“Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?’”
-Exodus 18:13-14 (NIV)
Today we begin a series on Biblical Leadership. Now, more than ever, we need spiritual leaders who know why they are needed and understand their calling.
God’s people have always needed leaders. The reason is simple: we’re human; our condition requires intervention. And, the way God chooses to intervene most often is through other humans.
In Moses’ day, it was clear that there were disputes to resolve and decisions to render. People stood for hours and/or days waiting for their “intervention”. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, observed that this in itself was injustice and did not serve the best interests of the nation. Thus, he recommended that Moses
“select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves… you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.” (vv. 21-23)
This worked for two reasons:
1. It kept Moses from burning out
2. It got the people exponentially closer to closure
As we look at churches today, we may not notice the heavy load put on the Pastor or Staff. We may have been quite comfortable previously in letting the “professionals” handle ministry. But, that’s unrealistic and unbiblical. Lay people, whether volunteer or remunerated, are needed to lead in their spheres of responsibility. We can’t default to the clergy; God wants His whole team in the game.
Are you game?
