Typically this story is thought of as good advice from
Moses’ father-in-law but I wonder that is the correct interpretation. I have heard at least one rabbi say that this
was a mistake and it set the stage for the sending of spies into the land. The reason I wonder if that interpretation
might be more correct is the phrase that is repeated twice in the reading of
obeying the voice. Jethro commands Moses
to obey his voice and then later we are told that Moses obeyed the voice of
Jethro. That is a problem because if you
look through the book of Genesis you will see that every time someone obeys the
voice of another person trouble ensues.
It is the charge God brings against Adam, “because you obeyed the voice
of your wife.” Abraham obeys the voice
of Sarah when he agrees to sleep with Hagar.
Jacob obeys the voice of his mother on two different occasions. Jethro may have good intentions but the
reality is that Moses didn’t actually hear God’s voice tell him to do
this. It is good worldly wisdom but was
it Godly wisdom? I don’t have an answer
to that question but it is worth considering that Moses laid down his authority
here and shared it with others without asking God about it.
The genealogy of Jesus certainly makes Him an interesting
figure to be Messiah. David’s line
included: a child that was the product of an encounter when the mother (Tamar)
pretended to be a prostitute to trick her father-in-law (Judah) into
impregnating her (and she acted more righteously than he in that case), a
prostitute, Rahab, and a Moabite woman, Ruth, and the ideal king, David, who
was an adulterer and murderer. The
amazing thing about Jewish history is that they would not clean up the line by
omitting some of these details. There
were Gentiles and people of ill-repute, enemies of the nation and nobodies from
nowhere whom God used to bring about the Messiah that He had prepared from
before the foundation of the world.
People knew there would be a connection with the Davidic line but no one
suspected it would be this couple, Mary and Joseph, who would be the
parents. Then God used a strange man who
had strange personal habits to be the one who would fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy
about a messenger. God’s ways are
sometimes questionable from a worldly point of view aren’t they?
Leadership in the Christian community is not a matter of
power but rather of shepherding, exactly what Jesus commissioned Peter to do on
the shore of the lake in John 21. The
model for the role of leader then would be the shepherd from Psalm 23. The other side of the equation, as Peter
points out, is that we, the sheep, need to be of a certain character, humble
and subjected to our elders. I consider
myself one of the sheep even though I have a leadership role. I am subject to a
bishop and the council of bishops of our denomination as my shepherds and I am
to exhibit both the character of shepherd and leader as are many in the church
who have leadership roles. In all these
things we are to be aware that there is an enemy prowling and looking to devour
us, and we are to resist him. We are to
be thankful we have a great shepherd who has defeated that enemy and on whom we
can rely for protection from that enemy.
Authority is a matter of knowing you are in authority and relying on
Him.
Did we in our own
strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
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