Styles of Biblical Leadership 3. I Want Some Burnout!

We see that Moses tried to lead with total authority and he received a lot of grief from the people. Then God stepped in and the people and Moses were still unhappy. It is hard for a leader to get a break! 

In Exodus 18: Moses had a visit from Jethro, a pagan priest. (He also happened to be the Father in Law of Moses. I admire this event because it is the very first time when we get to see an Organizational Development Consultant at work. I have a degree in OD Consulting so I am biased.) 9 Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things  God did for Israel by rescuing them from the Egyptians. 10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh.11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. 

14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, 

“What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. 

18 You and these people who come to you will only burn yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.

What do you think of the Organizational Development Consultant now? What are the normal consequences of a one man show? 

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