Exodus 39:43 says: “And Moses examined all the work and behold, they had done it; just as the Lord had commanded, this they had done. So Moses blessed them.” There are several applications here regarding leadership and accountability, both in the church and elsewhere:

— The importance of ACCOUNTABILITY. It says that Moses “examined” all the work. He didn’t ASSUME it was done correctly; he inspected it. There is an old saying that people don’t do what you expect, but what you “inspect”. Moses, as a wise leader, inspected the people’s work.

— and notice that it says he inspected “ALL the work”. He was diligent to make sure that ALL of it had met the standard. What WAS this standard? We see that next:

— “just as the Lord commanded, this they had done” – Here the standard is defined: it was to be “just as the Lord commanded.” This phrase is used all through Exodus 39 (see my study on that here.) Moses wasn’t inspecting the work to see if it met HIS expectations or opinions or standards, but did it meet up to what GOD had commanded? THIS is the standard we are to be held to – especially in the church.

— “So Moses blessed them.” This is important too: when the people had done what God told them, “Moses blessed them” – that is, he spoke well of what they had done. He congratulated them, and praised their work. Good leaders will do this; they will praise employees or workers who are meeting the standards. It is easy to slack off when you don’t feel like your work is appreciated.

Although God’s standards for His church and for His people individually differ from “worldly wisdom” in many ways, Exodus 39:43 does provide valuable insight into the benefits of accountability under godly leadership.