Jethro, priest of Midian and father-in-law to Moses, heard the report of all that God had done for Moses and Israel his people, the news that God had delivered Israel from Egypt. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses’ wife who had been sent back home, and her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (Sojourner) for he had said, “I’m a sojourner in a foreign land”; the name of the other was Eliezer (God’s-Help) because “The God of my father is my help and saved me from death by Pharaoh.” Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought Moses his sons and his wife there in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. He had sent a message ahead to Moses: “I, your father-in-law, am coming to you with your wife and two sons.”
 Moses went out to welcome his father-in-law. He bowed to him and kissed him. Each asked the other how things had been with him. Then they went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law the story of all that God had done to Pharaoh and Egypt in helping Israel, all the trouble they had experienced on the journey, and how God had delivered them.
 Jethro was delighted in all the good that God had done for Israel in delivering them from Egyptian oppression. Jethro said, “Blessed be God who has delivered you from the power of Egypt and Pharaoh, who has delivered his people from the oppression of Egypt. Now I know that God is greater than all gods because he’s done this to all those who treated Israel arrogantly.”
 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices to God. And Aaron, along with all the elders of Israel, came and ate the meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
 The next day Moses took his place to judge the people. People were standing before him all day long, from morning to night. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What’s going on here? Why are you doing all this, and all by yourself, letting everybody line up before you from morning to night?”
 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me with questions about God. When something comes up, they come to me. I judge between a man and his neighbor and teach them God’s laws and instructions.”
 Moses’ father-in-law said, “This is no way to go about it. You’ll burn out, and the people right along with you. This is way too much for you—you can’t do this alone. Now listen to me. Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They’ll be responsible for the everyday work of judging among the people. They’ll bring the hard cases to you, but in the routine cases they’ll be the judges. They will share your load and that will make it easier for you. If you handle the work this way, you’ll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also.”
 Moses listened to the counsel of his father-in-law and did everything he said. Moses picked competent men from all Israel and set them as leaders over the people who were organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten. They took over the everyday work of judging among the people. They brought the hard cases to Moses, but in the routine cases they were the judges. Then Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law who went home to his own country.
this passage I feel is just for me at the moment – still got a lot of my brainspace in last Saturday and this passage just speaks right into it – wht I wonder though is how do we judge \\
At the weekend we were discussing how being a church leader or \’discipler\’ (call it what you will) is a special calling and NOT everyone is equipped to fill that role. We are all DIFFERENT parts of the same body (all equally important). This passage sums it up exactly.
Also, here\’s God warning us, through Jethro, about religious burn out. We need to know we are doing what GOD wants us to do – his yoke is light – and I reckon if you\’re burning out or something is a burden …. that probably \’aint God calling you to do it ! Jethro had fetched Moses\’ wife and sons all the way across the desert – what for if Moses didn\’t have any time for them? This reminds me that my family is also a Godly priority.
To clarify – that probably isn’t God asking you to do it either (a) at all or (b) by yourself. Maybe he’s telling you to find the right people to help hold your hands up and stop struggling alone – see last passage!
What really hits me is that Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law is a pagan priest. In other words a leader of a pagan religion with idol worship among a people who Isreal will war against, and here he is giving Godly wisdom to Moses as their leader.
Jethro was delighted at all that God had done for them and said “blessed be God who has delivered you from Egypt”.
I reckon this is a crucial note that subverts some of the gruesome stuff in pasages to come in showing that God isn’t confined to the box called “Israel” (or “church”) and wants to use the outseider to disciple us.
What a guy this fellow Jethro is..and a pagan priest to boot. He comes on from the wings, gives a great cameo performance where he teaches Moses the art and skill of responsible and perceptive delegation which will stand him in good stead for a lifetime, and then promptly exits left offstage! It really bugs me at times that we don’t take the time to look, learn and listen to the views and effective practises outside the christian paradigm/worldview for fear that they are not “sound enough, when in reality God may have much to say to us and and teach us though them. A difficult practise for us to adopt but a much-needed one I feel.
