Accomplishing the Lord’s Work With the Help of Others

Introduction on leadership in a group. We were not meant to live alone or do life. We were also not meant to do the Lord’s work alone.

Read Exodus 18:13-27

This morning I have just one main point that will be supported with two points from the text. The main thing that I want every person to come away with this morning is that

God’s people are not meant to do the His work alone

We’ve already read this passage but I want to give an overview of what is going on here. We open in verse 13 learning that Moses spent the whole day judging the people of Israel. His father in law, Jethro, observes what is going on and asks about it. After Moses explains what is going on, hearing the disputes of the people and attempting to determine what is right and wrong, Jethro tells him that the way that he is going about doing this is not good and is not beneficial for him or for the people. Instead he advises him to do two things differently.

In order for us to apply this passage of scripture to our lives, I want to split it into two sections and points. First,

The necessary and good work that Moses was doing was intense but not sustainable

The first thing we need to understand here is that the work Moses was doing to judge the people of Israel was a necessary thing. It makes sense that Moses, as the ordained leader of God’s people, would have the role of ruling over them and handling civil matters between them. However, Moses was doing the best that he could with what he had witnessed up to this point. The only frame of reference that he would have had for a proper judicial system would have been from the Egyptians, which was run by one man, Pharaoh. So, the way that he was going about doing this was not entirely bad. It is not as if Moses was power hungry and deeply desired to be entangled in the drama of the people. Rather, he was simply attempting to lead God’s people well. And with the new system that is put into place, the people are still being judged and cared for.

We should also notice that it was a good thing, in that it was a service to the people. Notice with me that when Jethro asks about this in verse 14, it is phrased in a way that leads us to believe that this is something to benefit the people.

Yet, this was a task that took him all day long. We learn in verse 13 that Moses and the people stood around from morning to evening as he heard the various situations that were going on. Not only was it exhausting as a physical activity, Jethro points out that this would have most certainly put a strain on Moses and his relationship with the people.

When we consider all of this, the biggest issue is that Moses was attempting to tackle all of this on his own. Upon hearing what Moses is doing, Jethro gives him some advice. But that advice is not necessarily super profound or anything. Instead,

The sound advice from Jethro is centered around the Lord.

The feedback that Moses receives from his father in law begins in verse 19. It is at the beginning of this feedback that Jethro states that if Moses will take it seriously, that the Lord will dwell with him. This was not to say that the Lord was not already with Moses or that these special instructions were the only way to be with God. Instead, it is a reminder that when we seek the Lord’s will and continue to instruct others in the way that they ought to go, His presence will be felt.

Next, Jethro says that the cases ought to be brought before the Lord. More accurately, the goal here was for Moses to hear the disputes and then pray that the Lord might help him regarding the correct resolution. I don’t believe that Moses was not consulting with the Lord prior to this conversation. Instead, I think this was just Jethro stating how things needed to be, that Moses would be their representative, which in many cases was already happening.

In regards to the laws and statutes of the Lord, Moses is advised to continue making things known to the people as well as the way that they ought to do them. This goes beyond just a headknowledge of what the commands of the Lord are. It actually extends on to applying these things to our lives.

And the final piece of advice given to Moses is that he should find men who fear the Lord and are trustworthy to also serve as judges. The people would need to spit up into various groups and those serving under Moses would serve them by judging and teaching with Moses. It is important to understand that these are not every day folks that Moses is choosing. These are people with the same sort of character that Moses had. Not only did they fear God but they also would not be the sort that had such a love for money that they could be bribed or bought.

You can see that this advice is entrenched in the things of God and the same could be said for the advice that we give as well as the advice that we seek from others. But beyond that, it would have been much easier in many ways for Moses to have continued doing what it was he that he was doing. Yet, this was not the best way to go about doing things.

It is amazing to me how many times in the last several weeks that I have had conversations with various members in our church leadership who have encouraged me to share the work load with others in our church. Maybe you serve and do it to the best of your ability but are in deep need of assistance to move forward and do a better job. Maybe youre on a pretty regular basis but haven’t done a great job of getting plugged in. Can I encourage you to do everything in your power to serve the Lord here? Consider how it is that God has blessed you with talents and what it is that you can to serve the Lord!

The reality is that we were never meant to serve the Lord and do His will alone!. I want to encourage us continue desiring to serve the Lord together!