Delegation

Israel was barely out of Egypt when another crisis surfaced—not water, food, or enemies, but leadership overload. Moses spent sunrise to sunset judging disputes for a nation of hundreds of thousands. People waited; Moses wore down. Enter Jethro, his father-in-law, with the counsel that reshaped Israel’s life together.

The Problem Jethro Saw

• Bottlenecked justice: “What you’re doing is not good… you will surely wear yourselves out” (vv. 17–18).

• A tired leader and a tired people: When everything depends on one person, no one thrives.

The Godward Center

Jethro’s first instruction isn’t managerial—it’s spiritual:

• “You must represent the people before God and bring their cases to God” (v. 19).

  Moses’ non-delegable work was prayer, teaching God’s ways, and setting the big direction.

The Plan: Shared Leadership

“Look for able men… and appoint them as heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.” (vv. 21–22)

Structure: scalable layers of responsibility.

Flow: routine cases handled locally; hard cases escalated.

Goal: “It will be easier for you… they will bear the burden with you” (v. 22).

The Character That Counts

Jethro’s qualifications still preach:

• Competent (“able”)

• God-fearing (they answer to a higher Judge)

• Trustworthy (“men of truth”)

• Incorruptible (“hating dishonest gain”)

Skill matters, but character carries.

Why God Led Through a Desert

Scarcity trained Israel to depend on God daily. This plan kept that focus: Moses remained the primary intercessor and teacher, while the people learned to serve one another.

What This Means for Us

1) For leaders

• Keep the main thing the main thing: prayer, the Word, vision.

• Delegate outcomes, not just tasks: give real authority with accountability.

• Build teams, not pedestals: leadership is stewardship, not spotlight.

2) For churches & ministries

• Every member has a part. The body atrophies when parts don’t function.

• Right people, right roles: character first; then fit and training.

• Small circles, quick care: “tens and fifties” are today’s small groups and ministry teams.

3) For volunteers (and the volunteer-curious)

Try the FAT posture:

• Faithful – show up, follow through.

• Available – make space in your calendar.

• Teachable – receive input, grow skills.

  (And add Energetic/Responsive: serve with initiative, not inertia.)

The Fruit Jethro Promised

• Leaders last longer.

• People go home in peace—needs met, justice done.

• God’s work multiplies through many hands and humble hearts.

Moses’ greatness wasn’t that he did everything; it’s that he did the right things—and trusted others with the rest. That same humility and shared burden is how communities become resilient, joyful, and fruitful under God.