Deuteronomy 1:9 – 18 “At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. The LORD your God has multiplied you, so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky. May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over and bless you as He has promised. But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself? Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”
And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”
So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes. At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.” And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.”
You might remember the story from Exodus 18:13 – 26. Jethro, Moses’s father – in – law, visits the Israelite camp and sees that Moses is wearing himself out. In the absence of other leaders, Moses is trying to settle everybody’s disputes and spending his entire day doing so. The Bible records that 600,000 men left Egypt; since most of these men would have wives and children, there were probably over two million people in the camp. No wonder that Moses was becoming tired! Sorting out the problems of so many people was exhausting, not to mention that it left Moses no time for the actual work to which God had called him. Each time Moses was about to go be with God, there was probably somebody pulling on his sleeve and demanding attention! But Moses had gotten so deeply embroiled in these situations that he saw no way out… until Jethro, a leader in his own right, gave Moses a workable plan.
APPLICATION: There are several lessons that we can glean from this story.
1. Always make sure that the responsibilities you are assuming are the ones God wants you to assume. Some of us are highly responsible people and will shoulder any load that comes along. Recently a friend told me about her experiences as a supervisor in a weight loss program. My friend didn’t feel particularly called to this position, but nobody else seemed to want it. Bad move! As soon as my friend began this work, crazy things began to crop up – she got wrong information about meeting times, her car nearly ran out of gas, etc. Finally, my friend went back and prayed about this, at which point, the Lord showed her that things weren’t working because He didn’t want her to do this job in the first place. My friend gratefully bowed out, leaving the job for someone else of God’s choosing. Now notice that my friend failed to pray in the beginning and that she later got clear permission from God to quit. Sometimes God does call us to tough jobs, but when He calls, He will also confirm that call for us.
2. Never assume that you are the only one who can do a particular job or that you are the best person for that job. Moses probably began sorting out problems because he was the leader. But the talents that go to make up an effective pioneering leader are not necessarily the same talents that will make an able negotiator. Men and women with a pioneering spirit are forging ahead and continually searching for new challenges; however, they also may not be patient, flexible, or accommodating. Having a constant vision can lead to single – mindedness that does not admit alternative solutions. For years I was the only doctor at our mission hospital and I bore the brunt of leadership with a few other leaders. Later I was relieved to pass that burden on to those who might have a broader vision.
3. Realize that leadership is dynamic and that you should always be developing more leaders. As long as Moses was the only one solving problems, there was no scope for anyone else to develop leadership qualities. But do the math: 600,000 men – 600 commanders of thousands, 6,000 commanders of hundreds, 12,000 commanders of fifties, and 60,000 commanders of tens = 78,600 men who were now elevated to various levels of leadership as judges. You might argue about the math, but the idea is still the same. Suddenly, instead of behaving like so many small children, these men had to assume new responsibilities and wrestle with the problems that had plagued Moses. Hopefully, these men would gain new respect and compassion for Moses and would also begin to develop as leaders. All these men also would serve as officers for their tribes, thus helping the tribes come together as cohesive units. God was preparing this leadership organization so that when He gave His commands on Mount Sinai, Moses would have an effective means of transmitting those commands to the people.
At some point, we all face the same choices that Moses did: delegate or become exhausted and burn out. It is NOT God’s will for us to burn out by assuming work that was never ours in the first place. May God help us to discern His perfect will for our lives!
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to always seek Your guidance so that we will only take up the jobs You have for us and not something else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
October 14, 2021 at 12:02 pm
This is a good writing. I have seen churches deeply hurt by people who carve out their niche, and then build a fortress around their little kingdom within the church. They lose all sense of servanthood. Thank you for writing each day. God Bless, Martin