…Awesome lessons from the leadership of Moses
By Rev Clifford Chisha
Key Scripture: Exodus 18:13-26
A leader who is open to advice prospers and finds rest even during difficult times. One of the major reasons why we avoid taking good advice is pride.
A good leader takes advice if it will benefit the people under him even if it comes from his perceived enemies or people considered to be far way lower than him.
When you get good advice and implement it, you will lose nothing, instead a leader gains.
“So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.”
(Exodus 18:24)
Jethro, Moses’s father in-law saw Moses judging the children of Israel alone, from morning until evening.
He got concerned and gave Moses very good advice which benefited the people he was leading and himself in the final analysis.
He was advised to choose able men, men who feared God, who were trustworthy and hated dishonest, to be placed over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
These leaders were to preside over small cases and refer only difficult cases to Moses.
Our key portion of scripture reveals that Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything that he had said.
Moses, the leader who took advice had the following credentials:
He heard God speak to him in an audible voice several times. (Exodus 3:4-10)
He saw a staff turn into a snake. (Exodus 4:2-5)
A staff which turned into a snake and swallowed the snakes (former Egyptian magicians, sorcerers and wise men’s staffs) was thrown by Aaron at Moses’s instruction.
(Exodus 7:8-12)
The LORD allowed ten plagues (or wonders) to hit Egypt. These He did through Moses, an amazing and great leader He chose.
(The ten plagues are found in Exodus chapters 7,8,9,10,11 & 12)
The living God used Moses amazingly in the historical miraculous crossing of the Red Sea by the children of Israel. (Exodus 14:21-31)
He was the leader when manna rained from heaven. (Exodus 16:14-15)
Water came from the rock and the Israelites drunk. The LORD used Moses to strike that water producing rock. (Exodus 17:6-7)
He (Moses) and Joshua were amazingly used by God to defeat the Amalekites. (Exodus 17:8-13)
Moses, a leader with the above credentials to his name still needed advice and he gladly took it when it was offered.
Oh, great humility this man exhibited!
He did not despise Jethro.
Imagine, how the leaders of today would have responded to the advice and the advisor.
What have you seen? Have you ever spoken to God face to face? What miracles has God done through you?
The above questions would have been fired on Jethro.
Father in-law, I know what am doing. I talk to God, what can you tell me?
The above statements would have been uttered by Moses if he had pride. Jethro’s advice contributed to Moses’s success in his leadership.
Moses was a good leader and Jethro’s advice made him even better. He became a great leader.
Be open to advice my fellow leader, you will score more than you score with your ideas alone. Getting advice is like employing more than one set of brains to attack one challenge.
Getting advice from others is not a sign of weakness but strength. The advice Moses got from his father in-law, Priest Jethro saved both Moses and the people he was leading.
He avoided getting worn out and wasting his followers’ time. If you avoid getting helpful advice from others, you will be doing a de-service to the people you lead and yourself.
Humble yourself, you will be safe. There is no genuine safety for the proud. Identify independent think tanks on various issues; you will become a great leader.
Don’t always get advice from the people who fear you or those who always strive to please you get advice from independent people as well.
My fellow leader, do not be afraid of independent thinkers. They can make you great. Individuals whose thinking is controlled or curtailed by loyalty to an individual can sincerely mislead their leader.
