People God can use. Exodus 18:13-27 Sacrifices and burnt offerings have been made to God since the time of Abel as a way to worship the unseen, living God. These offerings made people visibly aware of God and allowed them to openly show their faith in Him. An innocent, sinless victim took the place of someone who valued what it meant to be accepted by God through an acceptable substitute.
God is “not far from every one of us,” but He was perceived by those who offered sacrifices as being present in a special way even though He was invisible to them. When the “law of the offerings” was given later, the descriptions and reasons for each different sacrifice provided a different perspective for each individual offering. The offering Jethro made included a feast attended by Aaron and the leaders of Israel. This opened the way for Jethro to speak to Moses the next day about delegating responsibility to others for the day-to-day decisions that needed to be made in the nation.
Although Jethro was from Midian, he feared the Lord and did not claim to speak for God. He was simply offering some common-sense advice. Israel had some form of law because Abraham understood God’s charges, commandments, statutes, and laws. These principles exist in every culture, even though people's sinful desires often cause their laws to shift in favor of the majority rather than meeting the basic needs of mankind.
God had used Moses individually as he managed leadership responsibilities by himself. It's not always easy to entrust responsibilities to others. Guiding, teaching, and judging over two million people was a daunting task and, in a sense, impossible to do alone. Israel had become a nation of people, and Jethro seemed to realize Moses was expected to do more than he could effectively handle. Jethro's celebration and the sacrificial meal opened the way for his suggestion to Moses that he delegate the judicial aspects of leadership to others.
It is challenging to delegate tasks we once handled to others without expecting them to do them the same way we did. Passing on our responsibilities suggests we are either too old, unable to do a good job, or seem to be becoming limited in our abilities. This can be humiliating because we often believe others think we lack what it takes.
In every society with order rather than chaos, mature people can act as effective judges because of their wisdom and experience. They can handle minor issues that lead to disagreements or serious matters that divide people. Appropriate behavior for living in a family, an assembly, or a nation has been ingrained in us to some extent. God has delegated leadership to people in these three areas of life. God intends a husband or father to be responsible for the family's social structure. Elders hold that leadership responsibility in an assembly, and leaders in a country are accountable for the nation.
God can give us the strength and wisdom we need for the work He assigns us. However, there comes a time when capable men who fear God, love the truth, and hate covetousness can do for the whole congregation what is beyond one man's ability to accomplish or what he cannot do due to the limits of time.
The advantages would have been easy to notice. Moses would focus on things directly related to God, passing on His will through His servant Moses. He would be able to teach the laws and statutes that would soon be given. Men who could be trusted to lead in areas of social difficulty quickly and with minimal negative impact would be chosen to handle those matters.
This same pattern was followed in the early church when men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, were set apart to serve God's people. Men who honor and fear God, who are committed to God's truth and are not corrupted by greed, can lead God's people with unbiased impartiality. Men like this are highly valuable to God's people today. In turn, they enable others to listen to their teaching, preaching, and prayer.
The gift of leadership is essential among God's people. It takes time to "commit to faithful men" the things we have learned from others. However, ongoing training of leaders cannot be learned just by attending a school. Wise leaders will personally pass on their knowledge of Christ, God's Word, and leadership principles, and then give those to whom the work has been delegated the privilege of doing their work as to the Lord and for the Lord alone. They will not be identical to us nor do things exactly as we did - which is probably a good thing for the most part.
In any matter involving justice, those who pass judgment must recognize they are accountable to God for their verdicts. It is essential for anyone delivering the word of the Lord to ensure decisions are based on God’s unchanging standards. His laws and justice resolve issues when we consult the scriptures and know we are applying the truth.
Our Lord Jesus is both the Savior and the Judge. Those who decide a matter need to base their judgment on who God truly is, rather than emphasizing one attribute of God over another. The God who is the Deliverer, Provider, Protector, and Banner is also the Judge – the Supreme Authority in the universe.