Moses could have taken a week off and enjoyed his family and entertained his father-in-law, but being a faithful shepherd, he was back the next day helping his people with their problems.
The task (vv. 13–16). The nation already had elders (v. 13; 4:29), but they weren’t assisting Moses in the day-by-day affairs of the camp, or if they were, there were matters they couldn’t settle that had to go to Moses. There were basic regulations for the management of the camp (Ex. 18:16), since 2 million people couldn’t very well live together and travel together without obeying some kind of code. The phrase “statutes and laws” in verse 16 can refer to the will of God in general as well as to specific ordinances from the Lord. Long before the law was given, God blessed Abraham for obeying His commandments, statutes, and laws (Gen. 26:5).
Judicial codes are necessary for order and security in society, but they always have to be interpreted, even if they come from the Lord. Later, the priests would assist in this task (Mal. 2:4–7), but the priesthood hadn’t yet been established. From the time of Ezra (Ezra 7:10), the scribes became the students and interpreters of the law.
The danger (vv. 17–18). Jethro knew that Moses’ leadership was crucial for the future success of Israel and that any activity that drained his energy or wasted his time was bound to hurt the nation. Also, he didn’t want his son-in-law to wear himself out and leave Zipporah a widow and his two grandsons without a father. No one man could minister personally to 2 million people and last very long. Even after the new arrangement had been established, Moses had to confess that the work was too much for him (Num. 11:14), so what must the burden have been like under the old system? The Hebrew word translated “easier” in Exodus 18: means “to take cargo from a ship.” (“That will make your load lighter,” niv.)
The suggestion (vv. 19–27). Jethro’s suggestion was a good one. Moses should organize the camp so that every ten people had somebody to talk to about their civil problems. If a ruler of ten couldn’t solve the problem, it could be referred to the ruler of fifty, then one hundred, and then one thousand. After that, it would be referred to Moses himself. D. L. Moody may have had this in mind when he said, “I would rather put ten men to work than do the work of ten men.”
A system such as this would separate the simple problems from the more complex matters so that Moses wouldn’t be wasting his time on trivial matters. (If the people of Israel were anything like people today, everybody thought his or her problem was the most important!) The arrangement would also test the seriousness of the people, for not all of them would be willing to let the ruler “take their case to a higher court.”
But Jethro wasn’t advising Moses to “pass the buck.” No, Moses was to teach the people the regulations, no doubt assisted by the chosen rulers, so they could make wise decisions. He was also to represent the people before God, which probably meant praying for them and seeking God’s direction in the difficult cases. Moses was God’s chosen leader, and nobody could take his place until his work was done, but he didn’t have to do all the work alone.
There are those who say that Jethro was a meddler and should have minded his own business, because God could have enabled Moses to get the job done each day. “If the Lord had wanted Moses to have help,” they argue, “He would have told Moses personally.” But Jethro didn’t command Moses to follow his orders. He urged Moses to talk to the Lord about the problem and obey whatever God said (v. 23). Since Moses did adopt his father-in-law’s suggestion, he must have consulted the Lord and gotten God’s approval.
Moses didn’t ask Jethro how to build the tabernacle or how to offer the sacrifices, because those matters were revealed to him from the Lord. But in matters of organization and management, God’s people can learn from outsiders, for “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light” (Luke 16:8). Of course, we never adopt a practice or policy until we understand the principle behind it and make sure it’s in agreement with Scripture (James 3:13–18).
The important thing about delegating responsibilities is that you have leaders who have ability and character, “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness” (Ex. 18:21). These qualifications remind us of the experience of the early church in finding people to assist the apostles and relieve them of lesser duties (Acts 6:1–7). These assistants had to have good reputations, be full of the Spirit and wisdom, and approved by the people.
According to Deuteronomy 1:9–18, Moses shared Jethro’s counsel with the people, admitted his own weakness and weariness, and asked them to select leaders to assist him. They approved of the plan and selected the officers whom Moses then charged with the responsibilities of their offices. When Israel moved into the Promised Land, they appointed officers in each town to assist in the settling of cases (Ex. 16:18–20). God is a God of order, and He wanted all of His people to enjoy security and justice in the camp and in the land.
Whenever ministry and structure collide, and ministry is being hindered, God’s people must adjust the structure so ministry can grow. When the Jerusalem church gave the apostles the help they needed, the work expanded and many people were converted (Acts 6:7). In this rapidly changing world, Christian ministries must be flexible if they are to solve their problems and seize their opportunities. The emphasis in the Bible isn’t on organization as such but on the kind of organization that involves qualified people who get the job done. Self-defeating organizations embalm their structure and refuse to change. The ministries that God blesses are open to change, so long as the principles of God’s Word are obeyed.