Exodus 18 - A Weary Judge and a Weary People

The Word Read

Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from:

Exodus 18:17–18 ESV

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.

Behold, brothers and sisters, this is the Word of the Lord. Please be seated.

Exordium

Beloved in Christ,

I invite you to open Holy Scripture to Exodus 18 this morning.

Moses and the people encounter a significant problem in this passage: Moses is their only judge, and both he and they are growing weary. We have to remember some context here as well. The people of Israel were a people who did not have legal standing as slaves in Egypt. Now, as a massive group of people, they are having to sort out their rights. Furthermore, as we discovered in the Exodus, Gentiles went with the people of Israel. No doubt, these Gentiles had a form of governance that they adhered to in Egypt. Now, as one people who have claimed that Yahweh is their God, they must learn how to live as God’s covenant people.

In this passage, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, reappears. If you are familiar with this passage, you might be thinking, “Oh yes, Moses’ father-in-law, who gave Moses some good advice.” Yet, Jethro’s story in this chapter is much more significant than simply giving his exhausted son-in-law advice. I’d argue that Jethro’s story here is also, in some way, our story. Jethro comes to declare that Yahweh is greater than all the gods. Jethro experiences the joy of redemption, worships Yahweh, and then has a covenant meal with Aaron and all the elders of Israel.

My thesis for these verses is that Moses, as the only judge, will cause himself and the people to become weary. However, we have a judge, in Christ Jesus, who never grows weary, and as a result, we will never grow tired waiting for Him to hear us. 

Exodus 18:1-12 - The Conversion of Jethro

Exodus 18:1–12 ESV

1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 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 has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, reappears in the narrative of the Exodus. He has heard about how the Lord has delivered the people of Israel from the nation of Egypt. No doubt, the story of Yahweh’s victory has begun to spread among the nations. We see this in Joshua 2 as Rahab tells the spies they’ve heard about the Lord’s mighty work. The glory and the supremacy of Yahweh is communicated among the nations. “Yahweh has defeated the great nation of Egypt, has defeated Pharaoh, and has defeated their gods. This is a great god.”

The same is true for us today. Jesus has saved us from being slaves to the power of sin. He rescued us, He redeemed us, He purchased us. Our friends, neighbors, family members, and co-workers should notice a distinct change in our lives because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. As they see these changes, which come as a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts, they begin to speak about the transformative power of the Gospel that has occurred in our lives. 

As the Spirit does His work in our hearts, and we do not resist that work, the world inevitably notices something is happening in that person or in that church. There is a realization that deep-rooted change has occurred in the hearts of their friends and family members. They used to be known as complainers and grumblers, but now they are encouragers. They used to be known for living in a constant state of fear, but now live in a state of Gospel faith. 

The same is true for a local church. The reputation of a local church within the community fluctuates over time. Churches that were once known for their commitment to the Lord can become weakened over time as they stray from the Gospel truth. In essence, they become known for their idle talk, not true Gospel power. Paul, dealing with false teachers, writes this in 1 Corinthians 4:19-20 states:

1 Corinthians 4:19–20 ESV

19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

Thankfully, the exact opposite can happen as well. Churches that were in dire straits became revived by the Holy Spirit. The community, like the nations in Exodus 18, begins to declare the power and preeminence of Jesus. “Wasn’t that church barely surviving? Didn’t that church go through a horrible split years ago? What’s going on over there? I can’t explain it, but there is a power when they meet together. It’s not an emotional power, but something much greater. It’s as if the God they worship is actually with them.” They sense that Christ is preeminent in the congregation, and they know His presence is powerfully at work in their midst. “Those people are worshipping Jesus, the one and only one who has freed them from the bondage of sin.” Like Jethro, who heard about the Lord’s mighty works in Egypt, so the local community, and the nations around the world, hear of Jesus, who has redeemed and delivered a people unto Himself. 

An interesting note arises in Exodus 18:2-5: Jethro brings Zipporah, Gershom, and Eliezer back to Moses at Mount Sinai. I, like you, have some questions about this: “When did they go back to live with Jethro? Why did they go back to live with Jethro?” It’s most plausible, though we are not given any proper answer, that Moses perceived the Exodus would be dangerous and sent his wife and children to Jethro for their safety. We don’t know for sure why this separation happened, but we do know that they are back together at the Mountain of God. 

Moses brought Jethro into his tent, and they spoke more deeply on the realities of the Exodus. Moses tells Jethro the good and the bad. Yahweh has delivered us, but there have been hardships along the way. I can imagine the scene as Jethro tells Moses of all the wondrous things he’s heard. “Yeah, but,” says Moses, “Here are all the hardships we have endured. Regardless, the Lord has delivered us and redeemed us.” 

