Just stumbled across something I wrote a while back. I had attended a Rotaract training and we were asked to make a commitment that we would hope to achieve and make a habit from. I picked, 'I'd read a book every month'. The moderator said the only way they'd confirm that I had read, is if I wrote a short summary of the book I read.
The end of the month came and it was just the wrong month because I had not read a new book. Fortunately, I had been attending a few church classes where we were trying to read through The Bible in one year, that evening I read Exodus chapter 18 and this is the summary I shared...
I decided to have a look at an inspirational book…The Bible…Apart from the religious aspect of it, it really is an inspirational book.
In Exodus Chapter 18- Jethro visits Moses.
In my understanding...
Jethro was Moses’s father in law and he came to visit Moses one day. Moses had sent home his wife and two sons after he saw what a great responsibility he had to handle the Israelites. I don’t know if that was a good decision but maybe it was inevitable for him then.
The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father in law saw all that Moses was doing for the people he asked, “what is this you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone and judge, while all these people stand around from morning till evening?”
Moses answered him, “Because all these people come to seek God’s will.Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me and I decide the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws".
This guy had so much responsibility and I would imagine that he had to deal with petty crimes to hard rock kind of cases; sibling rivalry, murder, guys stealing chicken, other stealing lots and lots of gold and silver…there was no cash those days.
Moses’ father in law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you, you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens (delegation). Have them serve as judges for the people at all times but have them bring every difficult case to you, the simple cases, they can decide for themselves. That will make your load lighter…
Now those days Moses used to be the overall say but he chose to listen to his father in law and did as he suggested and he had less strain and leadership roles developed just from delegation…results.
Responsibility – Listening – Action - Results.
Read it again today, I still think it is a lesson you cannot afford to live without.
Leaders Listen!
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