After the victory over Amalek Moses met with his father-in-law Jethro and during this interaction Jethro instructed Moses to appoint men to be judges and rulers over the people. This must have been another exciting time for the men of Israel who had just had their manhood restored on the battlefield. Now they were going to be given positions of authority and permission to govern the people and I can imagine that this was another time of rejoicing because after four hundred years they were being vindicated for their suffering. I am sure this had a huge impact on them!
Here is what Jethro told Moses, “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. 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. 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. 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. 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.” (Exodus 18:19-23)
What a beautiful image of a people a being restored and men given their rightful places of authority as the leaders of their people! It gives me goose bumps to think about how excited the men must have been and how proud their wives and children must have been. I love the image I get of the men who were to be chosen. Able men who feared God; men of truth who hated covetousness and who would be the leaders over people separated into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. Sounds a lot like the kind of men and women God is calling today to be leaders in the body of Christ.
And the requirements for leadership have great significance! God was and is looking for leaders who are able which means spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically capable of leadership because they know where their strength comes from and they draw on it to lead God’s people. Men and women who fear God; though fearing God for the New Covenant leader means someone who reverences God and serves Him wholeheartedly, not double minded and unstable in his ways. Men and women of truth who can be trusted in their leadership role and who people can rely on to deliver the truth of God’s word, not man’s interpretation of it. Men and women who do not covet but instead have learned to be content in the position God has given them. In other words they know who they are and do not look to outside sources to give them their identity. They rely completely on God to be their strength and they don’t abuse their position of authority in any way! They don’t get jealous of someone else’s success, relationships, or anything else.
There was a reason God wanted these kinds of leaders back then and a reason He is looking for them today. He has a plan and a purpose that can only be done through man and so He needs man to implement His plan. Did you notice what Jethro says is the result if Moses does what he has instructed? He says, “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. (Exodus 18:23) As we know out of the leaders who were chosen only a few were able to fulfill these requirements but for those who did, there was great reward and for those who didn’t there were grave consequences! The same is true today.
Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23,” “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” But the difference is that the leader today isn’t required to fulfill keeping the law and leading a people to keep the law. They are required to keep the truth which is Jesus Christ the Son of God who is the only way to salvation. And they are to know that they are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and know that they have been saved by grace through faith, not by works of the flesh. And then they are to teach it to others. For those who do there is great reward but for those who don’t there are grave consequences just like in the days of the Israelites.
Now in the third month of their journey the children of Israel came out from the land of Rephidim where they had just defeated Amalek and been restored to their rightful places of authority and they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. I am sure that emotions were running high and they were still consumed by a victory mindset when they came into this land. I can imagine that many glorious praises were still being given to God for His faithfulness in the battle against the Amaleks and His restoring the men to their rightful places of authority. To end today’s study and to prepare for tomorrow let’s meditate on Exodus 19:3-6 and ask the Holy Spirit to open our understanding as we prepare to learn more about how and why the laws were given and why they are not for us today.
"And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
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