But the other think that struck me was very early on on the passage was the description of Gershom, reflecting Moses’ own heartfelt cry “for…I’m a sojourner in a foreign land”. I have been feeling a lot like this over recent months and I was talking to someone else on Sunday morning who was voicing similar feelings.. It’s not that I don’t massively appreciate and have great respect for the more inherited church activity, but I increasingly feel that it is becoming somewhere where I feel I don’t totally belong or fit in any more, where at times it almost feels like an alien environment, where I feel that my thoughts and opinions are a bit too “off the wall” for comfort so I don’t voice them etc. Like Linda I too have been reflecting a lot since Saturday, where it felt like God was beginning to deal with loads of stuff. I’m not too downbeat because I like travelling and journeying and exploring. Even going through Liverpool city centre over the last few months…in a good way. with all the redevelopment, I have felt like a stranger in my own city, which is actually a great feeling.
On Saturday, at the retreat however, I felt very much “at home”, and not a sojourner in an alien land. That’s not to say I have stopped journeying…no way! I the words of THe Carpemters song “it’s only just begun!”" Sorry to have gone on for so long. Hope you all didn’t lose the will to live half way through.
I feel this shows a trap it is too easy to fall into and that is the trap of doing too much stuff for church. Before you know it every evening is taken up doing things like meetings…and all they often do is to distract you from God. Before you know it you are worn out and have no time left to relax either with your family or with God…both of which are vital.
I\’ve been there and I have seen too many others falling into this trap as well. God always provides suitable people if things need to be done…we just need to look for them. (and maybe be reminded that we are only human!!)
Phil, I think you have summed up very much how I feel about trad church. I am more and more feeling like the Sojourner. Saturday\’s retreat just reinforced that for me. In recent months I have missed a few services as I have found things that I needed to read and reflect on. Sadly I didn\’t miss the services but instead found God speaking to me through the things I was doing….and often much more strongly than He normally does at church.
I still love my church…or rather the community my church represents…but I am finding I need to walk closer to God and it sometimes feels as if my trad Baptist church is hindering that rather than helping.
I\’m sitting here at my laptop wondering whether to share, feeling slightly afraid, but aware there\’s a battle going on in my life at the moment and maybe I need to ask for some ppl to help hold my arms up…
“Because the people come to me with questions about God. When something comes up, they come to me. I judge between a man and his neighbor and teach them God’s laws and instructions.”
I\’ve recently split up with my fiance/partner. I\’ve been treated very badly and have been left with a lot of debt. She\’s refusing to sort out our financial situation. I feel like the options I have left are walk away and pay it all myself (which I can\’t really afford to do) or take her to court (for which I\’m seeking legal advice, but the majority of the debt is in my name). I don\’t want to do either!
Of course it\’s more complicated than this, but it there in my head all the time. I still love her and so that doesn\’t make this any easier.
I wish I had a Moses (or one of his “competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible”) to judge my case.
really pray that you do sense your arms being supported and the battle being won Susanna
I also love the way Moses father-in-law, as a pagan priest, gives wise and direct Godly advice. One significant moment in my spiritual journey a few years ago happen on an NHS management course. I think too often we can look for guidance in religious places when when, seeing as God isn’t stuck in a religious box, he very often uses people and places within the ‘world’ to speak and guide us. Susanna, will pray for those God-given people ‘religious’ or ‘wordly’ to be around and support you and guide you in the battle.
Susanna, you have our prayer support. May God grant you His peace about all of this and may you find the help you need…in the meantime have our support and our prayers. You are not alone!
I have been thinking about the \’judge\’ bit quite a bit recently as something I do has required me to be almost judge and jury – and I actually said to one of the \’parties\’ that i need to have the wisdom of Solomon – and I don\’t feel I have that. However I have been able to have conversations with people without giving the whole story to help me with the issue. None of them are followers of Jesus, or any other faith for that matter. They are holding my arms up, as I have no other way of keeping them up.
