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, 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. 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. 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. 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." So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 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. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.
Exodus 18:19-27
A useful parallel to this delegation of authority by Moses is the story in Acts 6 which records the appointment of the first deacons in the New Testament church, and serves as an eloquent commentary on the meaning and significance of the Old Testament counterpart. It is clear that Jethro was of the opinion, after seeing Moses sit through that long and exhausting day, that a good many of the problems did not really need Moses to solve them, and that someone else with appropriate experience and authority could have attended to them just as well. It is just as clear that, although there was certainly no thought of Jethro rebuking Moses on the issue, he was nevertheless the mouthpiece of the Lord on this occasion, to warn Moses about his real priorities. 'Be thou for the people God-ward' (19). This in fact was the conclusion the apostles themselves came to about their own situation: 'We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word'. This they regarded as their priority; it was what they were 'for'. It is in fact one of the dangers of the Christian ministry that the tyranny of many inconsequential tasks laid upon God's servants sometimes obscures, and indeed prevents them from fulfilling, their real calling as servants of the Word. It is not that the other things are not important; many of them are. The point that is being made is that they are not their work, but others', and the others must fulfil them with all their might. Moses accepted the advice, and set about appointing men to share with him in the burdens he bore. And what a standard he set (21)! Not gifts, but grace, was the criterion; the ability referred to was moral not intellectual or social - men who feared God, men of truth, hating covetousness, men of character and integrity. God grant that this will ever be the standard for us.