Jethro Tells Moses That What He’s Doing Is Not Good For Him -- Exodus 18:13-19a

And it came about the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening.  Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people?  Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?”  And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and His laws.”  And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good.  You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.  Now listen to me: I shall give you counsel, and God be with you.”
 

After being reunited with his son-in-law Moses, hearing of what God had done, sacrificing to the Lord, having a feast together with the elders of Israel, and we assume, getting a good night’s rest, Jethro went to observe Moses at what the leader of the Israelites had become accustomed to doing each day – sitting to judge all the cases of dispute that came before him from morning to evening.

Before we focus on what Moses was doing, it behooves us to notice how Jethro went about handling what he observed.  And in fact the very first thing he did was to simply observe, likely from morning to evening, what was going on.  Without saying anything.  Next, Jethro asked questions in order to get a better understanding of the situation.  Was there something that simple observation was not revealing to him?  Only after he saw what Moses was doing for an extended time and got answers to all his questions as to what and why (check out the actual questions in the text) from Moses’ perspective, did he consider sharing his opinions.

When Jethro did finally give his opinion with respect to what his son-in-law was doing, he gave it boldly and at the same time, with love and care for his son-in-law.  The statement “The thing you are doing is not good” is indeed bold.  Here is a father-in-law who had not been part of all that had led up to this situation now telling his son-in-law that what the latter was doing was not good.  That takes guts.  But he also, in giving his opinion, did not go after the character of Moses himself.  He did not say he was stupid, uncreative, egotistical, naïve, what have you.  He dealt with what he saw rather than attacking the person involved.  And then he went one step further and explained to Moses that the main reason it was ‘not good’ was that it would wear Moses out.  That was Jethro’s main concern.  He cared about Moses and what this action and behavior was doing to him.

These are the main steps to dealing with any situation where you either need to bring about change (as Jethro felt he needed to here) or you are asked for your advice (as I often am being a consultant) – you first observe extensively, then ask questions for clarification, and only after you indicate your concern for the those involved can you offer solutions.  My wife and I have the privilege of conducting marriage mentoring sessions with couples and we get a lot of chances to observe how people are quick to give solutions to their mates without really understanding where their spouse is coming from or without presenting options enveloped in one’s love for the other person.  Jethro was doing this right.

And we note that Jethro also appealed to Moses’ love for his people.  Jethro pointed out that what Moses was doing – adjudicating cases alone one at a time – would also wear out the people who had to wait in long lineups day after day to have their cases heard.  It reminds me of the long court delays here in North America with some cases taking years to go before a judge.  The frustration on the parties is incredible as it must have been then.  Perhaps this too had added to the grumbling of the people in the wilderness.

Then Jethro returns to his care and love for Moses and points out that the task was so grand that Moses needed to realize he could not do it alone.  He would ‘burn out’.  Have you ever tried lifting something that was too big for you to lift?  Someone comes along and says, “Wait, you need help.”  You hate to admit it; you want to do it yourself; but you know the other person is right.  It takes both humility and brains to face the facts and agree you need help.  Some people can do that easily; some cannot.  We see both types in management.  There are those that can delegate and those that cannot.  We see both types in our children and grandchildren.  Some refuse help and some welcome it.  But there comes a time in life when we need to realize no man is an island and the help of others is a positive thing to welcome.

If you are in church or mission leadership as a layperson, you have a responsibility before God and man to give counsel to those who are managing your organization in order to prevent their ‘burnout’.  Too many pastors and Christian leaders have fallen victim to this and often it is accompanied by a turning to behavior that is not what God would bless.  Too many individuals and families have been hurt as a consequence.  Too many faiths have been shattered.  I believe a lot of it could be avoided if we all made certain that our leaders had caregivers and wise counselors like Moses did.

Lastly, Jethro comes up with some suggestions.  He does not just identify the problem, but he has some counsel for Moses.  Jethro will not go down in history as someone who always complained about things or as a critic who could see what is wrong but has no concept whatsoever of how to amend things for the better.  And we know that Jethro’s counsel would be good because he wanted his son-in-law to go about his work in partnership with God.  That is, the counsel that Jethro was about to give was advice that would be pleasing to God.

