Jethro's Advice: Listening to the Advice of Others

Scripture: Exodus 18:13-27

( 13 ) "The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening.

( 14 ) When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, 'What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?'

( 15 ) And Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God;

( 16 ) when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.'

( 17 ) Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'What you are doing is not good.

( 18 ) You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.

( 19 ) Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,

( 20 ) and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.

( 21 ) Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

( 22 ) And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.

( 23 ) If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.'

( 24 ) So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

( 25 ) Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.

( 26 ) And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves.

( 27 ) Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country."

While Moses and the Israelites were encamped in the wilderness at Mount Sinai, Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, came to visit Moses. One of the benefits of his arrival came when Jethro saw Moses working to judge matters between the people. Jethro noticed that Moses was the only one who the people went to in order to inquire of God. Instead of seeing this method as good, Jethro saw Moses's method of doing things as burdening to him and inefficient ( v.13-18 ). Jethro then offered Moses advice on what to change in the methods that would work to benefit both him and the people.

It is necessary that we have times within our days and weeks when we spend time in the presence of fellow believers. One of the benefits of fellowship is that God can speak through others to give us direction and advice in situations that may be troubling us. Additionally, God can use us to speak to others and help them pursue His calling in their lives. When advice does come, be careful to not dismiss it thinking that you, by your own understanding, know what is best to do in every situation. However, with humility and prayerful submission, listen to the advice given to you by those more knowledgeable in God's Word than you are. God may be using that person to guide you in the direction that He wants you to go in.

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God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, thank You for the blessing of fellowship. Please help me to go to You and Your Word first for direction and guidance in making decisions. Help me to be rooted in Your Word so that I can give proper advice to those around me. If it is in Your will to speak to me through others in times of fellowship, please also give me the humility to listen. Thank you for all that You do for me.

In Jesus' Name, I pray, Amen.