Sage Advice - Jethro And Moses

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?”

Exodus 18:14

From its inception in 1946 until its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was beset with delays, budget problems, and design flaws. An official who prepared a presentation on the lessons of Hubble’s problems placed the following at the top of his list: “In naming your mission, never use a word that rhymes with trouble.”

Someone once said, “A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Nobody lives long enough to make them all himself.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, wanted to prevent Moses from making enough mistakes to bury the newborn nation of Israel. Like so many zealous leaders, Moses filled his plate to overflowing. He often worked from dawn till dusk, just listening to and settling his people’s legal disputes.

Into this state of affairs came Jethro, who told Moses, “This is not good! 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” (Exodus 18:17-18). Jethro then offered Moses some sage advice: Slow down and let someone else do part of the work!

As a priest of Midian and a successful businessman, Jethro had a lot of wisdom to share. Very likely, in his long-past youthful zeal, Jethro had learned the value of seeking help when his load became too heavy.

Jethro advised Moses to select men who loved and feared God as arbiters and leaders of the people. To qualify, they had to demonstrate high character and integrity in every area of their personal lives. Moses was more than happy to follow his father-in-law’s advice.

Sometimes God allows you to earn some wisdom through your mistakes. When he does that, a time may come when you can impart some of those hard-earned smarts. By tapping into your own experience, you can encourage others to avoid the things you already know won’t work.