The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 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?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 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' father-in-law said to him, “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. 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, 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. 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. 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. 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.”
So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 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. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves (Exodus 18:13–26).
As the story continues, Jethro gave some counsel to Moses telling him that he was trying to do too much. Moses had been attempting to settle multiple disputes. He was like the police, the law, the counselor, the department of motor vehicles, the judge, the theologian, and the pastor all in one. This task was too heavy. Get this picture:
The people stand around all day waiting for an appointment (v. 13). Jethro says, “What are you doing?” (v. 14). Moses basically says, “They need me. I have to tell them what to do” (vv. 15-16). I love Jethro’s response: “What you’re doing is not good” (v. 17). Why? Jethro tells him: “You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you” (v. 18).
In regard to the church, our situation is not exactly the same, but part of what Moses was trying to do is shepherd the people. He was trying to take care of them and instruct them in the ways that please God. Shepherding is hard work. One person cannot do it all. This is similar to Acts 6. There were not enough apostles to take care of the widows, so the church appointed some qualified men to do that, and the apostles would focus on prayer and the ministry of the word.
As a pastor, I can sympathize with Moses. Sometimes people ask, “A ‘Pastor’—is that a full-time job?” I almost laugh when I hear that! It is sort of like the question, “Does your wife work?” I actually tried to think about what I do. Here are a few things:
Sermons to prepare, worship services to prepare, vision to cast, mission to execute, meetings with elders to attend, people to counsel (some outside our church), bills to pay, phone calls to make, books to write, websites to monitor, funds to raise, outside speaking engagements to prepare for, groups to meet, classes to prepare for and teach, conflicts to resolve, reference letters to write, blogs to write, questions to answer, leaders to disciple, ministries to oversee, a building to work on, missionaries to send and support, people to pray for, visits to make, fellowships with other pastors to attend, social events to attend, weddings to officiate, funerals to lead—and more!
Before you are tempted to feel sorry for me, remember that my flock is nowhere near as large as Moses’! Imagine, six hundred thousand men, plus women and children! So, what solution gets put forward? The solution for Moses is the same solution for us: share the ministry.
Notice how Jethro counsels Moses. Jethro told Moses to fulfill his ministry (vv. 19-20). Moses was a mediator. He was taking the people to God in prayer and God to people in teaching. Jethro did not tell him to stop doing these tasks. He simply told him that he should develop some organizational structure and get some help.
Jethro told Moses to find capable leaders to help care for the people (vv. 21-23). He was to find “able men,” from among the people, who would be capable of serving in this capacity. They were to be “Godfearing” men. God-fearing men realize that serving God is serious business, regardless of how big or small the job is. They were also to be “trustworthy” men. These are men you can count on. You do not have to question the motives of trustworthy men. They were to “hate bribes.” They would be impartial, honest, and not in it for money. So these were leaders who would be capable and full of integrity. They were going to do the work with Moses.
Moses became the court of last resort or “supreme court” of Israel (v. 22). He remained as judge but delegated most situations to the other men. They “will bear [the burden] with you” Jethro said (v. 22). Notice the result: (1) God will direct you; (2) you will be able to endure; and (1) the people will go in peace (v. 23). In other words, this is best for everyone.
How do we apply this? What can we learn about shared ministry? As mentioned, our situation is different, but there is still the general connection to shared ministry and pastoral care. Let me point out two principles. The New Testament shows us how we should understand shared ministry. A healthy community practices shared ministry by having a plurality of qualified elders who care for the flock (Acts 20:17; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet 5:1-4). But the elders do not do everything. They oversee the ministry of the church. They equip God’s people to do the work of the ministry (Eph 4:11-16). Every member is to serve. Of course, Jesus Christ is the head, the chief Shepherd, and everyone must submit to Him. Under Him, He has appointed elders/pastors as undershepherds to equip God’s people to do ministry together.
Therefore, healthy communities of faith practice shared ministry by having an “every-member ministry.” While some are appointed to leadership, every Christian has a part to play in the body of Christ. Every Christian is a “priest” (Exod 19:6; 1 Pet 2:5-10). You can pray for people. You can care for people. You can teach others. Every Christian has spiritual gifts to use for the good of the body (1 Pet 4:10). Healthy communities of faith have active members serving, loving, and praying. Generally, those who serve best do not care about being known or having a title. We should do this in the spirit of “[carrying] one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).
In verses 24-26 we see that Moses listens. He demonstrates humility. He receives counsel—even from his father-in-law! Will you follow his example and follow the counsel of the wise?
As a community of faith, we need power; we need to speak the good news; and we need a shared ministry. As a community of faith, we—like Jethro and Moses and the elders—gather around one table. We also rally around the cross, our banner, and we enjoy fellowship with one another because of the work of our great mediator, Jesus Christ.
Adapted from Exalting Jesus in Exodus by Tony Merida
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