Exodus: God Counsels
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Attention Getter: The Best Advice Giver That I Know: My wife
Moses in chapters 18 and 19 receives counsel from one person but it is coming from a higher person...
a. Moses receives counsel from the mouth of an earthly Father in Law
b. Moses receives counsel from the mouth of heavenly Father
Here is what we can take great confidence in:
When we live life on pursuing God’s will and glory, we will position ourselves for the type of counsel we need to live a spiritually healthy Godly life.
God’s Counsel on Earth (Wisdom from Jethro)
God’s Counsel on Earth (Wisdom from Jethro)
Our text this morning starts with Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, getting the news about God’s miraculous delivery of Moses and Israel from the oppression of Pharoah and Egypt.
Upon hearing the news, he gathers Moses’ wife and children, who it appears Moses left behind during his deliverance mission, and Jethro and Moses’ family set out to go and meet Moses at Mount Sinai, the place where this mission first began...
In chapter 3 the place is called Mount Horeb, but most scholars agree that Sinai and Horeb are the same mountain.
So, Moses meets his wife, children, and his Father in law at the place where God first called him and sent him on his mission.
Picking up at verse 5
English Standard Version Chapter 18
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.
So, Moses is about to receive counsel from Jethro, but verse 7 gives us a very important detail that helps us understand WHY Moses receives that counsel.
Moses went out to meet Jethro, he bowed down before Jethro (a sign of respect) and he kissed Jethro (a sign of affection).
Moses loved Jethro...Moses respected Jethro…So, MOSES LISTENED to JETHRO.
KEY POINT: EARS ARE EARNED
You don’t automatically get the privilege to speak into people’s lives. You earn that. The way you live in front of people and the love that you show people will often dictate the attention they give you.
So, as you’re sharing counsel with others, you should also be asking yourself:
- “Do I show the kind of love that makes it easy to listen to my counsel?”
- “Do I live the kind of life that makes it easy to listen to my counsel?”
Some of us want to be heard without being loving.
Some of us want to be heard without being respected.
That may happen but it isn’t reasonable to expect it to happen.
We even have to consider the quality of longevity and experience. Not only has Jethro apparently lived a life worthy of respect before Moses, but he’s also lived a pretty long life. He’s seen more.
ILLUSTRATION: Basketball at 22 versus basketball at 60.
As my African American elders use to always tell us when we use to question why the things have to be one way instead of another, “HONEY, LIVE A LITTLE. LIVE A LITTLE and you’ll understand”.
So, when people aren’t listening it isn’t always simply because they are hard of hearing, disobedient, or arrogant. Sometimes it’s because the speaker hasn’t shown the type of love or earned the type of respect necessary to be heard.
We must explore both of these possibilities before we write people off that aren’t paying us any attention.
Moses loved Jethro...Moses respected Jethro…So, MOSES LISTENED to JETHRO.
Continuing in verse 8, we also see part of Jethro’s moment of counsel is motivated by Jethro’s conversion experience.
English Standard Version Chapter 18
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.
Notice the first thing Moses wanted to do was tell his Father-In-Law about what the Lord had done.
When we clearly see the hand of God in our deliverance, it moves to the forefront of our dialogue
When we clearly begin to see the goodness of God in rescuing us, we begin to desire the chance and opportunity to speak about it.
But also notice another thing about Moses’ story. He highlights the hand of God in deliverance but it is not absent of hardship. He tells Jethro about all the hardship and how God delivered them from the hardship.
Where God delivered us from is a vital part of the deliverance story and we shouldn’t ignore it or try to downplay it. Where God has delivered us from serves in highlighting his power to deliver!
This is precisely what happens here with Jethro which leads us to verse 10
English Standard Version Chapter 18
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.
Notice what happens as result of Moses testifying of God’s goodness in delivering them from their hardship. Jethro turns
Jethro turns to praising God…(v10) “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. (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ex 18:10). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)
Jethro turns to boasting of God as the one true God…(v11). Jethro knew how powerful Egypt was and yet God laid their nation and their authorities to waste. And so Jethro responds by saying “I KNOW THAT THE LORD IS GREATER THAN ALL GODS”
Application: How many of you have a similar testimony? Some of you remember that moment where you realized that there is no one greater than the Lord. YOU ARE GREATER THAN ALL OTHERS.
