”The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening. When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.” “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.” Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves. Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land.“
Exodus 18:13-27 NLT
The scripture records Jethro giving the advice to Moses that he should delegate work to trusted men, for common disputes. Whereas earlier, it could be argued that Moses tried to do this with Aaron and his work removing the Hebrew’s from Egypt, here we see a stark difference between delegation and abdication. God proposed Aaron as a concession to Moses’ fear. Jethro proposed a system to solve Moses issue with capacity. Jethro was seeking to maximize Moses’ due diligence before God. Bringing Aaron into the leadership was due to Moses seeking minimize it. Beyond this, it is clear that Jethro’s advice included supplication and submission to God. He did not wish Moses to delegate without God’s approval and believed it was a matter of God’s strength to make a rapid expansion of legal services possible. It is notable that this model is used by Jesus. He dispersed his responsibilities between his disciples. Beyond this, they dispersed their day to day, and common tasks, among their deacons. All in all, we may feel that the burden to follow God’s calling lies solely on our shoulders because it lands squarely there. However, this is not the biblical precedence. God allows us to be interdependent, even in our calling. In this way we can extend and expand our capacity and bring others to God’s blessings in a more efficient way for all.
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