Outside Eyes Looking In

Have you ever had someone look upon what you are doing and suggest a better way to do it? In today's reading in Exodus 18 we find that happening.

First off I learned something new while reading this chapter. Moses had sent his wife Zipporah and her two boys off to stay with her dad. I hadn't known that before. I just figured the whole family was together all the time. But anyways, here comes Jethro, bringing his daughter Zipporah and the boys back to be with Moses.

5Jethro, 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. 6And when he sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her," 7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

Jethro was the priest from Midian. And when he arrived, Moses took the time to tell him all that God had done with the people of Israel.

And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

All this information caused Jethro to realize the The Lord indeed was God, and he brought before the Lord burnt offerings and sacrifices.

The next day it was business as usual. Moses sat before the people and they brought him all their troubles. All day long he judged them. Jethro saw what was happening and asked What is going on here? Moses explained

Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16when 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.

Jethro immediately knew that this was not a good situation for Moses. In time Moses would get worn out. It was a thing to heavy to be borne by one person. He then presented Moses with an alternative solution

You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20and 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. 21Moreover, 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. 22And 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. 23If 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 good, goodly men were put in place over the people. Mini judges in a way. These men had to be able, they had to fear God, they had to be trustworthy, and they had to be unbribe-able (in fact had to hate bribery). They were placed over 1000's, 100's, 50's and 10's. These men would be the judges of Israel. And Moses would only handle the cases that these men could not. Moses would still teach the people the commands and statutes of God. But in this way, his workload would be easier, and he would be able to stand under it.

And so, one man, looking in from outside, made the work of the one of the people of God more bearable.

Makes me
1. consider the God that people have placed in my life that make my work more bearable
2. ask, how can I be used of God to make life more bearable for another of his people. What can my eyes be used to see?