The story of Moses and Jethro is a great example of the need for organizational structure. As the story is told in Exodus 18, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, comes to visit. As he is visiting, he sees that Moses is serving as a judge or mediator for all the problems of the people. The passage says that people stood around Moses from morning until night telling him their problems and waiting for his judgement or advice. Jethro says to Moses, you cannot continue in this way. It will wear you out and cause the people to be frustrated. So Jethro tells Moses, he needs to create an organization of good men and learn to delegate. And Moses does everything Jethro says.
This story is all about organizational structure and delegation. First, Moses had to admit he could not do everything himself. He needed a team around him. Not all the men selected were given the same level of responsibility. Some oversaw thousands, some hundreds, and some fifties and ten. He looked at each man individually and placed him into the level of his ability. Moses delegated what could be delegated, but maintained responsibility for the most difficult cases. Some things leaders have to do themselves. But delegating allowed Moses to be what he was called to be, the people’s representative before God.
Don’t let the busywork of your day keep you from being what God intended for you to be.
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