As some of you remember, I’ve been blogging through lessons I learn while reading and studying the Pentateuch in Hebrew. For the ministry for people affected by developmental disabilities at my church, we adapt our children’s ministry curriculum that works through the whole Bible in three years. I try to blog about things I find in passages outside of these lessons or little nuggets that the lessons don’t cover. However, there are a lot of those, so while I’ve only written through the life of Abraham, we’ve now taught up through the passage of the Israelites through the sea of reeds. Although I have much to write to you concerning Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and Pharaoh, for now I’m going to skip ahead to where I am in Generations of Grace.
Many a sermon or devotional or general talk has come to Exodus 18 and taught it as a leadership lesson. Here’s the story: Moses was wearing himself out because he was trying to do everything. Jethro comes over from Midian and points out to Moses his self-destructive ways. He tells Moses to delegate. Moses does delegate. Then everything is great!
Reading a leadership lesson in Exodus 18 would be like assuming Shakespeare inserted random news bulletins about the large prize winning pumpkins his neighborhood grannie was growing in the middle of his scripts.
The problem with this story is that it’s entirely foreign to the plot of Exodus. Exodus 14 and 15 recounted the miraculous deliverance of Israel by God from Egypt through the waters of the sea. Exodus 16 recounted Israel’s response to their deliverance: lack of faith and complaining. Exodus 17 recorded Amalek’s response to Israel’s deliverance: enmity and war. Exodus 19 describes God’s giving of the covenant to Israel at Sinai. Putting a leadership lesson in Exodus 18 would be like interrupting a TV drama to play a commercial. Putting a leadership lesson in Exodus 18 would be like the TV cutting out as a game winning buzzer beater was in the air to go to commercial before coming back to watch the ball sink and the final score display on the board. Reading a leadership lesson in Exodus 18 would be like assuming Shakespeare inserted random news bulletins about the large prize winning pumpkins his local grannie was growing in the middle of his scripts.
So what is the point of Exodus 18? Perhaps we should look at the text. Please pause now and read Exodus 18. Come back when you do. What did you see?
First, we see that the story doesn’t start with Moses’ administrative woes. It starts with Jethro coming to Moses for a visit. Honestly a good Bible reader should have a number of questions here. Why is this here? We just read about the first written memorial for all generations: God’s promise to wipe Amalek off the face of the earth. We just saw the divine warrior champion his people. Why are we transitioning to Moses’ family? Didn’t they come with him from Midian to Egypt? Why are they coming back with Jethro now?
Well, read verse 1. Jethro heard what God had done. Remember why God had brought Israel out of Egypt? So that Egypt and all the nations would know that he is Yahweh. He is the Lord. He is sovereign God, creator of heaven and earth, the only one worthy of worship and praise. Jethro heard of God’s work, and Jethro became the first mentioned gentile from outside Egypt to come respond positively to God’s work in the Exodus. Indeed, this explains why Jethro listened to Moses’ recounting of God’s great deeds (v. 8). This explains why in verse 9 Jethro rejoices not “over all the good which Yahweh did for Moses,” but “over all the good which Yahweh did for Israel in delivering them from the hand of Egypt.” (Translations my own, emphasis added.) And indeed, this fits the context of Exodus 16–18. After Israel passes through the sea, we see three responses to God’s salvation of Israel. Israel’s response is to grumble and dispute about food and water. Amalek’s response is to try to destroy the people of God. Jethro’s response is to rejoice and acknowledge Yahweh as God (vv. 10–11). He demonstrates that with sacrifice (v. 12).
There are little details in 18:3–4 that may initially seem out of place but are important for the plot of Exodus. The names of Moses’ two sons encapsulate Moses’ past and point to Israel’s story. Gershom is named for Moses’ sojourning in a foreign land–that is indeed Israel’s experience at that time! Eliezer means “God of help” or “God is my helper” or something like that (there’s room for a little disagreement). His name points to God’s help, first of Moses, and then of Israel, which continues through the covenant forever. God’s help is very evident in the Exodus.
So Jethro’s response to Yahweh’s work and the names of Moses’ sons demonstrate that Exodus 18 is closely tied to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. Why on earth would God sidetrack this storyline to give leadership advice for 21st century American businessmen? Let’s now look at the story of Moses’ appointing more leaders.
Note first that Moses is continually sitting to judge cases. Note next that Jethro sees what’s going on and thinks it’s kind of crazy. Moses is wearing himself out. But then Moses responds. This is the key. Moses explains why he thinks he has to be the only judge for all Israel. Moses’ motivations for acting as the only judge of Israel are critical for understanding the entire story.
Moses’ motivations for acting as the only judge of Israel are critical for understanding the entire story.
Moses notes, “for the people come to me to seek God. If they have something, the word comes to me, and I judge between each man and his acquaintance, and I make known to them God’s statutes and instructions.” We see that Moses is motivated by his two major functions for Israel. Moses is Israel’s mediator before God, and Moses is the God’s lawgiver to Israel. Notice that Moses does not view himself as Israel’s leader–and indeed, the Pentateuch rarely describes Moses in terms like leader, prince, or officer. Moses is often described as a prophet, God’s mouthpiece. That is the mindset he has when he judges all of Israel: only he has been appointed by God to this role.
Now when Jethro makes his propositions for delegation, and when Moses implements these suggestions, notice that divine assent or pleasure is never mentioned. God is not the agent in this story. Moses and Jethro are the forefront characters. Neither the narrator nor God enters this story to give approval. If God wanted us to walk away from this story and see that we need to delegate leadership, he would have said so. But he doesn’t. And notice: Moses’ sub-leaders were not, in fact, mediators or lawgivers. They were something decidedly less. They did not reveal God to the people.
The lesson is two-fold: Moses is an imperfect mediator, and Moses is an imperfect lawgiver.
What then is the lesson of Exodus 18? The lesson is two-fold: Moses is an imperfect mediator, and Moses is an imperfect lawgiver. He wore himself out physically, but he was still unable to fulfill his roles. Israel needed the statutes and instructions of God (the Mosaic law). So Exodus 18 motivates the revelation of the law starting in Exodus 19. Israel also needed a better mediator than Moses.
Because Moses is an imperfect mediator and lawgiver, he points to the perfect and true lawgiver. That is Jesus Christ.
Because Moses is an imperfect mediator and lawgiver, he points to the perfect and true lawgiver. That is Jesus Christ. As Moses sat to judge and to reveal God’s law, so too Jesus sat on the mountain and exposited God’s law in the sermon on the mount. As Moses went between Israel and God, so too Jesus stands forever as the only mediator between God and man. Jesus is the prophet like Moses. So Exodus 18 has nothing to do with secular leadership techniques, but instead points us to our own salvation: how grateful should we be as Christians to have God’s law perfectly given to us through Jesus Christ! Let us worship our perfect mediator in thankfulness and joy!
Citizens & Sons 