Exodus 18:26, commentary and pictures

Moses carried out the counsel to share the judging by choosing able men who fear God, love truth and hate covetousness, and setting them as rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens to judge the people continually at all seasons. These judges decided every small, ordinary and minor matter themselves, and brought only the hard, difficult, great and important causes to Moses. Moses himself remained for the people toward God, bringing causes to God and teaching them His ordinances and laws and showing them the way to walk and the work to do. The arrangement relieved him of judging the vast multitude alone from morning to evening, a burden too heavy that would wear him and the people away, so that by bearing it together he could endure and all could go on in peace with more perfect order. It teaches that one man was not designed to carry all responsibilities alone, but leaders should give their time and strength to the weightier matters demanding special wisdom while consecrated helpers wisely handle the lesser matters, and Moses showed humility in gladly receiving this instruction though greatly exalted.

Jethro's Counsel Implemented

Exodus 18:26 records Moses carrying out the counsel to share the judging by choosing able men out of all Israel who fear God, are men of truth, and hate covetousness, and making them heads over the people as rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. He had been advised to remain for the people toward God, to bring causes to God, to teach them ordinances and laws, and to show them the way to walk and the work to do, and then to provide such men for these ranks. The wise distribution of responsibility in this act relieved him of the wearing work of giving consideration to many minor matters that consecrated helpers could deal with wisely.

Those appointed judges judged the people at all seasons and continually, at all times and regularly. They decided every small, ordinary, and minor matter themselves, while only the hard, difficult, great, and important causes they brought to Moses. This division of responsibility shared the burden of judging among qualified leaders and allowed Moses to focus on the hardest cases.

Moses himself remained for the people toward God, bringing causes to God and teaching them ordinances and laws and showing them the way to walk and the work to do. He had used judging to make known to them the statutes of God and His laws, answering questions and making God's will known. In this he was not the lawgiver but God's agent conveying the words and authority of the Lord.

The arrangement relieved Moses of judging the vast, ignorant, untrained multitude alone from morning to evening sitting by himself. That solitary bearing of the work was not good because it was too heavy for him and would wear away both him and the people. By bearing the burden together the judges shared the people's burdens so Moses could carry out his appointed work without being overtaxed, be able to endure, establish more perfect order and discipline, and allow him and the people to continue their work, bear their burdens, proceed, and go to their place in peace. It presents delegated judgment as the way to share the burden of leadership while ensuring that cases needing his attention still reached him.

Moses showed humility in this, for though God had greatly exalted him and wrought wonders by his hand and chosen him to instruct others, he did not reason that he needed no instruction. He gladly listened to the suggestions and adopted the plan as a wise arrangement, showing that being chosen to instruct others does not remove need for instruction.

Shared Leadership Applied

It was not designed for one man to carry all responsibilities alone, and for Moses to sit alone judging the people from morning to evening was not good because the work was too heavy and would wear away both him and the people. The remedy was shared leadership in which Moses would stand for the people toward God, bring the causes to God, and teach them ordinances and laws and show them the way to walk and the work to do, while able men who fear God, men of truth hating covetousness, were placed as rulers of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Those appointed judges judged the people at all seasons, deciding every small matter themselves and bringing only the hard, difficult, great and important causes to Moses, so that the burden would be borne together, Moses would be able to endure, and the people would go to their place in peace. The time and strength of those placed in leading positions of responsibility should therefore be spent in dealing with the weightier matters demanding special wisdom and largeness of heart, and not in the adjustment of minor matters that consecrated helpers are well qualified to handle wisely, relieving leaders of the wearing responsibility of giving consideration to many ordinary details.

Responsibility in God's work should be shared rather than concentrated in one person or group, with the work divided so that appointed capable men managed secular concerns and judged in ordinary matters while difficult cases were brought to Moses and he could attend to the religious interests of the host. Workers in that shared order are also to account for the distinct needs of different fields rather than treating all alike. The same sharing calls for careful choice of trustworthy people for positions of responsibility, including qualified old men and counsellors still needed in the different branches of the work, given an appointed place to labor and do their part alongside young men in judging and caring for the people.

In this system Moses was not the lawgiver but God's agent who answered questions and made God's will known by conveying the words and authority of Jesus Christ. The counsel for the system itself came through Jethro, a Gentile appointed to reveal heavenly principles, whose advised order set appointed judges to handle the people's ordinary cases while difficult cases went to Moses. That arrangement is connected with the later appointment of seventy elders to help carry the people's burden, with the elders judging the people while Moses handled the burdensome work of leadership. Aaron and Miriam resented that Moses had accepted Jethro's counsel about sharing the work and that the elders were chosen without consulting them, failing to see why he needed help because they had not themselves experienced the responsibilities he carried.