Read Exodus 18
Jethro Visits Moses
1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians.11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. 19 Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.
Go Deeper
We love to be wanted and needed by others. Whether you’re a parent whose kids need help tying their shoes, the friend to whom everyone turns for wisdom, or the boss who knows all the answers, it’s good to be in high demand. But sometimes this “need to be needed” becomes a source of pride. We find too much significance from being needed by others.
The people of Israel needed Moses. The lines to get time with him to pick his brain were very long—God’s people stood around Moses from morning till evening (Exodus 18:13-14), waiting for his help and counsel. He alone sat as the judge for the people. The text doesn’t tell us how Moses felt, but he thought he had to be the one, the only one, who could help the people know God’s decrees and instructions. He is, after all, Moses! He’s the one who led them out of captivity and was the leader of God’s people. The Lord spoke to him through a burning bush, he stood up to the evil Pharaoh, and he led the people through the Red Sea.
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, called him out when he said, “What you are doing is not good” (v. 17). After singing the praises of the Lord and all the work He had done (see verses 8-11), Moses now thinks he needs to do it all. We often feel the same way. We want to be needed and think we need to do it all. “My way is the best way”–and in the process, we wear ourselves out and leave people dissatisfied.
We can be grateful for the example of Moses and the way he applied Jethro’s wisdom. Once Moses selected capable men to help lead, he was no longer weary, and the people went home satisfied. We see something similar in Acts 6:1-7. When the workload of the twelve Apostles was distributed to others, the Word of God spread and disciples were made. The Good News of the gospel of Jesus Christ was shared in making disciples and strengthening the saints!
Getting practical for your life today: think through the areas of life where you “need to be needed.” Too often, we find significance in what we do and being needed by others. In the process, we wear ourselves out. Think through how you can better follow the example of Moses in building teams and including others in the work that needs to be done.
Questions
How does Exodus describe the men who Moses selected to share his workload?
Do you have men and women in your life who aren’t afraid to tell you that “what you’re doing isn’t good”? How can you better position yourself to hear the feedback and input of others?
Why do you think we like to be needed? Do you think there might be some sin in your need to be needed?
Did You Know?
Jethro’s plan through Moses paves the way for the rule of God’s law. Israel needed a system in place to help resolve legal disputes. Very soon, we’ll see Israel become a nation ruled by God’s law, and this system implemented by Moses sets God’s people up for their legal system.
10 thoughts on “Exodus 18”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Here we are again. We need each other. We cannot do this life alone. Like yesterdays reading in 17, we need Aaron and Hur to help hold our arms. Today we need others to help with judging. All the weight of holding the staff up, and holding up the judgements for all those people was too much for one man. BUT GOD, He knows. He provides the answer to some questions we did not even know we needed answers for. PRAY PRAY and PRAY some more. Tell God, but also come to others and let them come along side you. Two are better than one (Eccl 4:9-12), 17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another, Proverbs 27:17. Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Chapter 4 of Ephesians lays it out for us.
God help me to walk worthy of the calling with which You have called me with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Your Word says that Christ appointed some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. And that You have equipped,me , Your saint for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. God, You would have it that I should no longer be a child, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ–
from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. God You want me to put off, concerning my former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of my mind, and that I put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. God, therefore, putting away lying, “Let me speak truth with my neighbor,” for we are members of one another. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on my anger nor give place to the devil. God let no corrupt word proceed out of my mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And help me to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom I was sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from me, with all malice. And help me be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgiven me. God grant me Your love goggles to see others as You see them. God thank You for Your words coming out of my mouth. God thank You that I can be a part of the body that is glorifying to You in all I say and do, today, in these minutes of this day, in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen! I have had this control issue – thinking I am the only one who can handle this one situation in my life for over 25 years! And I am exhausted and haven’t made the best decisions around this because I have never let anyone speak into my life! Pride and fear at work! Recently I have been asking for help and opened up and let this issue come into the light and now suddenly I am not doing it alone anymore! The help and wisdom I have receive is far above what I have been doing all these years! It is GOOD for God’s people to ask for and allow help from others!
9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.
I take my role as a father-in-law (X4) seriously. What a great example Jetheo provides for being a supportive and encouraging in-law!
capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain
I’m captivated by Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, and his acceptance of Moses and the God of Moses. Their relationship seemed to be close as they respected and listened to one another. Jethro keenly observes what’s going on, offers wise counsel and Moses responds favorably. There appears to be no tension between them but a close relationship. As a mother-in-law I can take some pointers from Jethro and Moses.
Did you know that the frontal face of Moses is at the center of the other “profile” faces in the US Congress? Center for a reason…see below:
“Moses and the Ten Commandments are the fundamental sources of our legal system”
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/why-is-the-face-of-moses-in-th-UtoAKzaYRNS4l7IOxVuDpA
There is much wisdom in this narrative. Listening to others, delegating responsibilities, understanding our role, willingness to change, faith and humility. Jethro speaks truth into Moses life and Moses respects his father in-law’s wisdom. I see God’s love at work here.
Recently I was asked to submit several names for a leadership group that will be tasked will a challenging but significant project. After careful consideration and much wise counsel, I had my list, and prepared to email to my administrator.
Shortly before I hit “send,” I read these words:
“The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.“
Exodus 18:18, 21
So perfect. So timely.
How I love #WordsInDueSeason!
We like to feel needed because it gives us a sense of purpose. Overall it’s cool because this chapter shares how our church is ran! The pastors are busy so i got my life group leader to talk things through more often than not!
This passage speaks volumes, it demonstrates the importance of delegation, how to build up others, and creating teams to lighten our loads. Recently becoming a manager, I quickly learned that there are many ways to do the same task and we have to allow leeway for others to do the work with similar results.