Matthias

[Scarlett O.]

One poster has suggested that this was all done according to man's plan. I very much disagree with him but he has a right to his opinion. He also stated that Moses was wrong in listening to his father in law and delegating some of his overwhelming responsibilities. I've never considered that to be wrong until J.Veron McGee suggested otherwise. Our poster here also suggested that Moses was wrong. However, no where do I see where it is stated or implied that Moses made a bad decision in listening to Jethro. Personally, I think it saved Moses a lot of gray hairs but I could be wrong. Dr. McGee and the poster here seems to be speculating more than stating Biblical fact. Am I wrong?

I've never heard of Moses' delegating authority by the advice of his FIL, Jethro, to be a bad thing before. I was always taught that it was a good thing.

I just went back and re-read Exodus 18. It seems to me that Jethro was in the right spirit and had just finished praising the LORD and sacrificing to Him after confessing that He was indeed God, alone. He says this after Moses returns and after he presents Moses' wife and sons back to him.

Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And 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 who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them." Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God.

That seems like a man who is speaking from truth. So the next day when he sees Moses having to deal with ALL of those people's complaints and problems, I think that God has impressed this idea of delegation on to Jethro.

There was MUCH Godly wisdom in his advice.

Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens

I'm more convinced now, after reading Exodus 18 again that Jethro was in the right and that God was in the delegation.

 

[Scarlett O.]

.....oh, and I did look up to see what David Guzik had to say after I read Exodus 18. He seemed to think this was the right thing, too. (Not that David Guzik is the final authority on the Bible - there are quite a few things that I think he is interpreting incorrectly and he displays a little presumption in some places - but I think he's on track most of the time. Frankly, one of the reasons that I like him is because he seeks out the opinions and writings of so many others who came before him. He's not a "lone ranger" commentator.)

He did have something interesting to say that I hadn't put together, but reading it - it makes sense.

It wasn't that Moses was unfit to hear their disputes; it wasn't that he didn't care about their disputes; it wasn't that the job was beneath him, it wasn't that the people didn't want Moses to hear their disputes. The problem was simply that the job was too big for Moses to do. His energies were spent unwisely. Moses must delegate, even as in Acts 6:2-4, the apostles insisted they needed to delegate so they would not leave the word of God and serve tables. - David Guzik

Delegation fails if the job is not put into the hands of able, godly men. Only particular men were fit for this job. Paul gave the same counsel to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2: "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." - David Guzik

 

[sag38]

Scarlet, those have been my thoughts too. Anything else is pure speculation and shouldn't be taught or preached as fact in my opinion.