The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Counsel” it comes from the Hebrew Word “ya’ats” which means “to counsel, to advise.”
Moses’ father-in-law arrives with a family reunion, and some badly needed leadership advice. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Exodus 18.
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, hears of everything God has done for Israel and brings Moses’ wife Zipporah and their two sons to meet him in the wilderness. Moses greets Jethro warmly, and tells him in detail everything the Lord has done to Pharaoh and to Egypt on Israel’s behalf. Jethro rejoices for all the goodness the Lord has shown Israel, declares that the Lord is greater than all other gods, and offers a burnt offering, sharing a meal with Aaron and the elders of Israel before God.
The next day, Jethro observes Moses sitting to judge the people from morning until evening, with a long line of people waiting to bring him their disputes. Concerned, Jethro asks why Moses handles everything alone. Moses explains that the people come to him specifically to inquire of God and learn His statutes and laws. Jethro warns him plainly, “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”
Jethro offers counsel, “ya’ats” in Hebrew, advising Moses to continue representing the people before God and teaching them His statutes, but to appoint capable, God-fearing, trustworthy men as leaders over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, to judge smaller matters themselves, bringing only the hardest cases to Moses. Moses listens to his father-in-law’s advice and implements it exactly as suggested, easing his own burden considerably.
Even Moses, chosen directly by God to lead Israel, needed the wisdom of someone else to see what he could not see about his own limits. Being willing to receive good counsel, even from an outsider, made Moses a far more sustainable and effective leader than trying to carry everything entirely alone.
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