When is the last time somebody heard that story from you? When is the last time you shared that testimony with someone?
Jethro turns towards acts of worship towards God (v12a). His burnt offering and sacrifices were appeals for forgiveness of sin and cleansing from sin.
Jethro turns towards fellowship with the community of God (v12b). So, Jethro turns to praising God, He turns to declaring Him as the one true and mighty God, He turns towards worshipping God through offerings and sacrifices seeking atonement, and now, though once an outsider, he is being invited into fellowship with the community of God.
This is the story of our salvation in Christ - We hear of this one true God’s ability to deliver us from the HARDSHIP of SIN through His Son’s death on a cross. We turn and EMBRACE that SON and HE makes us alive and new creations, We begin to boast in that Son sharing his story of salvation. Through His sacrifice, we are given atonement and forgiveness for our sin.
And as a new believer, we are invited into a new community of His people
Here in Jethro, we see the early signs of God’s promise that he made to Moses being fulfilled.
16 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.
His deliverance isn’t only reserved for Israel. It is reserved for all those who would turn to Him in praise and worship embracing Him as the one and only true God.
APPLICATION: HAVE YOU EMBRACED HIM TODAY AS YOUR GOD?
So, we see in Jethro, we have a man that Moses loves and respects; we have a man who is responding to God with repentance and saying you don’t have to see me any more on this God.
It, therefore, makes complete and total sense, that when Jethro speaks in this text Moses is listening. We see the beginning of this in verse 13
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.”
Moses has a UNBELIEVABLY FULL workload everyday as the leader of this God-empowered deliverance movement. Here we get a glimpse of one of these days. Before Jethro arrives, it seems that Moses has become the sole adjudicator in ALL PERSONAL LEGAL disputes transpiring in Israel.
Think about that. We have several hundred thousand people in this group and Moses is handling the adjudication of EVERY SINGLE LEGAL DISPUTE that arises between them.
The Scripture says that as Moses sat down and decided these cases, people stood around him from MORNING TIL EVENING!
So, Jethro ask a very reasonable question. WHAT ARE YOU DOING????!!!!
That’s a reasonable question, right!!!! But did you catch what Moses said? The people come to me to inquire of God; they come to me so I can decide their disputes and make them know the statutes of God and his laws. Moses was giving us a glimpse into his leadership and also a very good peek into a flawed understanding of his role as leader.
KEY POINT: LEADERS CAN NOT AND SHOULD NOT TRY TO DO EVERYTHING
God may indeed be using you to lead but he is not using you exclusively. As one theologian puts it, Jethro is about to teach Moses a very important lesson. God’s ministry is supposed to be SHARED!
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.
What I find striking here in Jethro’s statement is how not only is Moses worn out by his inability to share the ministry but the people with Moses are worn out.
When the work of ministry isn’t shared, it will wear down the leader and those trying to support the leader.
Jethro is saying you’re going to kill yourself Moses and you’re going to hurt the people you are trying to serve.
This isn’t a ground breaking truth. Pastors burning out and leaving the ministry. Pastors failing morally and being disqualified for ministry. These moments don’t just impact the leaders. It impacts those they are leading and even those outside of their leadership sphere.
Just this week another very prominent pastor was fired from his position for cheating on his wife. Family, this will definitely leave a deep scar on him and on his family for years to come but there is a church that has been deeply wounded as well. That’s not to say that every example of burnout or failing is the result of a leader not sharing the work, but it is an incentive to us to make sure the work is shared so that it doesn’t present another stumbling block.
So how do we do it? Jethro gives Moses and us a pathway…Look at verse 19
English Standard Version Chapter 18
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
First, Jethro reaffirms Moses’ role as God’s chosen leader of Israel for this moment.
A call to share is not a call to abdicate or abandon your responsibility. Moses still has the responsibility to represent the people before God, to teach them His laws, and to show them how to walk with God.
