The story of Moses is a fascinating one. He was born during a time when Egypt had declared death upon all infants born to Israelites. Moses was rescued by royalty and raised as such.
Then, in a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian who was mistreating an Israelite slave. From there, he fled. He was given a holy call by God through the appearance of a burning bush. He faced down the evil Egyptian Pharaoh. He led the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt and almost into the Promised Land.
Moses had quite the experience. But one stands out that may not seem so important. This story is told in Exodus 18:13-27 (ESV). It’s the story of how Moses became a delegating powerhouse.
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.
So, what can we take away from Moses’ story? What can you do to stop the feeling of drowning in issues? How can we become a delegating powerhouse? We can follow his example.
Becoming A Delegating Powerhouse
Moses’ story begins with him being overwhelmed with requests. He was the judge over all of the people and it was too much. Ever been there? We’ve all been overwhelmed by the people we’re leading. We hear request after request, complaint after complaint. We go home feeling drained.
Moses felt the same way. He had been helping his people with their issues from sunup to sundown. Then his father-in-law, Jethro, saw his struggle. He helped him to see what needed to be done.
We can follow Jethro’s commands to Moses to make us better delegators.
Recognize you’ve taken on too much:
Moses knew he was in trouble but he needed someone to speak it into his life. That was Jethro. Jethro saw that Moses had taken on too much. He confronted Moses, telling him this wasn’t good for him.
Have you taken on too much? Do you listen to issues from the moment you set foot in the office to the moment you leave? Maybe you’re working remotely and your mailbox is filled with complaints you’re trying to resolve.
You cannot solve everyone’s issues. You have to recognize when you’ve taken on too much. And then move on to Jethro’s next piece of advice.
Tackle the big things yourself:
Jethro told Moses he was going to offer advice. Boy, did he! The first thing he told Moses was that Moses should represent the people before God. That’s the big thing. He was to be a representative. He was also to teach them and instruct them about the laws and statutes. Another big thing.
What major issues are you not tackling due to the minor disputes or complications you’re currently addressing? Your responsibility should lie in tackling the big things.
It could be the financial solvency of your organization. Or getting rid of a toxic investor. Or finding the next innovation for your organization.
Find the big thing. Tackle it.
Get help:
Moses had become overwhelmed in judging every matter. He couldn’t do it. Jethro told Moses to go, find good men, men who fear God, who are trustworthy, and to place them over groups of people. These men would then take on the workload Moses had held onto. The greater matters, the big things, the people would still bring to Moses. However, the smaller matters would be handled by these men.
It can be challenging to ask for help. To find good men and women who will help you tackle the smaller tasks. Yet you must!
Getting help is not a sign of weakness. Getting help is a sign that you’ve grown your organization to a size that you can’t handle alone anymore. Getting help is a positive thing.
Look for people who have good character. Look for people who have wisdom. Look for people who want to do good.
Bring them on to help you along.
