BE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO TAKE ADVICE

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: THURSDAY, 7TH JULY, 2022 

TOPIC: BE HUMBLE ENOUGH TO TAKE ADVICE

TEXT: EXODUS 18:1-27 

1. And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people -- that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2. Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,

3. with her two sons, of whom the name of one [was] Gershom (for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land")

4. and the name of the other [was] Eliezer (for [he said,] "The God of my father [was] my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh");

5.  and 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.  Now he had said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her."

7.  So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about [their] well-being, and they went into the tent.

8.  And 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 on the way, and [how] the LORD had delivered them.

9.  Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10.  And 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] who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11.  "Now I know that the LORD [is] greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, [He was] above them."

12.  Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and [other] sacrifices [to offer] to God. And Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13.  And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

14.  So when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, "What [is] this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until 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 difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws."

17.  So Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do [is] not good.

18.  "Both you and these people who [are] with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing [is] too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.

19.  "Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God.

20.  "And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do.

21.  "Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place [such] over them [to be] rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

22.  "And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be [that] every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear [the burden] with you.

23.  "If you do this thing, and God [so] commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace."

24.  So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

25.  And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26.  So they judged the people at all times; the hard cases they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves.

27.  Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land.

MESSAGE: 

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law came to Moses on a visit, bringing with him Zipporah and Moses’ two sons. Having spent some time with Moses, he observed how Moses had been leading the people of God strenuously, especially during cases that needed Moses’ judgement (v.16). Moses would attend to them from morning till evening each day. Jethro took time to advise him on how best to handle and judge the people in their matters. He counselled him to approach leadership by delegation of authority and division of labour (vs. 17-23), just as Jesus did with the Twelve and Paul with Timothy respectively (Lk 10:1; 2 Tim.2:2). Following this piece of advice actually made Moses live long and retain his strength and time for other profitable engagements. The counsel of Jethro is applicable to everyone. Leaders should learn to delegate authority. 

A leader who wants to attend to everything himself will overwork his system and live in constant stress. As a Christian, you are a leader. It is good for you to learn how to delegate and take off the stress. You should learn how to groom and prepare your successors. Try to mentor others and build confidence and competence in subordinates who will be in positions of leadership in the nearest future.

Furthermore, no one is too inexperienced to offer a piece of advice. Your ability to consider other people’s opinion is a show of humility and Christian maturity. Be humble enough to listen to good counsels and follow them.

PRAYER: 

Lord, help me to be humble enough to listen when You speak to me through Your appointed agents, in Jesus’ name. Amen.