The Jethro Principle: God's Cure for Burnout Text: Exodus 18:13-23
Introduction: The Indispensable Man
We live in an age that worships the indispensable man. We see it in the cult of the CEO, the celebrity pastor, and the centralizing politician. The assumption is that if you want something done right, you must do it yourself. The result is a world filled with two kinds of people: the exhausted and the exasperated. The leaders are exhausted from trying to do everything, and the people are exasperated because nothing gets done efficiently. This is not a sign of godly leadership; it is a sign of prideful mismanagement. It is the sin of refusing to trust God enough to trust the people He has provided.
Moses, the great lawgiver and deliverer of Israel, had fallen into this very trap. He was a man of immense spiritual stature, a man who spoke with God face to face. His motives were pure. He wanted to bring God's justice to the people. But his methods were a disaster. He had created a system where every single dispute, from a stolen goat to a marital squabble, had to come across his desk. The result was a judicial bottleneck of epic proportions, a line of supplicants stretching from morning to evening. Moses was on the fast track to a full-blown ministry burnout, and he was taking the entire nation with him.
Into this scene of pious chaos steps Jethro, Moses' father-in-law. Jethro is a priest of Midian, a Gentile. And here we see a glorious display of what theologians call common grace. God is not stingy with His wisdom. He can deliver sound organizational counsel through a pagan relative just as easily as He can deliver manna from the sky. But this is not a justification for seeking wisdom anywhere but the Lord. Notice the qualifier Jethro gives at the end. This is a story about how God uses practical, sanctified common sense to build His kingdom and preserve His people. It is a lesson in godly administration, in the necessity of delegation, and in the biblical blueprint for a healthy, functioning society. This is the Jethro principle, and it is God's cure for the burnout that plagues our families, our churches, and our nations.
The Text
Now it happened the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening. And Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, so he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a matter, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.” And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to my voice: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the matters to God; then warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they shall go and the work they shall do. But you shall select excellent men out of all the people, those who fear God, men of truth, those who hate greedy gain; and you shall place these men over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they will judge the people at all times. And it will be that every major matter they will bring to you, but every minor matter they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.”
(Exodus 18:13-23 LSB)
The Problem Observed (vv. 13-16)
We begin with the scene of the crime, a picture of well-intentioned institutional failure.
"Now it happened the next day that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood about Moses from the morning until the evening. And Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, so he said, 'What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge and all the people stand about you from morning until evening?'" (Exodus 18:13-14)
Jethro sees the situation with fresh eyes. He is the outsider who can spot the glaringly obvious problem that the man in the middle of it cannot. Moses is the bottleneck. The entire judicial system of a nation of over a million people depends on one man's availability. This is not sustainable. It is a system guaranteed to fail. Jethro's question is simple and direct: "What are you doing?" It is a question that every pastor, every father, and every magistrate should ask himself periodically.
Moses's answer is pious, and it is true, but it is also an excuse that misses the point entirely.
"And Moses said to his father-in-law, 'Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a matter, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.'" (Exodus 18:15-16)
Moses sees his role as essential, and it is. He is the mediator. He is the one who receives the law from God. But he has confused his office with the entire process. He believes that because he is the source of the law, he must also be the sole judge in every application of that law. This is a confusion of roles. His primary job is to be a law-giver, a teacher of the statutes, not a magistrate for every petty dispute. Good intentions are not enough. In fact, good intentions coupled with a bad system can create a world of hurt. The road to institutional collapse is paved with the good intentions of overworked leaders.
The Diagnosis and the Solution (vv. 17-20)
Jethro does not mince words. He delivers a blunt and necessary rebuke.
"And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, 'The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.'" (Exodus 18:17-18)
Notice the diagnosis. "Not good." This is a moral evaluation. It is not good because it is contrary to God's design for human flourishing. God did not create us to be omni-competent, one-man shows. To attempt to do so is to play God, and the result is always exhaustion. Jethro points out that this system is bad for Moses ("you will surely wear out") and it is bad for the people. Justice delayed is justice denied. A man who has to wait in line all day to find out who owns the stray sheep has lost a day's work. This is not just inefficient; it is unjust.