How is your advice giving these days?  Would what you recommend be pleasing to God?  Do you fully observe, get clarification, and show love and concern for those involved before you make recommendations?  And is your ultimate goal that those who would heed your counsel have God as their partners?  If that is the case, you would make a great “Jethro” in someone’s life.

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[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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Jacob’s Prediction About Dan - Genesis 49:16-18

“Dan shall judge his people, As one of the tribes of Israel.  Dan shall be a serpent in the way, A horned snake in the path, That bites the horse’s heels, So that his rider falls backward.  For they salvation I wait, O Lord.”

Dan was Jacob’s fifth son, and the first from Bilhah, the handmaiden of Rachel, his second and most beloved wife.  His Hebrew name means ‘judge’ as we read in Genesis 30:6 that Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.”

So indeed, Jacob, as guided by God, predicts that Dan and Dan’s tribe will be a judge over the people.  In fact, later in Scripture we read that this tribe provided one of Israel’s greatest judges, Samson.

From there though the text becomes more complex.  It speaks of where Dan’s tribe will reside.  They will be so located (as indeed they were) in a place that is between the mountains of current day Lebanon and the Golan Heights.  Given that, and being a tough and hardy tribe (a serpent, a horned snake), they would protect the nation of Israel (be in the way of) from the attacks of enemies (bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward) coming from the north.  We would do well to also remember that this might apply simply to Samson himself who did indeed deliver the Israelites from the Philistines, both through his judgments and his physical actions.

But the reference to be “a serpent” may also allude to the fact that they are not all they should be for later we discover that it was Dan’s tribe that introduced idolatry to the people of Israel and Jeroboam set up an idol of a calf in the city of Dan, known as the center of idol worship.

It is also interesting to note that while Dan was a son of a concubine, yet he and his descendants were to be a tribe among God’s people.  This may well be an indication that in God’s society, or as Matthew Henry says, “in His spiritual Israel” there is not distinction between those that were from bondage and those that were free.

As I study this section on Jacob’s predictions about Dan, I realize that one could make a study of comparing Jacob’s predictions for each of his sons with what Scripture later says about either the son, or a descendant of the son, by examining other texts in the Bible which refer to the son’s name or to the son’s tribe.

This present section, however, does end with what I would call an emotional insert – perhaps a last plea to one’s God, an expression of one’s greatest desire – as one approaches his death.   Jacob has made predictions for seven of his sons and has five more to go.  I can imagine him having become very physically exhausted at this point, given his age, his health, and the heaviness of the implications of his words.  It is at this point that Jacob gives his audible aside – perhaps speaking for himself more than for his sons, although how wonderful it would be if they too were of the same mind.  Totally unrelated to any of the prophecies he has so far uttered, he says, “I wait for your salvation, O Lord.”

Let me suggest that this personal testimony to the hope in His God may well have been placed right here just to ensure that he simply got it said.  The risk was that he might not have been able to finish all his predictions about the remaining five sons, and might have died in the process without having made it clear to God, and to those willing to hear, that Jacob’s life was indeed all about “waiting for the Lord’s salvation”.

It is important to find some foundational tie to this ‘salvation’ Jacob was crying for in his last days.  First, we may notice the relationship of this plea to an earlier statement Jacob had made as part of his prediction about Judah in verse 10 of this chapter.  Clearly, there, the reference is to Christ, the Prince of Peace (Shiloh).  Now again here in this verse, he makes a direct reference to the fact that he personally is waiting for that Prince of Peace, that salvation, the Hebrew word for which is “Yashua” or Jesus.  In verse 10, Jacob has stated it as a fact – peace, salvation will indeed come.  In verse 18, he personalizes it, owning it, declaring it as his very own desire.

What then can we gain from this small section on Dan, but more significantly on Jacob’s signature line, “I wait for your salvation, O Lord”?