Look at Jethro’s response in Exodus 18:9: He rejoiced for all the good the Lord did for Israel in delivering them from Egypt. Have we not just spent the better part of two chapters reading/studying about Israel’s complaining, grumbling, and quarreling? Look at the contrast between Jethro and God’s people. Jethro, a pagan priest of Midian, rejoices upon hearing the whole story of Israel’s hardship and redemption. 

In response to hearing all of this, Jethro states, “Blessed be Yahweh, I know now that Yahweh is greater than all other gods.” Here is something that I believe most people overlook when examining Exodus 18 and Jethro. Most of us think of Jethro as the man who gave Moses advice, which we will look at shortly. However, Jethro comes to know Yahweh as the true God and makes a profession of faith in Exodus 18:10-11. Then he offers a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, signifying his need for atonement and seeking forgiveness from Yahweh. Then he has a covenant meal with Aaron and all the elders. And where is this meal? Before the Lord in His presence. 

As I mentioned previously, Jethro’s story is our story. We came to faith as we heard the Gospel proclaimed to us. This could have been during a sermon on Sunday morning, during a Bible Study during the week, or in a personal conversation with a family member or friend. Someone declared to us the redemptive work of Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit caused our hearts to become tender and soft. 

Then, like Jethro, we repented, seeking atonement and forgiveness. We no longer desired to be enemies of God, but to be His friend. Our hearts, due to the Spirit’s work, longed to be made right with the Holy Creator of the universe. We cried out, “Lord, I am a sinner, please save me!” The Lord, in His graciousness and goodness, imputed the righteousness of Christ on our account, and we are declared righteous before the great God of heaven. 

Upon our salvation, what then do we partake in? The Lord’s Supper. We partake in a covenant meal in unity with the church. Just as Jethro had a covenant meal with Aaron and the elders, so the Lord’s Supper is meant to be taken publicly with the congregation in the presence of the Lord.

We experience the same transformation as Jethro experienced. Furthermore, we should also be like Moses in proclaiming the mighty works of Christ to unbelievers. We are to be Christ’s ambassadors to a lost world around us. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

2 Corinthians 5:17–20 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

That is our declaration to the world around us - be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus. Or put another way, 1 Peter 2:9-10:

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

This is our declaration to the lost around us. We were once not God’s people, but now we are His people. Previously, we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy in Christ. We proclaim the excellent riches of Him who brought us into His marvelous light. 

It is our responsibility as ambassadors to share the Gospel with others. We proclaim what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5:

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Then, after declaring the wondrous Gospel to them, we call them to respond to the Gospel by repenting of sin, confessing that Jesus is Lord, and believing in their hearts that He rose from the dead.

Exodus 18:13-27 - A Judicial Conundrum

Exodus 18:13–27 ESV

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.

Jethro watches something that intrigues him: Moses sits and judges the people all day. The word for “judge” used here has a legal connotation. Moses is issuing judgment on various situations. The legal language that is used in this passage is a foreshadowing of the Ten Commandments and the Book of the Covenant, which will be given in Exodus 20-23. I’m sure most of us have watched a crime-fighting show. Within the first 3-5 minutes, you understand there has been a crime committed, and in most cases, you are already introduced to the person who has committed the crime. There is foreshadowing, and then you watch the rest of the show trying to figure out who committed the crime. The same idea of foreshadowing is here as legal language fills this passage. Moses is preparing the readers for the Law that is to come soon. 

 The text states that the people “stood around Moses from morning till evening.” The wording implies that the people waited for Moses. A significant amount of time was spent by the people waiting to bring their cases before him. They wanted, and needed, answers to their situations. They came to Moses to inquire of God when there was a dispute in their midst. However, there was a tremendous problem. Jethro tells Moses, “What you are doing is not good. 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.”

How many of you have been to a butcher’s shop? You go in, take a ticket, and wait to be called. I’ve been to a butcher’s shop a handful of times. Usually, there is a bit of a line. Why? Because everyone knows you are getting good, fresh meat. So, you don’t mind waiting 10-15 minutes. However, what happens if you go to Walmart or Food Lion and get told, “It will be about 10-15 minutes before we can get your deli meat?” After the 5-minute mark, you become weary waiting for deli meat. 10-15 minutes wasn’t a problem for fresh meat, but it becomes an issue when you are waiting for pre-packed sandwich meat. You grow weary waiting for your number to be called.

Jethro understood that the people would grow weary waiting for Moses, and Moses would grow weary because he alone was bearing this burden. There is a profound understanding that both Moses and the people had limitations. Moses was limited in what he could do as their only judge, and the people were limited in their ability to wait for Moses to give counsel. 

As we reflect on these realities, I want to hone in on Moses as a judge with significant limitations. Moses took his role as the judge seriously. Yet, he would have grown tired day after day listening to the disputes of the people. As Jethro said, this burden is too heavy for you to carry alone. Moses was a great prophet, but He had limitations.

