Jethro told Moses to choose able men who feared God, were honest and who hated dishonest gain.  These would also be appointed to serve as judges over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens and were to handle the minor matters while Moses took care of the major ones.  Moses followed his father-in-law’s advice and it apparently worked as we read nothing more about the problem.

 

But hey…. Wait a minute!  There were over 603,000 men in Israel at the time who were upwards of twenty years old.  This meant that there were certainly at least 3,000,000 Israelites altogether.  Why did it take an outsider, a newcomer, to see the problem and offer a solution?

 

What a great lesson for the church!  I believe this shows us that we should strive from time to time to see things among ourselves as outsiders, visitors or strangers see them. As a result of being so used to seeing things on and in our church properties, we become blind to those areas that may need attention.

 

How we care for our properties sends a message.  Visitors may well ask themselves, “Should I trust the care of my soul to a group of people who don’t even take care for their physical facilities?  

 

Beyond the physical appearance of our building and grounds, they may also want to know, “Do these folks really want me here?  Have they considered that I might be shy or afraid as I come among strangers?  Will they welcome me, or ignore me?”

 

We must be vigilant to keep trying so see ourselves as others see us.  Who’da thought we could have learned such a good lesson from a fellow named Jethro?