Jethro's Advice

Question: Jethro gave Moses advice and Moses acted upon it. But Jethro wasn’t from the children of Israel's stock, why should Moses listen to him? Is it something to do with Gentiles being brought into the faith in the New Testament?

Answer: That’s an interesting point. Jethro and Moses both descended from Abraham, but Jethro’s line was via Keturah, who married Abraham later in his life. But there’s a good picture there because although Moses came from the covenant line through Isaac, Paul explains in the New Testament “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel” (Rom 9:6). And also “Understand, then, that those who have faith are sons of Abraham” (Gal 3:7).

So perhaps we could say, that Gentile Christians came, like Jethro, from a different route. 

When Jethro visited Moses in the Sinai wilderness, he saw Moses decide one case after another, with Moses saying, “Next case, please. Step forward.” The disputes were basically teaching righteousness to the people. God is righteous and Moses taught the people God’s laws: if something had been stolen, it must be returned. If someone had been treated disrespectfully then apologies should be made and Moses would point out why we need to respect each other.

Jethro saw that Moses was teaching what all human beings should do: do to others as you yourself would have them do to you. 

Jethro could see what was happening so gave Moses some valuable advice. The work was too heavy for Moses alone, he needed to delegate. 

Jethro told Moses to appoint trustworthy men as judges. Moses had more pressing matters to attend to—he was meeting with God and learning more of what God was doing with the Israelites, particularly as their plan was to head towards their promised land. Moses also had the job of writing that he needed to attend to. Jethro pointed out something that the apostles in Acts 6:2 noted: “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.” Moses was in a similar position and Jethro pointed it out.

This is a clear lesson of how God gives us our own work to do. God could have told Moses himself, but the Lord delegated the work to Jethro. He knew that Jethro had the wisdom and experience to guide Moses in this matter. God took a step back and allowed men to relay his will to each other. God doesn’t do everything for us: we have to rise to the challenge ourselves. Adam was given the job of naming all the animals he saw, God could have done it but he wants us to add our own mark on his creation. A mother may teach her child how to paint a picture of a house, the parent could do the job herself, but that wouldn’t help society move forward. God, in a similar way, wants us to use the creative abilities that he has placed in us. We are all a part of God’s creation and if we all played our part as he intended, our lives would be different. 

Here, we see a Midian priest guiding the fledgling Israelite nation. Jethro’s advice to Moses may have had a long-term effect on the Israelite community—we can see the beginnings of the judges that would later rule in Israel.

God knew Jethro and used him accordingly. 

“God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Timothy 2:19). 

Praise God, we serve a God who knows.

Our knowledge has its limits, we are sometimes at a loss what to do next. But we have a firm foundation beneath us—God knows. He is aware, so we look to him. 

Perhaps some people think that God does not always see, but the Lord’s response is, “I have been watching! declares the LORD” (Jer 7:11).

Yes, the Lord knows those who are committed to him in truth and humility and those who are not. Men look at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. 

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron 16:9). 

So while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, Jethro suggested that Moses should select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hated dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Which Moses did, so if the men in charge of “tens” had a problem that they found hard to resolve they could take it to the next level. And if the man on the next level found it hard to solve he could take it higher still, and so on right up to Moses.

Moses was a man who they could fall back on, but Moses himself had another level to fall back on and that was his firm foundation, the Lord Almighty, the God who knows. 

The Lord wants us to do what we can, and use the talents, gifts and abilities that he has given us, God uses people. But each committed man or woman has the firm foundation of God to stand on.

Moses had the Egyptian army on one side and the disgruntled children of Israel on the other and we find that Moses cried out to the Lord: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on’” (Exod 14:15). The Lord knew the route for Moses and the people to take. 

We too, have people that we can look to, for God has set order in his church, and God uses people who are inspired by his Spirit to help, minister and encourage the Body of Christ here on earth. But beneath us all are the everlasting arms of God—a firm foundation for all of us.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut 33:27).

The Lord was happy to use Jethro to convey his will. "Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right" (Acts 10:34-35).