Take Good Advice
March 15, 2004
While Moses was one of history's greatest leaders,
he couldn't solve every problem by himself. And neither can you
or I. Fortunately, Moses had what we need. He possessed the
wisdom and humility to allow others to provide him insight and
guidance. Nobody gave him more strategic advice than his
father-in-law, Jethro (Exodus 18:13-26). If you think settling
disputes in your family is tough, imagine having to settle every
dispute for 2.5 million people.
While visiting with Moses, Jethro observed
Israel's leader individually settling every personal and legal
dispute for the people. The long line of people, the sweat on
Moses' brow and the deep bags under his eyes no doubt triggered
a red warning light in Jethro's mind. Something was seriously
wrong. People were exhausted by the long wait and the endless
pressure drained Moses.
Jethro quickly formulated a plan that revealed an
acute awareness of how organizations can be effectively
structured to maximize resources. First, he urged Moses to
educate all of the people in the kind of behavior God expected
of them. Such widespread education would no doubt enable the
people to determine God's will regarding many of their problems.
Next, he urged Moses to select men to serve as
judges over "thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens" (v. 21) so
they could decide the simple cases. The difficult cases would
still be brought to Moses. Of course, Jethro recognized only
qualified men could serve in such roles. He said these judges
should be "capable." In the Hebrew language the word for
"capable" means "faithful." They were to be men who had a proven
track record. They were to be men who had demonstrated an
ability to consistently look out for the interests of others.
Next, they were to be men "who hate dishonest
gain." Only such men would be safe from those who would try to
buy a decision. And only such men would be trusted by the people
to never show favoritism.
Fortunately for the people of Israel, Moses listened to Jethro's
advice. Every leader needs to develop an organizational system
that spreads out the workload and better meets the needs of his
constituents. Doing so often means taking seriously the counsel
of others.
|
