And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:
The people came to Moses with their matters, questions and cases to inquire of God and seek His guidance and answers. Moses served them as intermediary by receiving their matters, judging between them, bringing their causes and questions before God, and answering them. He used those occasions to make God's will known and to teach the people God's statutes and laws, directing their questions and concerns toward God. Receiving the people alone in this way from morning until evening laid a heavy burden of responsibility on him that was wearing away his strength. His work of bringing causes to God and teaching statutes and laws was to continue while capable, God-fearing, truthful men who hate covetousness judged ordinary cases and brought only difficult ones to him, teaching leaders in God's work that responsibility should be shared and not rest on one person.
Inquiring of God Through Moses
The people came to Moses with matters, questions, and cases to inquire of God and to seek His guidance and answers. They brought their matters to him when they needed guidance or had something to resolve or settle. Moses served them as intermediary by receiving their matters, judging between them, bringing their causes and questions before God, and answering them. He used those occasions to make God's will known and to teach the people God's statutes and laws, directing their questions and concerns toward God.
The verse belongs to the account of Jethro, who was chosen from among the Gentiles to reveal principles of heaven. It thus belongs to an account showing that God appointed and sent agencies to bear witness on earth. It belongs also to the account of Moses' preparation to lead Israel, in which his father-in-law Jethro helped him toward a more correct faith, while God trained and disciplined him before he was fitted to guide others.
The coming of the people to inquire of God laid upon Moses burdens that were wearing away his strength. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his failing strength and made her fears known to Jethro, which led Jethro to suggest measures for his relief. Miriam, smarting under supposed neglect shown toward herself and Aaron, regarded Zipporah as the cause. She concluded that Zipporah's influence had kept Moses from taking Aaron and Miriam into his counsels as formerly, and this was the chief reason for Miriam's antipathy to Zipporah.
Distributing the Heavy Responsibility
Because the people came to Moses to inquire of God and seek His guidance, a heavy burden of responsibility rested on him alone. They brought their matters to him for judgment and for instruction in God's statutes and law, and he sat alone to answer them while the people waited before him from morning until evening. That constant pressure laid burdens upon him that were wearing away his strength. It accounts for the need for others to help him and provides the setting for the appointment of others to share the work. The counsel given to him is therefore valuable for leaders in God's work.
Aaron and Miriam did not recognize his need for help from Jethro's counsel and the appointed elders because they had not themselves borne those burdens. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his failing strength and made her fears known to Jethro, which led Jethro to suggest measures for his relief. Miriam, smarting under supposed neglect toward herself and Aaron, regarded Zipporah as the cause and concluded that her influence had kept Moses from taking Aaron and Miriam into his counsels as formerly, and this was the chief reason for Miriam's antipathy to Zipporah.
Moses' work remained when they brought him a matter: he judged between them, brought their causes to God, and taught them God's statutes and laws. At the same time capable, God-fearing, truthful men who hated covetousness were to judge ordinary cases and bring only the difficult ones to him. This burden was not meant to rest on one man alone but was to be shared. Responsibility should not rest on one person, and different fields should be managed with attention to their particular needs.
Together with Exodus 18:13-26, the verse gives the description of the counsellors needed in God's work. God has appointed a place for every man to labor and do his part on the right hand and on the left. There is need for young men in different branches of the work and need for old men as counsellors of this character. No one is safe in choosing for himself or in going where duty does not call, but everyone is safe and secure in working where duty calls.
The people came to Moses with their matters, questions and cases to inquire of God and seek His guidance and answers. Moses served them as intermediary by receiving their matters, judging between them, bringing their causes and questions before God, and answering them. He used those occasions to make God's will known and to teach the people God's statutes and laws, directing their questions and concerns toward God. Receiving the people alone in this way from morning until evening laid a heavy burden of responsibility on him that was wearing away his strength. His work of bringing causes to God and teaching statutes and laws was to continue while capable, God-fearing, truthful men who hate covetousness judged ordinary cases and brought only difficult ones to him, teaching leaders in God's work that responsibility should be shared and not rest on one person.
Inquiring of God Through Moses
The people came to Moses with matters, questions, and cases to inquire of God and to seek His guidance and answers. They brought their matters to him when they needed guidance or had something to resolve or settle. Moses served them as intermediary by receiving their matters, judging between them, bringing their causes and questions before God, and answering them. He used those occasions to make God's will known and to teach the people God's statutes and laws, directing their questions and concerns toward God.
The verse belongs to the account of Jethro, who was chosen from among the Gentiles to reveal principles of heaven. It thus belongs to an account showing that God appointed and sent agencies to bear witness on earth. It belongs also to the account of Moses' preparation to lead Israel, in which his father-in-law Jethro helped him toward a more correct faith, while God trained and disciplined him before he was fitted to guide others.
The coming of the people to inquire of God laid upon Moses burdens that were wearing away his strength. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his failing strength and made her fears known to Jethro, which led Jethro to suggest measures for his relief. Miriam, smarting under supposed neglect shown toward herself and Aaron, regarded Zipporah as the cause. She concluded that Zipporah's influence had kept Moses from taking Aaron and Miriam into his counsels as formerly, and this was the chief reason for Miriam's antipathy to Zipporah.
Distributing the Heavy Responsibility
Because the people came to Moses to inquire of God and seek His guidance, a heavy burden of responsibility rested on him alone. They brought their matters to him for judgment and for instruction in God's statutes and law, and he sat alone to answer them while the people waited before him from morning until evening. That constant pressure laid burdens upon him that were wearing away his strength. It accounts for the need for others to help him and provides the setting for the appointment of others to share the work. The counsel given to him is therefore valuable for leaders in God's work.
Aaron and Miriam did not recognize his need for help from Jethro's counsel and the appointed elders because they had not themselves borne those burdens. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his failing strength and made her fears known to Jethro, which led Jethro to suggest measures for his relief. Miriam, smarting under supposed neglect toward herself and Aaron, regarded Zipporah as the cause and concluded that her influence had kept Moses from taking Aaron and Miriam into his counsels as formerly, and this was the chief reason for Miriam's antipathy to Zipporah.
Moses' work remained when they brought him a matter: he judged between them, brought their causes to God, and taught them God's statutes and laws. At the same time capable, God-fearing, truthful men who hated covetousness were to judge ordinary cases and bring only the difficult ones to him. This burden was not meant to rest on one man alone but was to be shared. Responsibility should not rest on one person, and different fields should be managed with attention to their particular needs.
Together with Exodus 18:13-26, the verse gives the description of the counsellors needed in God's work. God has appointed a place for every man to labor and do his part on the right hand and on the left. There is need for young men in different branches of the work and need for old men as counsellors of this character. No one is safe in choosing for himself or in going where duty does not call, but everyone is safe and secure in working where duty calls.