God Gives Us Others to Help (Exodus 17:8-18:27)

Bible Passage: Exodus 17:8-18:27

Throughout the journey of the people out of slavery in Egypt, the burden of leadership has sat squarely on the shoulders of Moses, with a bit of assistance from his brother Aaron and his sister Miriam. In part this is his own doing (for example, he did not bring the elders of Israel into his meeting with Pharaoh as God had commanded in 3:16). By this point in the story, the burden is overwhelming. There is a large group of people to lead, and they face external pressure as well as internal struggles. In these verses we see how God draws others alongside Moses to help him as he carries the leadership burden.

Partners In Prayer: The passage begins with a battle between Israel and the Amalekites. Moses has learned the lesson of the Exodus, and knows that the battle belongs to God. As such, he realises that the most important things he can do is pray. As the troops go to battle, Moses takes Aaron and Hur to the top of the hill and prays. This prayer has a direct result on the battle below, and for as long as Moses is able to persist with his hands raised to God, the troops experience victory. To help him keep this posture, Aaron and Hur took the burden of lifting the hands of Moses as they began to drop. The passage shows us two key ways we can support each other through prayer. Firstly we see the importance of doing what Moses did for Joshua, and holding up others in prayer as they engage in what God has called them to do. Secondly we can take on the role of Aaron and Hur for one another, providing encouragement to those who are growing weary and are struggling in their own prayer lives.

Voices of Wisdom: Moses was running himself into the ground at this point, taking it on himself to settle all the disputes of a large community (we are told in the book of Numbers that it was around 600,000 people). The demands of the work had brought Moses to a point where he could not see clearly and figure out what needed to be done. He needed to listen to somebody who could provide a perspective that he was missing, and that somebody was his father in law Jethro. At the beginning of Exodus 18, we find Moses updating Jethro on what has happened. Even though Jethro does not know God, and is a pagan priest, he is able to speak the hard truths that Moses needed to hear. Moses had the humility to listen and make changes based on what Jethro suggested. It is important to recognise that even when we carry significant responsibility, we don’t always know best, and there are others who God has placed around us who can speak into our situations with wisdom. We would do well to show the same humility as Moses and listen to the wisdom that others have to offer.

Team Ministry: The advice that Jethro gave to Moses was to empower others with responsibility. By appointing different people as leaders of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands, Moses was bestowing on people different levels of leadership. Before this point, Moses had kept everything tightly focussed on himself, but he came to see that leadership in God’s kingdom is shared, and now many people were given permission to make decisions and exercise authority. It can be a common mistake for a leader to go it alone, but this will usually lead to frustrated followers and a burnt out leader. God has gifted different members of the body in different ways, and the church is most effective when leadership happens through teams of people leading together in harmony.

Potential Applications:

• The passage can challenge how we pray. Perhaps you could encourage people to set up prayer triplets to support one another, just as Aaron and Hur supported Moses.
• Ask people to consider what voices of wisdom God has put in their lives? If they struggle to think of them, who could they look to build a relationship with?
• Are there things people are involved in that they can share with others? Who can we give responsibility to?