Jethro is the father-in-law of Moses and if you don’t have this type of person in your life you need to get one. Find out why and how you need a coach.
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Moses and the Back Story
You can find the whole story in Exodus 18, but I am going to give you a little back story and the summarized version.
In Exodus chapter 17 we can read about Moses quarreling with the people because they were complaining. The people were thirsty, and they were grumbling. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt just to die of thirst?” they said.
Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
God tells him to take his staff and some elders and strike a rock and water will come out of it.
So, they get their water, and they are content again – for the time being.
Then they go into battle with the Amalekites. And as long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning but when he would lower his hands, the Amalekites would take control. Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses and held his arms up until the Amalekite army was overtaken.
Back In chapter 4 before Moses returns to Egypt, he sends his wife, Zipporah, and two sons away. They went to Zipporah’s father’s house and lived with him while all of the action was happening with Pharoah.
Exodus 18
Now we get to chapter 18, Jethro, who is Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done. Jethro sends word to Moses that he is coming to visit and is bringing his wife and sons along with him.
So, Moses goes out to meet Jethro, bows down, and kisses him.
They spend time catching up. Moses tells Jethro about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships they had met along the way, and how the Lord had saved them.
Exodus 18:9-12: “Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.”
So, they catch up on all that has happened. They share the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness, honor God through sacrifice, and then they have a dinner party.
Jethro becomes a coach to Moses
The next day Moses goes to work.
Exodus 18:13-18 “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 said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?” Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.” 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.”
Jethro comes to Moses’ workplace, observes him in action, and says you are going to burn yourself out if you keep doing what you are doing. Then he proceeds to give him some good, fatherly advice.
Exodus 18:19-23 “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 his decrees and instructions and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 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 themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
Jethro tells Moses to select capable men. They need to be teachable; they need to be able to follow instructions, and they need to be living a godly life. Men who are trustworthy. Let these men decide the simple cases. They will help carry the load. If there is a more difficult case, let them bring those cases to you to decide.
Then Jethro tells Moses, “If you do this, and if God is in it, you will see good results. You will be able to stand the strain AND the people will go home satisfied.
What if Jethro hadn’t come?
So, let’s imagine for a minute if Jethro had not made his visit to Moses. What would have happened?
- Moses probably would have continued doing what he was doing.
- He would have gotten tired of carrying the burden
- He would have gotten frustrated with the people’s complaining
- The people would have gotten frustrated with him
- They were ready to stone him when they did not have water. A full-on riot could have broken out.
How was Jethro like a coach?
9 Things Jethro provided to Moses:
- A safe place for Moses to talk – a listening ear
- A companion who celebrated God’s goodness with him
- He honored Moses’ work and affirmed him
- An objective view
- Recognition of a problem
- A possible strategy of how to make things better
- Specific actions on how to move forward
- The idea of connecting others to help in his current role
- Space to do it on his own. (Jethro did not hover over and make sure he kept up with the plan)
- A continued relationship
Jethro was a “life coach” in his day and age. If you have been through any coaching, you can probably see the correlation. If you have not – maybe it is worth giving an example.
Do You have a Jethro (coach)?
Do you have a Jethro that can be a safe place for you to just share all the things? Do you have a non-judgmental listening ear that can give you an objective view? Do you have someone who can help you find the main struggles and then come up with a plan and a strategy to move forward? Do you have a person that can connect you with the tools, resources, and people that will help you get to that place in your vision? Is that person going to walk alongside you, from a distance, letting you do your thing, but being there to hold you accountable and celebrate your successes and encourage you through the tough times?
You may have this kind of person in your life and ministry, and I pray that you do.
My Vision
The vision God has given me is to be this type of person for those who do not. To be a Jethro to the Moses’. A companion to the individual struggling to make progress in their life. To the one who is stuck and just not sure what to do next.
A companion to the ministry that is out in the wilderness trying to do their absolute best to help the people… and hopefully keep the people from stoning them to death while trying to figure out how to keep going in the midst of the challenging times.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
This quote by Joseph Lalonde says it well: “If you have a plan without a vision, you are just doing busy work. If you have a vision without a plan, you just have a fantasy.”
We have probably all heard the saying, “Failing to plan… is planning to fail.”
This truly is the case in so many areas of our lives. If we do not have a vision and take time to create steps to reach that vision, we will never reach our goals.
The definition of insanity is doing what we’ve always done and expecting different results.
We cannot have this mindset and expect to live out our God-given purpose on this earth.
“If you have a plan without a vision, you are just doing busy work. If you have a vision without a plan, you just have a fantasy.” ~Joseph Lalode
How Can I Help?
God gave me the vision to connect, support, encourage, and energize individuals and ministries.
I want to help those who are struggling in this area. If this resonates with you check out my Vision Planning Guide. It is a free download to help you get started. And if you need a one-on-one coach to walk with you send me an email and let’s chat.
The Lord has given us a clear roadmap that we can use in ministry and in our lives. He will give us wisdom and he will give us the provision we need to fulfill his plan.
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