A Critical Examination of Jethro's Advice to Moses and its Effect on Ministers Today

1.0    Introduction

Moses, having led a whole nation (numbering over 2 million in number assuming one wife and two children to a man) out of Egypt was charged with spiritual and political oversight for this huge population. The visit of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law and his advice to him is one event in scriptures that presents one of the most profound teachings to ministers of God, both in antiquity and in our contemporary world.

This paper seeks to critically examine the implications of this advice to Ministers today. To effectively address this, it will be expedient to analyse the situation or condition in which Jethro met Moses at Rephidim, that is, his original style of attending to the people of God and its implications on the leader (Moses), the led (Israel) and the ministry itself. Thereafter, the effects of this counsel  to the contemporary  church leader will be discussed.

2.0    The Antecedents of the Advice -Exodus 18:13-18 ¹

God’s choice of Moses as an instrument of deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt puts a prerogative of being a lawgiver and also a judge amongst them. He explained the law to them, answered their questions and served as God’s oracle to determine the will of God. He also settled quarrels and determined variances people a man and his neighbour. These duties he performed with great zeal, faithfulness and industry; not even taking the occasion of his father-in-law’s visit to take time off, he attended to the people from morning till evening the next day of his arrival (Ex18:13).

Many contemporary leaders or ministers today, just like Moses, take on their spiritual calling with utmost dedication and faithfulness devoting their time and energy to church activities, conducting naming ceremonies, baptism of members, preaching every Sunday sermon, bible study teaching and leading all prayer meetings just to ensure that the ‘work’ does not ‘suffer’. Every file or matter must be go through the Pastor to be redressed, no one else can give approval or take decisions regarding the church but the Pastor.

However, a quick situation analysis by Jethro identified the implications of this style of leadership in three aspects; on Moses, on the people and the ministry itself (vs.18).

2.1    Antecedent effects on Moses

Jethro’s question to Moses and his response ‘….because the people come to me to enquire of God….’ (Ex. 18:15), reveals his distorted perception, which was the crux of his ministry style. 1) Moses thought that ‘he’ was the only one that could reveal the will of God to the people. He had come to see himself as the only person qualified to rightly judge the people’s disputes ²_.

2) Moses believed that every request for his help made the matter his responsibility 3) He seemed to assume that because people came to him personally for help it was his responsibility to help them personally 4) Moses wrongly reasoned that because his task was to lead the entire nation, he must do so by dealing with people one at a time ³.

Jethro noted that it was too much business for Moses to undertake alone, that it would be a prejudice to his health and too great a fatigue to him; the resultant effect will be a ‘burn out’ for Moses, a frazzled psychological condition ³  therefore he tells him plainly, it is not good ⁵.

According to the Schaeffer Institute, 70 percent of pastors constantly fight depression, and 71 percent are burned out, 80 percent believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families; and 70 percent say they don’t have a close friend ⁶. Dr Richard Krejcir in his article ‘Avoiding Burnouts as Pastors’ alludes to    the fact that burnout for pastors is perhaps one of the main reasons why  people quit and leave ministry.

This style of ministry where the Pastors does it alone also impact on time management. Moses attended to people from morning to evening. The question is when does he have time to pray, study, or even attend to his immediate family needs, wife and children? The neglect of these critical needs has resulted in many family crises that have negatively impacted on the kingdom business and ended in disgrace. But for Jethro’s intervention, Moses perhaps would have lost communion with  God, raised wayward children and made a shipwreck of his faith.

There may be over-doing even in well-doing, and therefore our zeal must always be governed by discretion, that our good may not be evil spoken of. Wisdom is profitable to direct, that we may neither content ourselves with less than our duty nor over-task ourselves with that which is beyond our strength⁵.

2.2    Antecedent effects on the people

The one-man show that Moses was running also took a toll on the people he was called to lead. Even though Moses was a strong man and had the will to work, he was still a man with limited capacity as he himself declared in Deut 1: 9 that the burden was much for him. The process was tiresome to the people, who, were obliged to wait a long time because of the multitude of cases needing attention. Some of them from morning to night, and yet could not get their audience with Moses and were obliged to attend next day, and perhaps day after day ⁸. 

Seeking audience with a man of God and not being able to see him can spring up several consequences in the congregation; frustration, neglect, anger, despair, grumbling and murmuring among others, which are unhealthy for the church (Act 6:1).

Moreover, the mature ones among the congregation will have developed a mood of inadequacy and uselessness; thinking that only Moses had something to offer the people. Many times, when such situations are not properly managed, it results in rebellion.

2.3    Antecedent effects on the Ministry

The scenario that Jethro observed before he gave his advice was that of an inefficient mode of operation. If Moses were to continue at that rate, some of the people will never get their confusion about the law resolved because it would never be their turn till the end of Moses’ lifetime! Lack of delegation has implication for investing so much and getting very little result because we can only do so much with our human ability.

Moreover, the ministry of Moses would have been largely limited to the few lives he could have touched personally through his one-on-one ministration, he would have left much grounds uncovered.

Many times, this same ministry that Pastors or men of God over-work themselves over eventually becomes a victim of their lack of discretion and wisdom. A Pastor who dies young as a result of stress paints God as a slave driver to his congregation; or a leader whose wife leaves him owing from neglect and lack of care brings disrepute on the very gospel he has been called to preach.

3.0    The Implications of the Advice on Contemporary Ministers –Ex.18:19-22

The wise counsel of Jethro to Moses highlights some critical principles which we find also applied in the New Testament church.

The first principle Jethro taught Moses is that a leader must take charge and be in control of his time. It was obvious that Moses was accepting all invitations, attending to all issues and was not in control of what he spent his time on or chose to see.  To put the matter in contemporary terms, the higher the level of a corporate executive, the more difficult it becomes to obtain an appointment with that leader. Our text implies that Moses was not turning down any appointments. Jethro therefore urged Moses to exercise leadership by getting in control of his time, and of the ways in which he would lead the people.³

The second was prioritization and the third delegation. Moses was advised to devote himself to intercession for the people (v. 19) and instruction (v. 20); which were the core of the ministry God called him to. A leader must prioritize; he must be able to distinguish the major from the minor and focus his attention and energy on only one thing that is needful (Lk. 10:42).  The parallels between Exodus chapter 18 (including its implementation in Deuteronomy 1:9-18) and Acts 6 are supernatural. Both the Old and New Testament incidents originated from problems which were the result of rapid growth, large numbers of people, and too few leaders. Both events required the leadership to expand, and for those on the highest level of leadership to devote themselves to their primary calling; the ministry of the word and prayer, and to delegate the other ministries to highly qualified men.

Delegation was to be done to enable him share the burden with other like-minded people. Ministry is not to be run in isolation. Our Lord Jesus Christ also lived by this principle; he called the twelve to himself to walk together, then he called the 70 as well and gave them authority to do the same miracles he did.

The fourth point that must be noted as incorporated in the advice is the need to carefully select the delegates. They must be godly and faithful, people who have overcome sin and the flesh (2 Timothy 2:2). This is a failure that is apparent in the contemporary church of today, where men whose character have not been tested and tried are given responsibilities in the church to the detriment of the flock. Jesus understood the implication of this and spent the night praying before he eventually selected the twelve. Apostle Paul admonishes Timothy to lay hands on no man suddenly (I Tim. 5:22) and before Jesus sent out His disciples, He taught them and poured himself into them.

We also see that for Moses to effectively delegate, he must still have oversight and leadership over those under him requiring managerial skills. Since Moses was to appoint judges (leaders of smaller groups), it then means that he himself was to become a manager of these leaders and as such must develop the necessary skills. They were to bring great matters that needed intervention to him because delegation is the exercise of leadership, not the outright abandonment of it. ⁹ Ministers today must develop themselves in the requisite managerial skills for ministry, we see many teachers today who were not taught, many pastors without pastor. The result is that they lack spiritual oversight and control and as such become easy preys to the enemy.

Finally, the attitude of a leader must reflect deep humility, willing to learn and teachable. Moses exemplified the character of humility by accepting the advice of Jethro. It is tragic to imagine leaders today who cannot be controlled by older and more experienced men of God. They blurt out ‘don’t you tell me how to do my job, you are ordained, I am ordained’. ¹⁰

4.0    Conclusion

The advice of Jethro came timely to Moses and also provides a gold mine of leadership principles for the contemporary ministers. We can conclude that Moses’ heeding of the wise counsel must have contributed to his ability to find time enough to write the Pentateuch; the most revered of all the scriptures by the Jews today, upon which all the other books of the bible rest. The lessons from these writings have impacted on the New Testament church and are also for our example today.

5.0    References

1.      The Holy Bible, New King James Version. New Testament Copyright 1979; Thomas Nelson, Inc.

2.      http://crupressgreen.com/

3.      Bob Deffinbaugh (2004) The Tyranny of the Urgent. Available at https://bible.org/seriespage/

4.      Biblical Coaching according to Jethro: An Old Testament Model. Available at: http://reformedbiblicalcoaching.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/biblical-coaching-according-to-jethro-an-old-testament-model/

5.      Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc.

6.      Francis A. Schaeffer (2000). Available at: http://www.churchleadership.org/.

7.      Richard Krejcir (2000). Avoiding Burnouts as Pastors. Available at: http://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=42892&columnid=4607

8.      Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

9.      Jethro's Counsel to Moses. Available at: www.enduringword.com

10.  Jethro’s Advice (2010). Available at :http://grahamculver.wordpress.com/)

The Dynamics of God's Call

Introduction

God has been calling men into His service from time immemorial. Every time there was a purpose to fulfill, God always sought for a man. The scriptures are replete with people of different characteristics that have been called by God at specific points in the fulfillment of His divine agenda for the world at large and His people, in particular – imperfect people, those who had made mistakes, and those who had no idea what they were getting into.¹ As he did in those days, He is also calling men and women in our contemporary world today.

Under the dispensation of grace, even though the Lord Jesus has called all believers and given them a mandate to ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel….’ (Matt 28:19) ², He is still calling some to specific assignments and ministries, apart from the general call.

This paper aims to critically analyse the call of God in the olden days and contemporary days using Foursquare Gospel Church as a case study. The analysis will include the ‘How’, that is, the method or mode of God’s call, the occasion of His call, the ‘Why’ that is, the purpose of the call, the ‘When’ of the call, the ‘Whence’ that is, the target, audience or destination and the persuasion and response to the call.

The Method of God’s Call

Every time God call anyone, He employs a distinctive method of calling the person. God has myriads of ways through which He speaks to people. In the account t of Noah, the bible records that looked to the earth and saw that it was corrupt, the ‘And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch….’ Gen 6:13-14. God spoke directly to Noah, Joshua, and Samuel; He appeared to Abram and Moses, though we are not told how He appeared to Abram but to Moses in a burning bush. However, He sent angels or prophets to some of the judges of Israel like Gideon (Judg 6:12) and Barak (Judges 4:6) when He called them. We also see some men of God that were called right from their Mother’s womb like Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5) and Samson (Judg. 13:3-4).

Another dimension of the ‘how’ of God’s call is evident in the amount of detail he chooses to give at the first instance of the call. God immediately told Noah what His intentions were and what He wanted Noah to do for Him, as was also the case of Moses, Joshua and Gideon; He however chose not to be so explicit in the case of Abram (Gen.12:1) and Ruth (Ruth 1:15-18); there was an element of uncertainty that demanded faith.

In our contemporary world, God is still using the same method He used in the bible days to call men to ministry. History has it that one of the greatest revivalists of our time, Apostle Ayo Babalola heard an audible voice call his name and told him to abandon his job and start preaching the gospel.³ The founder of Foursquare Gospel Church, Aimee Semple McPherson, also received her calling thorough a voice telling her to ‘do the work of an evangelist’ even though at that time of her life, it was a general norm that women were not allowed to minister. ⁴ The still small voice, visions of the night, prophecies and the word of God are some other methods of receiving God’s call that are common today. However, it is important to note that many ‘so called’ men of God today have misconstrued the devils voice or their own voice for the voice of God, claiming they were called into ministry when in actual fact, God did not speak to them.

The Occasion of God’s call

Moses’ call is one of the most dramatic of all the men called by God in bible days. The Lord appeared to him in a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire; already presenting a picture of what He was about to discuss with Moses –a people oppressed but not consumed. This was the occasion of God call upon Moses; the oppression of His people and their cry to Him for help. For Joshua, the children of Israel had exited from Egypt, they had journeyed through the wilderness for 40 years aspiring for the Promised Land –Canaan; then suddenly the person that was their leader (Moses) died. The people were about to be stranded and God’s promise of bringing then to the Promised Land was being threatened; God needed a replacement for Moses.

We can therefore establish that the call of God into service or ministry is always occasioned by a need. Noah’s generation was described that ones whose hearts were continually evil and grieved God; the children of Israel were being heavily tormented and ravaged by the Midianites when God called Gideon; Samson was born at the time of Philistines’ oppression of Israel and when it became apparent to God that Saul’s heart was disobedient and impenitent, He sent Samuel to secretly anoint David as King. Samuel himself, called as a little child, came on the scene at a time when the ‘the word of God was scarce in the land’.

As it was in the olden days, the call of God today is still being occasioned by specific needs. Pastor Enoch Adeboye, an educated and erudite lecturer with PhD and a living legend in the ministry in Nigeria today, was called to take over the leadership of the church from his predecessor, Revd. J. O. Akindayomi; an unschooled man that knew how to read the bible in Yoruba only by divine intervention. History has it that before he even gave his life to Christ, God had told Revd. Akindayomi, the founder of the church, that ‘a man of books’ will join the church and will eventually take over from him. There was a need to expand the ministry beyond the Yoruba land to the uttermost parts of the earth including the elites, and it will require an educated man like Adeboye. ⁵

The Purpose of God’s call

God is a God of purposes and plans; every call of God is therefore certainly aimed at achieving a particular purpose. Being omniscient and sovereign, God carefully orchestrates his plans so that His divine purposes for man, His people and the world in general are not defeated. The entire scriptures, from the Old Testament to the New, is a grand design to save God’s people (Jews and adopted gentiles) through the revelation of His only begotten Son. His calling of various men and women those days, though specific to particular needs in their days, was therefore to feed into this ultimate purpose of God.

The call of Abraham was to raise a people for God through whom the rest of the nations will be blessed; Noah was to build an ark for the rescue of the remnants that were to populate the earth after God’s flood judgement; Joshua was to lead the people into the promised land and divide the inheritance among them; Esther became queen so as to deliver the people of God from extermination; Samson and other judges in Israel were raised for the deliverance of the Israelites from oppression by their enemies and Samuel was God’s replacement for Eli to continue His theocratic rule of Israel.

The call of God must of necessity result in salvation, first of the called so as to have fellowship with God, and then of his target audience. Jesus called the Apostles, first that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach (Mk 3:14). The Foursquare Gospel preached by Aimee Semple McPherson resulted in salvation, healing, baptism of the Holy Ghost and gave people hope in the second coming of our Lord Jesus  Christ. Any man or woman who claims that God has called him or her must examine the outcome of his ministry; are souls being saved and evidenced by righteous living and aspiration for heaven? This is indeed the acid test of a true call.

The Timing of God’s Call

The nature of God’s call, the fact that it is always linked to a purpose, makes it also time-bound. God’s call are related to his moves and these are in turn related to the dispensations of God. The dispensation of the law witnessed the call of several men and women of God into ministry to fulfil certain tasks within the time frame before the revelation of Christ.  Most times once the assignment commences, the timing last throughout the existence of the called and he may even need to hand over to others to continue the work e.g. Joshua commenced the possession and division of the inheritance to Israel but they could not conquer the whole land before he died. 