But Jethro takes Moses role a step further...
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.
Jethro’s point here is a very important one. Jethro’s proposal to share the ministry doesn’t mean that it is shared with any person who raises a hand.
So Jethro gives Moses some qualifications for the candidates.
Pick folks that fear God, men who are trustworthy, men who hate a bribe. Notice that Moses has laws and standards already and yet Jethro’s counsel doesn’t really deal as much with the content that they’re dealing with…it is fixed on the character of the men. The first most important element in their character is that they fear God.
Scripture says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of WISDOM. A man that truly fears God has the foundation for healthy character. A person with a healthy fear of God will carry a healthy fear in abusing and exploiting those created in his image and likeness. Those that truly respect God will respect those created by God. That’s why Jethro starts there.
They’ll be trustworthy. They won’t live a duplicitous life. Why, because they fear man? No, because they fear God and out of fear for God they’ll seek to do right by man. Their judgments will be shaped by the God they fear and not their own selfish gain.
In fact, notice that he doesn’t say that they won’t TAKE A BRIBE but that they HATE A Bribe.
You can refuse a bribe without hating it. You can refuse a bribe out of expedience. Out of mere survival, but to HATE A BRIBE speaks to something deeper in a person’s character.
Jethro also gives Moses some very important wisdom regarding the formation of this group of leaders.
Some should lead thousands, some should lead hundreds, some fifty, and some tens.
It appears that Jethro is helping us understand another important spiritual truth. The level of spiritual responsibility given to a person should be in proportion to the level of spiritual maturity in that person.
Not only are they given people in proportion to their maturity but they are given matters in proportion to their maturity. They are instructed to handle the small matters and forward the big matters up. And only if they reach Moses level should he concern himself with them.
One theologian says in this wisdom, Jethro is establishing Moses’ as the Supreme Court of Israel.
Jethro’s plan ensures that as many people as possible are mobilized to make it easier on Moses and easier on the people that he is leading.
HERE IS A MYTH THAT WE NEED TO RID OURSELVES OF: The effectiveness of a church’s ministry is not confined to a one person.
Too often, we credit the work of one person for the success or failure of ministry when it is the contributions of many that will ultimately determine the effectiveness of any ministry. Even an effective ministry has the ability to be more effective if it has more people commited to the cause of Christ and living passionate sacrificial Kingdom lives.
As we can see here in this text, Moses can’t do it alone and Jethro implores him to employ others in the work, but we also see that Jethro doesn’t just tell him to recruit anybody because the ministry needs capable people, faithful people, trustworthy people to stand alongside the leaders to perform the work.
This is a picture of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ as well.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Notice this work of maturing. This work of growing into the full stature of Christ is a team effort. The Leaders are charged with equipping the saints for the work of ministry.
So this moment, where you are hearing the preaching of God’s word and being encouraged through it is a part of your responsibility to the body of Christ but it is not the only role you have in the work. It is equipping you for everything else that the Lord is calling you to in your service to Him. And we are stronger when you are engaged. We are
V. v24 What's more important than giving good godly wise advice? Receiving good godly wise advise (v24)
There are two types of people you should spend time around. People whose growth you can aid and people who can aid your growth. One group reminds you to model Jesus. The other reminds you that you aren't Jesus. Sometimes these two attributes can be found in the same group of people. These are your peers. You help one another grow.
This morning, as we walk through this chapter, we are actually going to be fixing our attention on the people we must have in our lives that can help us grow. The Godly, Good, and Wise people in our lives that challenge our way of thinking.
---- People that are for you
---- People that are for God
---- People that are living lives worthy of imitation
Surround yourself around people like this...
But humble yourself amongst people like this. Give room for them to speak into your lives: to encourage you and to challenge you.
How many bad choices made in life where the result of the rejection of good counsel?
Proverbs 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.
Proverbs 11:14
Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
How many Jethros do you have in your life?
IV. v23 Building up otherns around you -
---- 1. Make room to hear from God
---- 2. Extend your ministry longevity
---- 3. You serve the people