So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.
Moses gladly listened to his father-in-law's voice and did all that he had said, fully accepting and carrying out his counsel and plan as a wise arrangement. Though he had been greatly exalted and honored, had wonders worked by his hand, and had been chosen to instruct Israel in God's statutes and laws, he did not reason that his calling placed him above being instructed or beyond need of instruction. The counsel was needed because he sat alone judging the people from morning to evening under a burden too heavy to bear alone, which was wearing away his strength and was not good. He therefore chose able, God-fearing men of truth who hated covetousness and made them rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to judge every small matter at all seasons while bringing every great and hard cause to him, so that the burden was shared and borne together and he could endure. In this God showed He did not design one man to carry all responsibilities alone, but gave a wise pattern for distribution of responsibility in His church, that leaders bear the burden with trustworthy counselors and give themselves to weightier matters rather than wearing away on minor matters others can handle.
Listening to Jethro's Counsel
Moses gladly listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said, completely accepting his counsel and carrying out his plan as a wise arrangement. He appointed capable, God-fearing, truthful men hating covetousness to judge the people, handling ordinary and small cases themselves while bringing difficult, great and hard causes to Moses, so the burden was shared and the people could be served without wearing him down. Though God had greatly exalted and honored Moses, had worked wonders by his hand, and had chosen him to instruct Israel in the statutes and laws of God, he did not reason that his calling and achievements made him above being instructed or that he needed no instruction. Being chosen to instruct others does not mean needing no instruction.
The counsel came because the burden on Moses was very great as he sat alone judging the people from morning to evening, which was too heavy and not good. The people brought all matters of difficulty to Moses alone, and he was overburdened with care and perplexity. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his burdens were wearing away his strength and made her fears known to Jethro. Jethro saw that condition and gave the counsel Moses heeded.
Jethro was the godly priest of Midian. Though from the Gentile world, he was a divinely appointed witness who revealed the principles of heaven. He helped Moses as Moses was being prepared to lead Israel, helping him learn what he needed for a more correct faith, as far as Jethro understood.
Moses remained for the people to God-ward to bring causes to God, to answer their questions and make God's will known, to teach them ordinances and laws, and to show them the way wherein they must walk and the work they must do, while trustworthy men without covetousness were appointed to manage secular concerns and judge in all matters of minor consequence. In this work Moses acted as God's agent, while the Lord Jesus Christ was Israel's Redeemer and the source of the law Moses delivered. After Moses chose able men out of all Israel and arranged help in governing, he let Jethro depart to his own land.
Sharing the Burden
God did not design one man to carry all responsibilities alone, for leading and judging a vast, ignorant, untrained multitude was a burden too heavy to perform alone. Moses hearkened to the counsel not to sit alone judging the people from morning to evening, because that work is too heavy and not good. In complete acceptance he chose able men out of all Israel to share the burden of judging the people.
He provided out of all the people and made them heads over the people as rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They were capable, God-fearing men of truth hating covetousness. Old experienced men were to serve alongside young men, with every man laboring in the place God appointed for him and doing his part instead of choosing for himself or going where duty does not call.
The appointed leaders were to judge the people at all seasons. They judged every small and ordinary matter themselves. Every great matter and hard cause they brought to Moses, while difficult and important cases were still retained for him. Qualified leaders decided ordinary cases while hard matters were left to him, so wise counsel guided the sharing of responsibility in service.
By this division of labor the burden was shared and borne together so the work became easier. Moses was able to endure without wearing away. The people could be served without wearing him down. More perfect order was established among the people. And all the people went to their place in peace.
Application and Opposition
Moses putting Jethro's counsel into action is the pattern for wise distribution of responsibility for leadership in the church of God on earth. He accepted the counsel completely and carried it out by appointing capable men to judge the people, leaving ordinary cases to them and bringing only the hard cases to himself. That arrangement defines the true position and work expected of counsellors and a board of directors, who are to bear the burden together with the leader. Those called to act as leaders carry solemn responsibilities and must not endeavor to carry heavy burdens alone lest they wear away under them.
The time and strength of those placed in leading positions should be spent in dealing with the weightier matters demanding special wisdom and largeness of heart, not in adjusting minor matters that others are well qualified to handle. The men chosen were able men such as fear God, men of truth hating covetousness, taken out of all Israel and made heads over the people as rulers of thousands and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties and rulers of tens. They were to judge the people at all seasons, judging every small and ordinary matter themselves and bringing every great matter and hard cause to Moses. By this sharing the burden was borne together, Moses was able to endure without sitting alone judging from morning to evening in work too heavy and not good, and all the people went to their place in peace.
The counsel heeded when Moses was overburdened with care and perplexity remains valuable to those responsible for God's work. No one person or group should hold supreme authority over the whole field, and the work should be shaped to the particular needs of each region. The account teaches that God's people should choose carefully and wisely those who will hold positions of responsibility, presenting each choice to God in earnest prayer and asking Him to guide it.
Aaron and Miriam resented that Moses had accepted Jethro's advice and carried out what he advised in arranging help in governing Israel, and they feared Jethro's influence over him. Their jealousy grew when seventy elders were later chosen without consulting them, and they resented not being consulted in that appointment. The counsel for relief had come because Zipporah, when she rejoined Moses in the wilderness, saw that his burdens were wearing away his strength and made her fears known to Jethro. Miriam resented Zipporah for this, regarding the wife of Moses as the cause of supposed neglect shown to herself and Aaron, and concluding that Zipporah's influence had prevented Moses from taking them into his counsels as formerly.