First, we need to realize that being in a position to ‘judge’ for or on behalf of others is a serious responsibility.  Those that are granted that privilege, especially in the body of God’s people, are to understand that they must rely on God’s wisdom and His direction in how they are to rule or judge.  And the rest of us have an obligation to pray for such judges that they may be ‘godly’ in the carrying out of their responsibilities.  One of the biggest problems with our world today is that men and women have attained seats of unquestionable authority such as in the Supreme Courts of our countries and have left God waiting on the sidewalk outside the hallowed chambers in which they rule.  But perhaps some of the blame for that must go towards the absence of prayers on their behalf from God’s people, from you and I.

Second, we need to accept, like Jacob, the fact that there is “salvation” to be found.  The Prince of Peace does exist and He does save.

Third, we need to personalize that “salvation”.  Jesus Christ must be our Lord, our Savior, our Hope, and our Salvation.

Finally, we are to be thankful that we, in one sense, have an advantage over Jacob.  We don’t have to wait for Shiloh.  The Prince of Peace has come.  Our Salvation is here.  And if we accept Him, we are saved – now, today, and forever.  We can rejoice in that as we in turn wait for His physical return.

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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ABC reports Georgia Judge Orders President to Appear at Eligibility Hearing

It's like pulling teeth to get items like this from the mainstream media. But here it is. Now will someone pay some attention to this case. Of course, don't hold your breath that B.O. will show up next Thursday -- his legal team will find ways to delay.

Ga. Judge Orders President to Appear at Hearing - ABC News

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Will You Be Shocked One Day?

 I was shocked, confused, bewildered 

As I entered Heaven's door,

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the lights or its decor. 


 

But it was the folks in Heaven 
who made me sputter and gasp-- 

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
 the alcoholics and the trash. 


There stood the kid from seventh grade 

Who swiped my lunch money twice. 

Next to him was my old neighbor 

Who never said anything nice. 

Bob, who I always thought 
was rotting away in hell, 

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine, 
looking incredibly well.

 



I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?

I would love to hear Your take. 

How'd all these sinners get up here?

God must've made a mistake. 


'And why is everyone so quiet, 
So somber - give me a clue.'

 


'Hush, child,' He said,


'they're all in shock. 

No one thought they'd be seeing you.' 


 

JUDGE NOT!! 

Remember... Just going to church doesn't make you a 
Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car.

Every saint has a PAST . . . Every sinner has a FUTURE!

But Life without God is like an unsharpened pencial. . .

It has no point!

 

-- this poem, perhaps entitled "The Best Poem In the World" was shared with me by a good friend and neighbor.  In light of all that is going on -- things we hear of and sometimes things we say about politicians, church leaders, and others.  I thought maybe this is exactly what we need to hear today.  Thank you R.E. 

Thanks for dropping by.  Sign up to receive free updates.  We bring you relevant information from all sorts of sources.  Subscribe for free to this blog or follow us by clicking on the appropriate link in the right side bar.  And please share this blog with your friends.   Ken Godevenos, Church and Management Consultant, Accord Consulting.

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B.O. Admin Told Off "Big TIme" By Judge on Obamacare

You have to love this article. In fact, after reading it, I thought I should start a petition to have B.O.'s initials changed to D.A.B. (Defiant, Arrogant, and a Brat). This link will also help you understand why the B.O. lawyers won't defend the Marriage Act any longer no matter what they say (just kidding) -- they're too busy coming up with ways to ignore the rulings of judges, at least when it comes to Obamacare.

If you love legal cases explained to you simply, this is a great read. Afterwards, you can decide whether the new initials are a better fit or maybe this is one "little DAB we can do without!"

Vinson to White House: Stop Stalling - Avik Roy - National Review Online

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JUST BROKE: Judge Rules Obamacare Unconstitutional, Totally Voi

FoxNews Breaking News: Florida judge rules that health care law is unconstitutional, says entire act must be declared void

FoxBusiness Breaking News: A Florida judge ruled health-care reform's individual mandate exceeds the authority of Congress and is unconstitutional

CNN Breaking News: A federal judge in Florida has struck down as unconstitutional key parts of the sweeping health care reform bill.

 

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