Jethro then lays out the first part of the solution, which involves Moses understanding his true calling.
"Now listen to my voice: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the matters to God; then warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they shall go and the work they shall do." (Exodus 18:19-20)
Jethro tells Moses to focus on the upstream work. His job is not to solve every problem, but to teach the people the principles by which they can solve their own problems. He is to be the representative before God, bringing the hard cases and the ultimate questions to Him. And he is to be the teacher from God, making the statutes and laws known to everyone. The goal of leadership is not to create dependence, but to equip for independence under God. A good pastor teaches his congregation how to read the Bible for themselves. A good father teaches his children how to make wise decisions. A good statesman governs in such a way that the people can govern themselves. This is the opposite of the modern bureaucratic state, which seeks to make every citizen a dependent client.
Biblical Federalism and Godly Character (vv. 21-23)
Here we find the heart of the Jethro principle: a system of delegated, layered authority, what we might call biblical federalism, built on the foundation of godly character.
"But you shall select excellent men out of all the people, those who fear God, men of truth, those who hate greedy gain; and you shall place these men over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens." (Exodus 18:21)
The first thing to notice is that leadership is not a matter of technical skill or professional certification. It is a matter of character. Before any structure can be built, the right kind of men must be found. Jethro lists three non-negotiable qualifications. First, they must "fear God." Their ultimate allegiance and accountability is vertical. They are not serving the people or Moses, ultimately; they are serving God, which is the only real protection the people have against tyranny. Second, they must be "men of truth." They must be honest, reliable, and men of integrity. A judicial system cannot function on lies. Third, they must "hate greedy gain." They must be incorruptible. They must despise bribery and the love of money, which is the root of so much injustice. These are the foundational qualifications for all authority in God's economy, whether in the church or in the state.
Once such men are found, they are to be placed in a structure of graded authority: rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. This is the principle of subsidiarity. Problems are to be handled at the lowest, most local level possible. This is efficient, it is personal, and it trains up a multitude of men in the art of governance. Only the "major matters," the difficult cases, should be appealed up the chain to Moses. This frees him to do what only he can do.
"And they will judge the people at all times... So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace." (Exodus 18:22-23)
The result is threefold. First, it is easier for Moses. The burden is shared. Second, Moses is able to "endure." This system provides for longevity and stability. Third, the people "will go to their place in peace." A just and efficient society is a peaceful society. When people know they can get a fair hearing without wasting their entire day, they can get on with the business of building a civilization.
But Jethro adds one crucial, final condition: "If you do this thing and God so commands you." All the common sense and good organizational advice in the world must be brought into submission to the revealed will of God. Jethro's counsel was good, but it was not ultimate. It had to be ratified by God. This is the check on all human wisdom. We test everything by the Word of God.
Conclusion: The Body and Its Joints
This passage is far more than a historical account of Israel's first judicial system. It is a foundational text on the nature of all godly authority. Our modern world is collapsing under the weight of centralization. Our governments have become a monstrous version of Moses, trying to judge every matter from morning till night, and the result is both tyranny and incompetence. They have forgotten the Jethro principle.
The church, too, often falls into this trap. The "one-man-show" pastor who tries to do all the counseling, all the administration, and all the teaching will inevitably burn out, and his congregation will remain immature. The New Testament pattern is a plurality of elders who fear God, who teach the truth, and who are not lovers of money. It is a body with many joints and ligaments, where every part does its work (Eph. 4:16). Elders equip the saints for the work of the ministry. They delegate to deacons. They create a structure where burdens are shared and the people can live in peace.
The ultimate Moses is the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the perfect mediator between God and man. He is the lawgiver, the ultimate judge. But in His wisdom, He did not establish His kingdom on earth as a one-man operation. He has delegated authority to His church. He has given us elders and deacons. He has commanded fathers to lead their homes. He has ordained civil magistrates. And He has given us the qualifications for all these offices.
The task before us is to build according to this pattern. We must be people who identify and raise up men of character. We must be people who learn to delegate, to trust, and to share the burden. We must reject the pride that says "I must do it all myself" and embrace the humility that builds teams, families, and churches that can endure. This is the path away from burnout and toward the peace that God promises His people when they order their lives according to His wise design.