Leadership Thoughts From Exodus 28:3

I was reading in Exodus tonight and came to chapter 28 where God gave Moses VERY specific instructions about the garments the priests were to wear. He told Moses how their clothes should be made, who should make them, how the "accessories" were to be created and worn...the whole nine yards. As I glanced over chapter 28, I almost opted to skim over what seemed "boring and irrelevant" to my Christian life in 2008. But I took the time to read anyway, and God showed me something really cool from the first half of just one little verse.

"You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom (i.e. "artistic skill"), that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to me." (Exodus 28:3, NASB)

I believe God showed me a few leadership principles from this verse, and so I'll share the short version with you. You are welcome to comment.

1. God speaks, even to people with great God-given talent, through authority. God did not tell the garment makers how to make the priests' garments. God told Moses what He wanted, and then told Moses to whom he should delegate that task. If you read all the details, Moses may not have understood everything God was telling him about the making of the priests' garments. So when Moses passed this along to the people with great "artistic skill", they could run with it. They took the picture that God gave Moses, they ran with that using their God-given talent, and created something both beautiful and pleasing to God. Had Moses tried to do it himself, it would not have been God-pleasing. Had the garment makers brought their ideas to Moses first and said, "We think this is how the priests' garments should look", that would not have been pleasing to God, either.
2. As a leaders, we should listen for God's specific instruction not only on WHAT He wants done, but also on WHO He wants to do it.
3. As those under authority, we need to tread carefully offering "suggestions" in areas where we have not been delegated authority. God gives us ideas to go along with our skills and abilities, but He places those ideas, just like our skills and abilities, under godly authority.