Exodus II Outline Week 5
Outline 2
run through
Notes from Gathering Meeting:
Women in Leadership
Outline 1
The first qualification concerned a man’s relationship to God. A good elder is a man who fears God, who reveres him and seeks to honor him in all he does. Such a man has a holy zeal for God’s name. Rather than pursuing his own agenda or fearing what people will think, his chief desire is to promote the glory of God. This means that he is willing, when necessary, to give people counsel they do not want to hear and to make judgments with which they do not agree. It takes a God-fearing man to do that. A man who fears God also knows the secret of all wisdom. The Scripture says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10a). Therefore, to find a wise spiritual leader, it is necessary to look for a man who fears God.
A good elder is reliable. He is trustworthy. He keeps his commitments. He is characterized by honesty and integrity. In particular, he is not greedy for personal gain. The reason for this is obvious. As one of Israel’s elders worked to resolve various disputes, the opposing parties would try to persuade him to decide in their favor. Some would try to flatter him, while others might even resort to bribery. Only a man who hated dishonest gain could be trusted not to corrupt the course of justice.
He should not choose elders from among his friends or from one particular group of Israelites, but from across the entire nation.
While it may seem from this passage that Moses autocratically chooses his own staff, the actual election is the work of all the people (see Dt. 1:9, 13).