However, Christ the great Judge has no limitations. There is never a time when Christ grows weary because too many of His people are coming to Him. There is never a time when His people grow tired because they are the 125,000 person in line, and they have to wait for Him. He never grows weary, and we have instant access to Him. Sure, our circumstances, wildernesses, trials, and tribulations may make us exhausted, but we never grow weary waiting for Christ to hear our prayers. 

Have you ever honestly thought of that reality? Access to Christ is always open to you. There is never a time when construction cones are blocking your passage to Christ. Do we understand what grace this is to our hearts? That at any time we can run to Christ, our good, loving, and faithful Judge? 

As believers, Christ as the Judge without limitations should be incredibly encouraging to our hearts. On the last day, Christ our King, Lord, and Savior will issue perfect judgment. As Scripture testifies in Acts 10:42:

Acts 10:42 ESV

42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

This is one of our great promises in Scripture: on the last day, Christ will issue righteous judgment against those whose names are not found in the book of life. However, for those who are found in the book of life, those whom Jesus has saved, we are given the promise of eternal life (Revelation 20:11-15). This will be a marvelous sight our eyes will behold. Christ, in His splendor, will welcome us, ushering us into New Jerusalem. We have a Judge who is faithful to His word, and we can trust that we will be saved on the Day of Judgment. 

We also see in Exodus 18:18 that Moses is unable to bear the burden by himself. Here is another way in which Moses is not the Christ. Jesus, and Jesus alone, is the true mediator between God and His people. 

1 Timothy 2:5 ESV

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Hebrews 7:25 ESV

25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

All these verses point to the truth that Jesus alone is our mediator, our advocate, and the one who is interceding on our behalf right now. Moses could not carry this burden, but the one who is greater than Moses can. Moses could not carry this burden for the people in his own time; it was Christ who was their mediator. And did you hear that line in Hebrews 7:25? “He always lives to make intercession for them.” Right now, Jesus lives to bring your requests to the Father. Isn’t that incredible? We have such a great advocate that He LIVES to make intercession for us. When was the last time we thanked Jesus for interceding on our behalf? Think of all the times you have desperately needed Jesus as your intercessor. Have we taken this for granted? The goodness of Jesus Christ - Our mediator, advocate, and intercessor. May we never forget He does this on our behalf. 

Jethro’s advice to Moses is to place competent, influential, and godly men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens; this is indeed the Lord’s will. Moses joyfully receives the advice, discerns it is of the Lord, and implements the plan. All small cases are to be brought to these men, but more complicated cases are to be brought to Moses. This arrangement will enable the burden to be lifted from Moses and allow men to develop as leaders over their respective groups of people. 

This arrangement also points us towards elders in the New Testament. Here in Exodus 18, the qualifications for these positions are men who fear Yahweh, are trustworthy or honest, and who hate a bribe. Is this not what Paul writes to Timothy and Titus regarding the selection of elders in Ephesus and Crete?

Timothy was a young pastor in Ephesus. Paul writes a letter to Timothy, which is known as 1 Timothy. The overarching principles of the epistle are that there is disorder in worship and there is false doctrine that needs to be corrected, and false teachers that need to be confronted. As part of putting the church in order, Paul gives Timothy instructions on selecting elders. Here are the qualifications from 1 Timothy 3:1-7:

1 Timothy 3:1–7 ESV

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Paul also wrote a letter to Titus, who was stationed on the island of Crete. Hear what Paul writes Titus in Titus 1:5-9:

Titus 1:5–9 ESV

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you— 6 if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. 7 For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, 8 but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. 9 He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Put it in its simplest form, who does Paul tell Timothy and Titus to look for as elders? Men who fear the Lord, who are trustworthy, and who hate a bribe. These qualifications for Moses in Exodus 18 and for Paul in these epistles safeguard the church against corruption. This is especially important in the New Testament as elders safeguard the church against all forms of corrupt doctrine. False doctrine creates unhealthy churches. As we go through our elder selection process, we must also look to these passages (Exodus 18, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and Titus 1:5-9), ensuring that biblically qualified elders are selected so that the church may be healthy and protected against false doctrine. 

Exodus 18 ends on a sweet note, Jethro departing from Moses and returning to his home country. 

Closing

Moses, though a great prophet, is a limited man. He had limitations that would have caused him and the people to grow weary. Yet, our judge, the Great Christ Jesus, never grows tired. Are you an unbeliever here this morning? Know that Christ the Judge will judge you on the last day. There is still time to respond to the Gospel by repenting of sin, confessing that Jesus is Lord, and believing that He rose from the dead. Do not delay in coming to Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Brothers and sisters, do you need to run to Him in a time of need today? Go, do not hesitate to run to the gracious and merciful Lord.