EXODUS 18
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. – Exodus 18:10-18
EXODUS 18 JETHRO’S CONCERN FOR MOSES
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When Jethro reunited with Moses, he saw the Lord’s favor on him
He was very thankful for his son-in-law’s blessings in their journey
Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifice to the Lord
But he also saw how Moses was not taking care of himself
He addressed Moses’ tendency to do everything on his own
Jethro pointed out that he can’t do things all alone.
We are given a glimpse of the character of Jethro in this account. We see how caring he was to Moses to address the issue of not delegating some tasks to others. As a priest in Midian, he took the opportunity to thank God for all the providence and protection and triumphs that he provided the Israelites.
Jethro pointed out how Moses was burning himself out by doing everything himself and not distributing and putting others into working towards God’s calling for his people.
REFLECTION
- Why is it important to recognize that one person cannot do everything?
