Scripture: Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.
Exodus 18:1-27 ESV [Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: Recapping Yesterday’s Daily Focus, the Amalekites, descendants of Esau, unwisely traveled some distance from their homeland north of Sinai to initiate war with Israel at Rephidim. Orchestrated by God, Moses appoints Joshua to lead the troops while Moses, Aaron, and Hur overlook the battle from the crest of a hill. Noticing that Israel succeeds in combat when Moses (holding the staff of the Lord in hand) keeps his arms upright, Aaron and Hur come to his aid. And the victory is the Lord’s for Israel. So, Yahweh tells Moses to make a written record and speak in Joshua’s ear that the Lord will “utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (v.14c). Then Moses commemorates God’s promise to fight against the future generations of the Amalekites by building an altar and naming it “The Lord Is My Banner” (Hebrew Yahweh Nissi).
Today’s reading continues this first leg of the wilderness journey toward the Promised Land. Moses sends his wife and sons to live with Jethro, which raises the question, Why? Was it because Moses knew he would not have time to care for his family given the mammoth task of leading two million Israelites to the Promised Land? It would offer one plausible reason for Jethro seeking an audience with Moses. Nevertheless, in this God-orchestrated reunion, Jethro observes Moses’ leadership style and conveys wise counsel regarding how Moses could more efficiently oversee all the people’s concerns as their judge. To ensure the mission’s success, Moses must establish a triage of trusted overseers to assess and address the “small matters” of the community. His time and energy could then be devoted to the “great matters” that the elders would present to him on behalf of the people.
Takeaway: Jethro’s structure for delegating ensures four important blessings:
- It will keep Moses from burning out (v.23).
- It would give Moses free time to love and care for his family.
- It will ensure the success of the mission: to lead God’s people to the Promised Land in peace (v.23).
- It will empower others to lead (fulfilling God’s calling on their lives).
And we see a similar pattern in the life of Jesus:
- He cared for himself via ongoing communion with the Father.
- He cared for his family (even from the cross when he instructed John to look after his mother, John 19:26).
- He fulfilled his mission by bringing reconciliation and preparing a place for all the Father’s chosen people.
- He cared for his disciples (even restoring them after they abandoned him) and all future generations of believers by sending his Holy Spirit to be our counselor and guide.
Our takeaway and part? For us, the risks and rewards are the same as Moses’s. Channeling all decisions through ourselves will inevitably lead to burnout. But if we share the workload and empower others to lead under our supervision, we will have the capacity to fulfill God’s calling on our lives by caring first for our family and then for those he calls us to serve. When we do, we empower those we supervise to develop the same godly leadership skills, ensuring the well-being of themselves, their families, and the people they lead. And the outcome will be more efficient and effective.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for not leaving us to navigate this world alone by sending us your Son to rescue us from our sin-marred ego-centric ways and the Holy Spirit to lead us in fulfilling your Son’s mission to make disciples of all nations. So, please help us as your ambassadors to exercise godly leadership of ourselves and others to grow your kingdom and glorify your name. Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply