March 23, 2023

Moses receives good counsel

Exodus 17–18

Austin Waugh
Thursday's Devo

March 23, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 23, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 23, 2023

Thursday's Devo

March 23, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Exodus 18:17-18

Moses' father-in-law said to him, "What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone."

Exodus 17–18

Water from the Rock

1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah 1 17:7 Massah means testing and Meribah, 2 17:7 Meribah means quarreling because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Israel Defeats Amalek

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne 3 17:16 A slight change would yield upon the banner of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Jethro's Advice

1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner 4 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer 5 18:4 Eliezer means My God is help (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, 6 18:6 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac behold your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 7 18:11 Hebrew with them 12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

Footnotes

[1] 17:7 Massah means testing
[2] 17:7 Meribah means quarreling
[3] 17:16 A slight change would yield upon the banner
[4] 18:3 Gershom sounds like the Hebrew for sojourner
[5] 18:4 Eliezer means My God is help
[6] 18:6 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac behold
[7] 18:11 Hebrew with them

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Dive Deeper | Exodus 17–18

In Exodus 17 we find the Israelites camped at Rephidim and complaining to Moses about a lack of water to drink. They have already experienced a similar situation at Marah where the Lord turned the bitter water into sweet water (Exodus 15:25). This subsequent grumbling shows a lack of faith on the part of the Israelites because they have forgotten how faithful God is in supplying for their needs.

Following this internal squabble, an external threat arises in the form of the Amalekites, who come to fight with Israel (Exodus 17:8). Again, Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites, and the Lord defeats the Amalekites through the actions of Joshua and his men.

Hearing of what God had done for Israel, Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, comes to Moses in chapter 18 rejoicing and blesses the Lord for delivering Israel out of Egypt. Then, Jethro witnesses Moses judging the people of Israel and discerns that he is overburdened and inefficient with his duties. Seeing that Moses is overwhelmed, Jethro counsels him to change his approach. He says to Moses, "What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone." (Exodus 18:17-18) Hearing this wise counsel from his father-in-law, Moses chooses able men from amongst the Israelites and delegates his duties to serve the people more efficiently and effectively.

So, how can we apply these verses to our own lives? First, we see that despite his best efforts, Moses' job was just too big for one person to handle. In our desire to serve the Lord, we, too, can easily take on more than we can handle, and we can be slow to ask for help. Second, regardless of his position within the Israelite community, we see Moses' humility and teachability in his response to Jethro's counsel. Regardless of our station in life, God often speaks to us through other people and our spiritual growth can be strengthened or stymied depending on our response to that counsel.

This month's memory verse

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

– John 14:27

Discussion Questions

1. How can we relate Moses' recounting to Jethro in Exodus 18:8 to our own stories of God's grace in our lives?

2. Reflect on Matthew 11:28-30. How does the wisdom offered by Jethro relate to our Lord's own words in Matthew 11?

3. What can we learn from the examples of Jethro and Moses about leadership, humility, and empowering others?

4. In addition to taking on too much responsibility for one person, what is wrong with what Moses is doing in Exodus 18:15-16? Compare that to Jethro's counsel in Exodus 18:19-20.

5. In what ways do you tend to overextend yourself (time, relationships, activities) or take on more than you can handle? Why do you think this is a pattern in your life?

Respond to Today's Passage

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Hugh Stephenson

GM Austin. Home Run on this great devo. Early on in Prodigal I was really struggling with a tough decision Amy and I had to make. Weeks and weeks. I brought it up in closed group and the co-leader quipped, “Hugh, what do you think God is trying to teach you?” In my mind, I said, “He’s teaching me to refrain from punching you in the face”. At that point I had come to know more of who God is- but not well enough to “Lay down my Isaac”. My parents and the culture taught me that if you had money, you could buy your way out of hassles. I saw that as the key to the highly desired control that would give me peace, comfort, and security. Except it didn’t. I asked God repeatedly why He was doing this since I had done all He told me to do.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

My transactional view of God as a cosmic vending machine was the opposite of His desire for a relationship. Amy and I are watching documentary on the Pilgrims. They left England so that they could worship the God of the Bible; no culture allowed. What was he teaching me? The same thing as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. If I am going to be his Marine I have to be trained- which means being tested to the breaking point. Not random hardship. Focused testing. It was as if God was asking me the same thing Moses asked the people in 17:2, “Why do you test the Lord?”, (Deuteronomy 6:16, Luke 4:12). The key verse for me in this passage is Exodus 17:6. So why is God standing a rock?!?!
HS

Hugh Stephenson

From the notes- “The command, you shall strike the rock, is thus understood to be God’s command to Moses to strike God himself, with the result that God himself is the source of the life-giving water that flowed from the rock.” "The striking of the rock pictured the coming death of the Savior. Water to satisfy the people's thirst came from the rock that was struck. One day, living water to satisfy spiritual thirst would come from the death of Jesus, our Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4, Numbers 20:2-13, Deuteronomy 32:30-31, 37; Isaiah 53:10; Zechariah. 13:7; John 4:10, 14; 7:37.) “Every difficulty God permits us to encounter will become either a test that can make us better or a temptation. that can make us worse, and it's our own attitude that determines which it will be."
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Ex 17:4 Ex 17:4 (NASB) So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? >>>A little more and they will stone me.”<<< Moses is a type of Messiah. (Dt 18:15) The people’s growing discontent with Moses is yet another link in a chain of examples throughout scripture of the far off, approaching Messiah (Num 24:17a), His types, and His progenitors being unrecognized, mistreated, and despised. Re: Ex 17:6 Ex 17:6 (NASB) “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and >>>you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”<<< And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. The rock from which life giving water poured is a type of Messiah Yeshua. (See Isa 48:21; 1Cor 10:4) Re: Ex 17:9-13 Ex 17:9b (NASB) “…Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill >>>with the staff of God in my hand.” <<< The Staff of G-d is a type of Yeshua. (Jesus) Moses became as G-d to Pharaoh (Ex 7:1). Moses casting the staff in his hand down, it becoming a snake, and becoming a staff again when it returned to his hand parallels Messiah Yeshua leaving His place at G-d's right hand (Pr 8:22-31), dwelling among men to be rejected by them (the Despised Messiah pictured as a serpent on a staff; see Phl 2:5-8, Jn 3:15), only to be enthroned again at His Father's right hand. (Lk 22:69; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1) Re: Ex 17:14 Ex 17:14 (NASB) Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that >>>I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”<<< Esau was the father of the Edomites, eternal enemies of Israel (Ps 83:5-6; Eze 35:5; Amos 1:11; Ob 1:10). Many notable biblical villains were descended from Esau including: >>>Eliphaz (“friend” of Job; father of Amalek), Amalek & the Amalekites,<<< Agag, Haman the Agagite, Doeg the Edomite, Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, and Herod Agrippa. Re: Ex 17:16 Ex 17:16 (NASB) and he said, “*[Or >>>Because a hand is against the throne of the LORD; lit Because a hand upon the throne of YAH<<<] The LORD has sworn; the LORD will have war against >>>Amalek<<< from generation to generation.” See 2Ki 19:15; 2Sa 6:6-7 where the Ark represents the Throne of Yah. Amalek embodies opposition to "...the throne of YAH," or in other words, rejecting G-d and His Sovereignty (Kingship…Messiah). Moreover, this allusion to a King of the Jews BEFORE G-d gives the Torah at Mt. Sinai or grants Israel permission to have a king other than Himself (1Sam 8:7), ultimately hints at Messiah Yeshua’s (Christ Jesus’) divinity. (See Mt 2:2; Mt 27:37; Jn 18:33-37; Jn 19:21) Amalek attacking the Israelites is yet another link in a chain of examples throughout scripture of the far off, approaching Messiah (Num 24:17a), His people, and His progenitors being opposed, attacked, and despised. Re: Ex 18:11 G-d orchestrated His deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt to demonstrate to Israel (Ex 16:6), Pharoah (Ex 9:14), the Egyptians (Ex 14:4,18), the nations (Ex 18:1; Nu 14:15), and heavenly rulers and authorities (Eph 3:10) that there is none other like our G-d in all the earth. He did so repeatedly throughout Scripture, and Jethro is proof that a remnant of the nations (Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17) responded to His message in faith. Re: Ex 18:16 Ex 18:16 (NASB) “When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and >>>make known the statutes of God and His laws.”<<< Note, this is prior to the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. Re: Ex 18:21 Thus, in Jewish tradition, Jethro is considered the father of the Sanhedrin.
CL

Chris Landry

Good morning, Austin! @Hugh, I appreciate your vulnerability on what the Lord is teaching you through the prodigal ministry. I, too, can fall into a mindset that outside of Jesus I can find comfort and security and control… If I just try harder, make more money, or some other deceptive thought. As a dad of two young boys and twins on the way, I can't imagine the heartache (and laser-focused sanctification) that comes with being the parent of a prodigal. 🤯🙏🏻 Now, more associated with Exodus 18:17-25 --- I remember reading this passage before, and I love the pragmatic advice around delegation of responsibilities. That's how it works in churches, corporations, communities, etc. "You read it here first, folks!" Re-read Exodus 18:17-25. This an easy way to insert faith/Bible/God into a corporate conversation. "Speaking of teamwork and delegation… Did you know that Moses was so overwhelmed trying to manage his workload all by himself!? Then he got some of the best advice from a colleague/friend....actually it was his wife's ol' man. He told Moses, 'Hey Mo! You're gonna wear yourself out if you don't delegate some of this off of your desk.'" Moses, in humility "took his advice." Key take away… Be humble, listen to others, my way is not always the best way. Community Groups here at Watermark and the corresponding shepherding of those groups are set up in a near-identical fashion to Jethro's advice. Thanks for heeding this counsel, Watermark!
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Austin. I love love love the story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands--as he held up the staff, the symbol of Yahweh's authority and power--as the battle raged below them. What a picture of how much we need "our people" who will hold up our hands and help us remain faithful during a fiery trial! It's too hard to do on our own! This picture has so much more meaning for me in these past few months as literally hundreds of people prayed for me through this tongue cancer surgery and recovery, and ESPECIALLY my community group and other close friends "held up my hands" in doing battle--not only against cancer, but against the demonic forces that had unleashed this assault on me. I know there have been faithful JTJers who have been part of my "Aaron and Hur" prayer supporters, and I am so very grateful. I wrote a blog post update here: https://probe.org/trusting-god-on-the-other-side-of-bizarre/
AL

Amy Lowther

1. There are volunteers for Children’s Health Medical Center who visit with patients in the playrooms frequently. The volunteers play games and do crafts with the patients who can’t go home as often as they prefer. 2. They both comfort the weary. 3. It is important to go to the Lord when making decisions and helping others. 4. Moses decides between one person and another in a dispute. Jethro empowers the people he speaks with to make decisions. 5. Lately, I am doing good. It is good to stay to who God prefers you to be and the gifts He gave you.
SF

Shawn Foster

Well done Austin. Thank you very much for leading by example! Our walk is so much better when we carry each other’s burdens and live in biblical community.
MS

Michael Scaman

Instead of coming to Moses in faith and prayer, the people grumbled and questioned. The New Testament says 'the rock was Christ' but Christ was only to die once so this time Moses struck the rock and life giving water came out. The second time Moses got a rebuke from God for not just speaking to the Rock. Jesus died once and then we call on him, not dying again.