Jethro's Agenda and Advice

I was reading Exodus 18 this morning, and it was my first time to notice that Moses had sent his wife and their 2 sons away (verse 2) during the time the Israelites were traveling in the desert. The Bible does not explain why Moses sent his family away. Maybe it was because Moses thought it was unsafe for them? Maybe they had some problems we do not know about? Or maybe Moses was so busy doing God's work that he pushed his family away?

A few verses later, we see Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, bringing back his daughter and his 2 grandsons to his son-in-law. Moses and Jethro apparently had a good relationship, and Jethro could see the Lord's hand among the Israelites. Then Jethro proceeds to give Moses advice on leadership and training. But could the previous information about Moses sending his family away be the reason Jethro gave his advice? Perhaps Jethro had an agenda for all he was about to say . . .

Jethro starts off his advice by asking Moses: "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge . . . ?" (Exodus 18:14). Moses was doing the right thing, he was being selfless, he was judging justly, he was busy with God's work. But Jethro said: "What you are doing is not good." (Exodus 18:17).

If I were Moses I might have reacted defensively and pointed out that I knew God in ways Jethro never would, that God had anointed me and was using me to lead His people. How dare he say what I was doing was not good? But really, it was not good. It was not good for Moses -- Jethro went on to explain that Moses was going to wear himself out. It was not good for his family -- leaving out his family was not worth it, even though he was doing great work for God. It was not good for the people he was leading -- they were dependent on him, when some of them could be trained to lead others.

And thank God, "Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said." (Exodus 18:24) He built a structure and team to support the people. We do not really know if the issue between Moses and his family was resolved here, but Jethro left alone. In the next few chapters, Moses had some of his greatest encounters with God, and I am glad he had his structure and team in place so he could focus on God, and not simply God's work.

We may be busy doing God's work, but are we too busy to be with the people who matter most? Are our families more important than ministry? Do we drive people to God or do we drive people to ourselves? Are we building ministries around ourselves, or are we helping others lead and helping them? Are we prioritizing God's work or God's presence more?