The call of God is usually preceded by a time of preparation. Moses was prepared for 40 years in Pharaoh’s palace; there he learnt the culture of Egypt and that of his people having been given the opportunity to be raised by his very own mother. He then went through another round of 40 years preparation in the wilderness rearing sheep and learning how to care for the flock before he was ready for the assignment. Joshua learnt diligently under Moses and was prepared to succeed him; just as Elisha went through a learning period before receiving the mantle of Elijah. Our Lord Jesus Christ also prepared for ministry before he was launched into ministry.

Every call has a time of manifestation. Recognizing this, Jesus warned His mother when she wanted to expose Him at the wedding at Cana “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come” (Jn 2:4). Moses had to learn this the hard way because he had sensed the call of God on him to deliver his people and thought he could do it by his strength when he killed the Egyptian for the Israelite. Acts 7:25 reveals that Moses supposed that the Jews would recognize him as God's deliverer, but they didn't; ⁶ little did he know that he had 40 years more to go! Hearing the call is important, but discerning the time is also critical. There is an appointed time for every purpose of God and He is never in a hurry. He carefully plans out His assignment; all we need to do is follow His instructions.

The contemporary ministers have a lot to learn in this regard. Many young people run away from their time of preparation because the want to manifest quickly, but there is a time of preparation and a time of manifestation. People who manifest before their time never last on the scene, they hardly succeed in the assignment because they skipped the time of preparation during which character, submission, discipline and strength are developed. In Foursquare Gospel Church, we do ‘lay hands on no man suddenly’ (I Tim. 5:22) when it comes to the ministry. Anyone professing to have received the call of God is subjected to a time of tutelage and encouraged to study to acquire more skills before being ordained a Pastor.

Promise of the Call

Every call of God has a promise attached to it. This is to motivate, encourage and assure the person being called of the backing of heaven in the execution of the assignment. When He called Abram, He promised to bless Him, He called Moses and promised to give him words to speak before Pharaoh; the call of Joshua was accompanied with the promise of His presence as He was with Moses; even Jesus promised His disciples ‘…lo, I am with you always, even till the end of the world’ (Matt 28:20).

Response to the Call of God

Whenever a call is made, it is in anticipation of a response. The call of God therefore requires an answer. Servants of God called in scriptures have displayed several kinds of initial responses to God that we must learn from. Moses, Jeremiah, Gideon and King Saul’s initial responses were those of fear and inadequacy and showed that they were looking at themselves rather than the ability of the caller. Many run from the call like Jonah but soon discovered that they could not hide from the maker of all the heavens and the earth. However, Abraham responded in faith to the call to an uncertain place and thereby became the father of faith.

It is unimaginable what Christianity in Nigeria and the world at large would have been like if the likes of Apostle Ayo Babalola, Bishop Benson Idahosa, Pastor Adejare Adeboye, Bishop David Oyedepo etc did not respond positively to God’s call. Aimee Semple McPherson could have hidden under the guise of ‘women are not allowed to preach’ and perhaps we would not have heard about her today.

Conclusion

It is an established fact that just as God called people in the olden days using different methods, He is still calling people in our contemporary times. His call however has not changed in characteristics –it is usually occasioned by a need; directed at a particular purpose, which is to save ultimately; accompanied with a promise or promises; and has a time of preparation and manifestation.

References

1.      Scripture and Bible Study. http://www.explorecalling.org/resources/scripture-bible-study/

2.      The Holy Bible, New King James Version. New Testament Copyright 1979; Thomas Nelson, Inc.

3.      "SHORT HISTORY OF CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH". http://joafosco.blogspot.com 

4.      McPherson, Aimee Semple, This is That, The Bridal Call Publishing House, Los Angeles, CA, 1921

5.      About Enoch Adejare Adeboye. http://eaadeboye.com/about/

6.      Andrew Wommack. God's Man, Plan, and Timing.

http://www.awmi.net/extra/article/gods_man