We find ourselves in the middle of the book of Exodus.
It’s one of those moments in the story that gets easily forgotten. There are other stories that seem far more miraculous and tell of grand experiences of God. In fact, this story is one of the few excerpts in Exodus that doesn’t include God as a main character (but make no mistake, God is present and active).
Moses has led the people out of Egypt, and they find themselves in the wilderness. And Moses finds himself leading a group of people who have only ever known life in slavery; people who are trying to figure out what it means to live in freedom. And so, it’s not particularly surprising that disputes pop up. And the people repeatedly come to Moses for advice and wisdom. And Moses must act as a judge between the people.
But when, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, comes for a visit, he thinks that Moses is doing far too much. Moses is the only one hearing and settling the disputes of an entire nation (remember, this is the nation that had grown so large that Pharaoh feared they would overthrow the Egyptians).
And so, Jethro challenges Moses to find other leaders, men who can settle the minor disputes, leaving Moses only with the more difficult cases. It’s not explicitly part of the story, but it also seems that if Moses shares the responsibilities of acting as judge, then he will also be free to attend to all the other responsibilities he bears as he leads these people into their new life.
Moses listens to his father-in-law and does what he suggests.
God is absent as a main character in this story, but I think it was God who brought Jethro to Moses for this moment. Because Jethro could do something for Moses that God could not.
In a world that focuses on individualism and very often shies away from the need for others, I find myself struck by Moses’ response. He listened and he did what was suggested. And he was better because of it.
Writing about her digital painting, Changed by Community, artist Anna Strickland writes, “In this image I wanted to capture that feeling of intersections being the place where God shows up and new things emerge. It’s in the space between that God blends our beliefs, convictions, gifts, and weakness into something greater. It’s in the space between where the truth begins to take shape. It’s in the space between that creativity and imagination can flourish. And if we are willing, it’s in the space between that we are changed by community.”
Maybe we really are better together.
Grace and peace,
Kimmy
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