When we closed our study yesterday we found Moses' father-in-law Jethro, Moses, Aaron, and all the elders sharing a meal together after Jethro made sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. Our study today picks up on the following morning.
"The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning til evening." (Exodus 18:13) In a group this large---possibly as many as 2,000,000 persons---many disputes would have arisen among so many people living so closely together. They needed someone to settle disagreements and to judge various types of cases. Moses has taken on this role and we can see how exhausting it must have been for him. He had to go out right after breakfast and hear one case after another all day long until time for the evening meal. We don't know if he got so much as a coffee break, but it doesn't really sound as if he did.
Whenever the people are camped and are not on the move, this type of daily living has become the norm for Moses. He's so used to the grind of it that he doesn't even realize how unhealthy it is for him. It takes someone coming into the camp from the outside to recognize that Moses has taken far too much upon himself and that he will collapse under the strain if something doesn't change soon. "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 til evening?' Moses answered him, 'Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 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.'" (Exodus 18:14-16) Jethro is shocked that Moses is bearing this huge burden alone. I think in the beginning Moses began hearing disputes or giving advice here and there because he was the only person the people trusted in this role. He's obviously the leader of the entire assembly and his opinion is valued above all others. I think when disputes began to crop up the people must have said something like, "Well, let's just see what Moses has to say about this! Let's let him have the final say. If he thinks you're in the right, I'll accept his ruling." But more and more people began coming to him for help until it turned into an all-day thing every day (except on the Sabbath) whenever they were camped.
I honestly don't know how Moses was able to force himself out of bed each morning knowing he had a full day of hearing cases. The cases themselves would have put a lot of strain on him because some were probably of a petty nature where it was one person's word against another, cases that cropped up due to one person's dislike of another more than being due to any serious trespass that had occurred. Other cases would have been of a more concerning nature, such as one accusing another of thievery or of adultery or of breaking a legally-binding contract. Yet other cases would have involved deep spiritual matters where Moses might have had to engage in prayer and sober thought for a while before rendering godly advice about how to proceed. A situation where Moses alone is judge over all Israel cannot realistically continue. Jethro comes to this conclusion on his first full day in the camp. He will now give Moses some wise, fatherly advice.
"Moses' father-in-law replied, 'What you are doing is not good.'" (Exodus 18:17) Jethro isn't saying that the process itself isn't good; it's commendable that the people want to "seek God's will" as Moses said in verse 15. It's necessary for disputes and legal cases to be judged. But it's too much work for one man. On top of that, having only one judge means the people who come to Moses for help are standing in line all day long, and that's as almost as exhausting to them as it is to Moses. Jethro says, "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. 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. Teach them His decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 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. 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. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." (Exodus 18:18-23)
I just love Jethro, don't you? He treats Moses like he's his own son, with concern and respect. He's genuinely worried about Moses and wants him to remain healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. What a relief it must have been for Moses to hear this father figure saying to him, "You don't have to carry this burden alone. You are doing too much. You will still be the leader of the entire assembly and you will still be the main person they look to for an example of godly living. But you are killing yourself hearing these disputes all day long. Besides that, you can't devote enough time to each case for every person to walk away feeling satisfied that they've had every angle of their case examined thoroughly. A compromise has got to be made. I realize the people consider you the ultimate authority in the camp, but if you personally select men who are godly and trustworthy and who would never even dream of accepting bribes, the people will see your 'stamp of approval' on these men and accept them as judges. The most serious cases should still be brought to you, but you can't keep spending all your time settling petty arguments and doling out advice that can easily be given by any man with a good grasp of the Lord's decrees. You'll be no use to these people if you collapse, have a mental breakdown, or die. You must delegate the majority of these cases. It's for your own good and for the good of all the people."
I can't help wondering if Moses' relief was so great he could almost have wept. Have you ever been on the verge of collapse only to have someone come alongside you and sum up the situation in a way that you couldn't while you were burdened down beneath the heavy load? Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees while we're in the thick of doing a job that's not realistically doable by one person. We can get so caught up in the daily grind that we lose sight of the big picture and can no longer reason out a better way of doing things. We're too exhausted to think of doing anything other than what we're already doing. Then someone from outside our situation comes along and sizes things up immediately and sees a solution we haven't even thought of. I've had this happen more than once in my life (especially during the months when I was caring for my terminally ill mother at home) and I am very thankful for these "Jethros" who so wisely and lovingly showed me what needed to be done so that I would be able to "stand the strain" as Jethro put it.
Moses realizes that Jethro's advice is practical and godly. Moses was too exhausted to think of the solution Jethro proposes but he instantly recognizes it as an excellent solution and accepts it. "Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves." (Exodus 18:24-26)
We don't know how long Jethro's visit was, but Moses gives him a good send-off when he heads back to Midian. "Then Moses saw his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country." (Exodus 18:27) I think Moses was sad to see his father-in-law go, but Jethro is a leader in his own community, for the Bible tells us he was "priest of Midian". Jethro can't leave his congregation indefinitely. He must go home and attend to his own responsibilities. So Moses sees him off with a grateful heart for all his help, wisdom, and fatherly advice.
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