sharing… not soloing

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.

Exodus 18:18

Moses was a flawed leader and one of the ways it showed up was in his insistence on doing everything himself. Ironically, he was filled with self-doubt at the burning bush, so God commanded him to take his brother Aaron with him to talk with Pharaoh (Exodus 4). Later Moses saw Israel defeat Amalek under Joshua’s military leadership. But Moses had to raise his hands on the hill for Israel to prevail. He tried it alone and failed. God sent Aaron and Hur to stand alongside him to keep his influence at work and to hold up his weary arms (Exodus 17). Moses’ final solo act was a huge blunder marring the end of his story. In anger he struck the rock that God told him to speak to (Numbers 20) and that failure cost him entrance into Canaan. Moses was not called to do things his own way.

Here in Exodus 18 though, Moses listens to wisdom to correct his perceived indispensability. His father-in-law Jethro wisely suggested a system of appointed judges to be placed over the people to elevate the constant stress on Moses to settle disputes. His role as solo judge was bogging down the nation. Moses was wise to listen and then create this team, sharing the load, and humbly creating margin for everyone involved.

I need to learn from Moses in this matter. In leadership it is so tempting to do ministry myself because after decades I can do it quickly with a kind of spiritual muscle memory. It is much harder to create teams short-term and help them succeed because there will be hiccups and failures. But it is much better for God’s people and the spread of the gospel to create teams over time. I have learned to be OK with development as a way to expand ministry. This saves me, like Moses, to handle bigger disputes or issues. May God help me to leave a legacy of sharing… not soloing!