses grew up in the Egyptian palace, separated from his kin. When he tried to identify with his own people they rejected him. Moses never really fitted or belonged with any collective group. His strong personal identity was formed in the crucible of alienation and solitude.

Perhaps it was precisely because Moses had lived so much of his life on his own, as an individual, that he could see the wisdom in a collective approach.

Whatever the case, a nation or an organisation that relies heavily on a single leader at the top is not sustainable or resilient over the long haul.         

Moses’ collective approach to the administration of Israel stands as a kind of critique of our modern western approach.

Mark Sayers, an Australian pastor and cultural commentator, says this…

“The whole of contemporary Western culture – from the structure of our malls and cities, to the very fabric of the internet and social media platforms – are ideologies that shape us toward a vision not rooted in the eternal, but in the unlimited freedom and pleasure of the individual.”

In other words, we live in a me society, not a we society. And our society is orientated toward the fleeting feel good moment, not the eternal promises of God.

Interestingly, Mark Sayers sees an opportunity in this self-destructive hedonism. The individual pursuit of unlimited freedom and personal pleasure has a way of imploding on itself eventually. It creates a vacuum of meaning which makes people hungry for God.

Sort of like the prodigal son who only came to his senses when he was feeding pigs and starving. Sometimes, in order to really appreciate that Jesus is the bread of life, we must first realise there is a hunger in all of us which nothing in this world can satisfy.

Having said that, not everyone comes to their senses like the prodigal son did. Some people do not survive the black hole of extreme individualism. Some are swallowed whole by our consumerist society. So I’m not suggesting we must all

go off the rails, like the prodigal son, in order to find meaning in Christ.  

Nor am I suggesting collectivism is the answer. No. Jesus is the answer. Extreme collectivism is just as dangerous as extreme individualism. There is wisdom in finding the middle way, borrowing the best from both worlds.

Paul’s words in Romans 12 are particularly relevant for our time.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Returning to the structure of today’s message; God’s faithfulness is like the roots providing stability and nourishment for the vine that is Israel. Moses’ system of administration is like the trunk and branches providing structure and strength for that vine, while justice is the fruit of the vine. 

Israel’s justice:

In verses 16 & 17 Moses reminds Israel of some principles of justice. These principles reflect the justice of God. Moses says…

¹⁶ And I charged your judges at that time, “Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. ¹⁷ Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike…” 

The first thing we note here is that justice listens. Judges are to hear both sides. This might seem so obvious that we take it for granted but actually, giving people a fair hearing is essential to justice.

When we make room to listen we give people a voice and when people feel heard, their dignity and worth as human beings is upheld. When we are able to speak our truth cleanly, some measure of justice is released in us.

So that’s the first thing, justice listens and hears. The next thing is that justice is fair, impartial, even handed.

The statue of lady justice shows a woman, with a blindfold, holding a pair of evenly balanced scales in one hand and a sword in the other. Justice is blind to whether a person is rich or poor, powerful or not, a natural born citizen or a foreigner.

In other words, a person’s demographic is irrelevant. What matters with justice, is putting things right.

You may wonder why justice is portrayed as a lady in the statue. If the statue finds its inspiration in Scripture, and to some extent it clearly does, then it could be associating justice with wisdom. Because in the Bible, wisdom is personified as a woman. Sophia, is the Greek word for wisdom.    

As I’ve said on other occasions, there is no peace without justice and there is no justice without wisdom.

Verse 17 continues with Moses saying to the judges, ‘Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to God’.

Nothing interferes with the faculty of discernment like fear. Justice requires a non-anxious presence.

Moses’ advice here can be interpreted in a variety of ways. Perhaps Moses is saying that human judges represent God. Or maybe he means that human judges should not be swayed by the shifting sands of public opinion or what others may think of them. Rather, they should fix their minds on God’s standard of justice.

Whichever way we interpret this verse, justice is important to the Lord. God and God alone has the right to pass judgement. Ultimately we all answer to God.    

Verse 17 finishes with Moses saying: “Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it.” 

In our judicial system people often have a right of appeal if they don’t agree with the decision made by the judge. But verse 17 is not saying that. In this context, it is not the complainant or the defendant who appeals to a higher authority, but the judge himself.

If the judge can’t decide the case, then they can pass it up the chain to Moses.

A case might be too hard if the judge doesn’t have the powers of discernment to see who is in the wrong and what should be done about it. But a case may also be too hard if the judge senses a conflict of interest.

The point seems to be that justice requires the humility, the self-awareness and the personal integrity to recognise our own limitations, blind spots and prejudices. As Jesus said, we need to take the plank out of our own eye so we can see clearly to remove the speck from someone else’s eye.

Now these principles of justice, outlined by Moses, are not only for those who work in the judicial system. We all have a duty to God, our neighbour and ourselves to act justly.

As the prophet Micah famously said: What does the Lord require of you? To do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Conclusion:

This morning we have talked about the vine that is Israel. In the gospel of John, Jesus says of himself, “I am the true vine and you are the branches”.

Jesus proves the faithfulness of God. Jesus fulfils the roots of God’s promises.

Jesus provides the wisdom and the Spirit, the truth and the grace, the structure and the strength, we need to do our life admin well.

It is only as we stay connected to Jesus that we are able to bear the fruit of justice, mercy and humility.

Let us pray…

Father God, you are faithful. May our faith and hope be deeply rooted in your eternal promises. May our lives be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we would have the understanding to discern your will and the wisdom to know how to do your will. Keep us close to Jesus we ask and make us fruitful for your glory. Amen.      

Questions for discussion or reflection:

What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon? Why do you think this stood out to you?

• Can you think of some life admin tasks which you have been putting off for a while? Why do we need to attend to life admin? Do you have a plan or a system for administering your life admin? What does that system look like?

• How is Deuteronomy different from a cowboy movie, where the hero rides off into the sunset while end credits roll?

• Why does Moses set up an administrative system for managing Israel’s life admin? What is notable or distinctive about Moses’ administrative system?

• In verse 15 of Deuteronomy 1, Moses recommends three qualities for leaders. Why are these qualities necessary for leaders?

• Discuss / reflect on Mark Sayers’ comment: “The whole of contemporary Western culture – from the structure of our malls and cities, to the very fabric of the internet and social media platforms – are ideologies that shape us toward a vision not rooted in the eternal, but in the unlimited freedom and pleasure of the individual.”

What do you think this means? Do you agree with Mark Sayers’ comment? How might God redeem a society like this?

• What principles of justice do you see in Deuteronomy 1:16-17? How are (or can) these principles of justice be applied in our personal lives and our wider society today?