Moses gladly listened to his father-in-law's voice and did all that he had said, fully accepting and carrying out his counsel and plan as a wise arrangement. Though he had been greatly exalted and honored, had wonders worked by his hand, and had been chosen to instruct Israel in God's statutes and laws, he did not reason that his calling placed him above being instructed or beyond need of instruction. The counsel was needed because he sat alone judging the people from morning to evening under a burden too heavy to bear alone, which was wearing away his strength and was not good. He therefore chose able, God-fearing men of truth who hated covetousness and made them rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens to judge every small matter at all seasons while bringing every great and hard cause to him, so that the burden was shared and borne together and he could endure. In this God showed He did not design one man to carry all responsibilities alone, but gave a wise pattern for distribution of responsibility in His church, that leaders bear the burden with trustworthy counselors and give themselves to weightier matters rather than wearing away on minor matters others can handle.
Listening to Jethro's Counsel
Moses gladly listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said, completely accepting his counsel and carrying out his plan as a wise arrangement. He appointed capable, God-fearing, truthful men hating covetousness to judge the people, handling ordinary and small cases themselves while bringing difficult, great and hard causes to Moses, so the burden was shared and the people could be served without wearing him down. Though God had greatly exalted and honored Moses, had worked wonders by his hand, and had chosen him to instruct Israel in the statutes and laws of God, he did not reason that his calling and achievements made him above being instructed or that he needed no instruction. Being chosen to instruct others does not mean needing no instruction.
The counsel came because the burden on Moses was very great as he sat alone judging the people from morning to evening, which was too heavy and not good. The people brought all matters of difficulty to Moses alone, and he was overburdened with care and perplexity. When Zipporah rejoined Moses in the wilderness she saw his burdens were wearing away his strength and made her fears known to Jethro. Jethro saw that condition and gave the counsel Moses heeded.
Jethro was the godly priest of Midian. Though from the Gentile world, he was a divinely appointed witness who revealed the principles of heaven. He helped Moses as Moses was being prepared to lead Israel, helping him learn what he needed for a more correct faith, as far as Jethro understood.
Moses remained for the people to God-ward to bring causes to God, to answer their questions and make God's will known, to teach them ordinances and laws, and to show them the way wherein they must walk and the work they must do, while trustworthy men without covetousness were appointed to manage secular concerns and judge in all matters of minor consequence. In this work Moses acted as God's agent, while the Lord Jesus Christ was Israel's Redeemer and the source of the law Moses delivered. After Moses chose able men out of all Israel and arranged help in governing, he let Jethro depart to his own land.
Sharing the Burden
God did not design one man to carry all responsibilities alone, for leading and judging a vast, ignorant, untrained multitude was a burden too heavy to perform alone. Moses hearkened to the counsel not to sit alone judging the people from morning to evening, because that work is too heavy and not good. In complete acceptance he chose able men out of all Israel to share the burden of judging the people.
He provided out of all the people and made them heads over the people as rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. They were capable, God-fearing men of truth hating covetousness. Old experienced men were to serve alongside young men, with every man laboring in the place God appointed for him and doing his part instead of choosing for himself or going where duty does not call.
The appointed leaders were to judge the people at all seasons. They judged every small and ordinary matter themselves. Every great matter and hard cause they brought to Moses, while difficult and important cases were still retained for him. Qualified leaders decided ordinary cases while hard matters were left to him, so wise counsel guided the sharing of responsibility in service.
By this division of labor the burden was shared and borne together so the work became easier. Moses was able to endure without wearing away. The people could be served without wearing him down. More perfect order was established among the people. And all the people went to their place in peace.
Application and Opposition
Moses putting Jethro's counsel into action is the pattern for wise distribution of responsibility for leadership in the church of God on earth. He accepted the counsel completely and carried it out by appointing capable men to judge the people, leaving ordinary cases to them and bringing only the hard cases to himself. That arrangement defines the true position and work expected of counsellors and a board of directors, who are to bear the burden together with the leader. Those called to act as leaders carry solemn responsibilities and must not endeavor to carry heavy burdens alone lest they wear away under them.
The time and strength of those placed in leading positions should be spent in dealing with the weightier matters demanding special wisdom and largeness of heart, not in adjusting minor matters that others are well qualified to handle. The men chosen were able men such as fear God, men of truth hating covetousness, taken out of all Israel and made heads over the people as rulers of thousands and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties and rulers of tens. They were to judge the people at all seasons, judging every small and ordinary matter themselves and bringing every great matter and hard cause to Moses. By this sharing the burden was borne together, Moses was able to endure without sitting alone judging from morning to evening in work too heavy and not good, and all the people went to their place in peace.
The counsel heeded when Moses was overburdened with care and perplexity remains valuable to those responsible for God's work. No one person or group should hold supreme authority over the whole field, and the work should be shaped to the particular needs of each region. The account teaches that God's people should choose carefully and wisely those who will hold positions of responsibility, presenting each choice to God in earnest prayer and asking Him to guide it.
Aaron and Miriam resented that Moses had accepted Jethro's advice and carried out what he advised in arranging help in governing Israel, and they feared Jethro's influence over him. Their jealousy grew when seventy elders were later chosen without consulting them, and they resented not being consulted in that appointment. The counsel for relief had come because Zipporah, when she rejoined Moses in the wilderness, saw that his burdens were wearing away his strength and made her fears known to Jethro. Miriam resented Zipporah for this, regarding the wife of Moses as the cause of supposed neglect shown to herself and Aaron, and concluding that Zipporah's influence had prevented Moses from taking them into his counsels as formerly.