Sometimes walking away for a while is what helps us gain the critical distance from things, to help us keep our emotions in a healthy balance. I find that difficult as I am a \’feeling\’ person and so always go into everything headlong as well as believing everyone!! I have learnt over the years so am not as bad as I used to be.
However when it comes to dealing with feelings and hurts – which is what I am having to deal with in the scenario above – I have given myself space and time to get my head clear, time for me to check things out with people who know more than me, and time to reflect. I know I can\’t do this on my own!
Susanna – peace and strength be with you, there are a lot of folk who can be holding your arms up, as well as God being there – even if that is not a feeling you are experiencing at the moment!!
Susanna
Can I just say thank you for having the courage to take the plunge and sharing your dilemma with us here. It sounds like a really difficult time you are having. It would appear that the most we are able to do at the moment is offer our prayer support, so that God can help you both with with the legal/practical stuff, which is difficult enough, and with the emotional stuff, which is probably harder. Or maybe there maybe somebody here who can point you in the right direction for more practical help. Either way you can be assured of our support.
Ant
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to speak to you on Saturday. It sounds as though we have got a fair bit in common! You aren’t the guy who was up from Leicester are you, if you were, we did chat briefly over coffee but that was about it.
“I feel this shows a trap it is too easy to fall into and that is the trap of doing too much stuff for church. Before you know it every evening is taken up doing things like meetings…and all they often do is to distract you from God. Before you know it you are worn out and have no time left to relax either with your family or with God…both of which are vital.”
This is so true. I am convinced that we need to do much less..far better! Not only do we not have time to spend with our family and with God, we do not have the time to spend forming, building, developing and maintaining friendships and relational stuff with our non-Christian friends and contacts, which is surely the foundational bedrock upon which effective mission is both founded and built. Mission cannot be done effectively in a vaccuum. The problem is once we say this stuff out loud, the more meeting-fuelled adrenalin junkies (sorry..couldn’t resist!) look at us as though we are are barmy and deluded (they may be right..maybe we are!) and then ignore us, open their diaries and book in the next set of largely unnecessary meetings!…that’s when the sojourner feeling is felt at its most strongest!
We need to have the wisom and the courage to distinguish between those “church” meetings that enable things to happen (and attend them) and those meetings which prevent other, more effective things from happening (and avoid them). Not easy to do but necessary I feel.
Sorry folks..rant over!!
just back from general synod and my laptop and see that only part of my thoughts got through via my MDA!
what I was trying to reflect on was that it costs to travel with others – it is not just a case of getting someone to hold MY arms up but travelling together with one another and this really seems to be reflected in what everyone has said since -so Susanna can I add my prayers too! praise the Lord that he calls us into a trinitarian relationship to be walking together holding one another.
What strikes me is how easily Moses gave up those things that were too much for him. How often do we cling onto those things we do… even if we know we are doing too much? And how many excuses do we use to keep hold of them? It takes courage to stop doing things and ask God to show you what he really wants you to be doing… not what you think you ought to be doing. It\’s only when you stop and listen that God really speaks and his will is more discernable… and how much fresher you feel.O
Yes Phil I am the strange guy from Leicester. Hopefully we will catch up sometime soonish…or get in touch via Facebook or email. (Richard has our email)
As for the meetings thing there seem to be people in our church who love being busy and can\’t understand why you won\’t commit every hour to the church. It is one of the big dangers in our church I feel.
Jethro gave such excellent advice…we need to spread the load. Church leaders beware!!!
this whole business of wisdom about distinguishing between what is busyness in church and how we can allow it to distract us from our relationship with God and being his people really strikes home for me too. It is something God is continuing to challenge me over and smeithing I wrestle with continually. It is hard also to communicate this in traditional church settings without being seen as lacking in commitment to church (and by implication god). However, it took Jethro to make Moses aware and we do need to recognise that many people effectively have been unable to hear their equivalent of Jethro because their idea of being God\’s people is expressed through the commitment to meetings etc. I guess we show them by example, which is what Moses did to his men once he acted on Jethro\’s advice. not easy!!