To a degree, you can understand the approach.
The people looked to him when he told them they would be leaving Egypt. The people looked to him when they saw the signs that the departure was a reality. The people looked to him when they moved out of Egypt. The people looked to him when it came to defeating enemies known and unknown. The people essentially looked to him for everything as their leader.
It was no surprise, then, that as this fledgling nation in transit would look to Moses to adjudicate and educate on key issues and disputes.
Yet it took a visit from his father-in-law for Moses to get a key piece of advice on how this leadership thing operates best.
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.
Exodus 18:21-22
When people look to you, it’s easy to get caught up on people looking to you. There’s a dependency, there’s a responsibility … and with that comes a burden, a weight. People are taxing. They are not easy to ‘deal with’. As we come with our baggage expecting someone to sort them out, so we deposit that baggage onto those who already have baggage to deal with, so the weight gets heavier. Endurance is possible when the load is lighter.
The advice of Jethro did not just lighten the load for Moses. It helped to initiate a system of governance that was never to be based on one person carrying the whole load. Neither was it to be based on anyone doing the carrying – only those with the character to carry what they can in serving others.
Moses could have been offended at his father-in-law criticising the way he led the people. Moses could have had the attitude that it was none of Jethro’s business as he was the appointed by God to lead. Moses could have had a hero complex.
The hallmark of Moses to this point, however, is that he is pliable to being led along the paths of righteousness. It’s not primarily an ego boost for Moses to be the head guy. It’s not a position that he prides himself in protecting jealously against any threat to it. Moses accepts the advice and saves himself a great deal of hassle that had him sitting and judging and teaching from morning to evening.
The challenge today is if we have truly learnt from the advice of Jethro. Learnt from the perspective of leading and from the view of being led. Are we in the business of just looking for someone so we can dump our baggage on them? Are we in the business of looking to be the one to whom other people can dump their baggage? Or are we the sort to see what we can do to alleviate the burden by sharing it because of the character of being led along paths of righteousness?
Are we in the position to take advice that can relieve us of the burdens we carry?
(Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 