Title: Working and Living/ Exodus 18:13-18
We work and live together / Exodus 18:13-18
Key Verse: “This people who are with you will inevitably lose their strength, for this work is too heavy for you, and you cannot do it alone” (Exodus 18:18).
Verse: Think of the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt. God calls them ‘military’, but in reality, they are just a bunch of chaos. The Hebrew nation of 600,000 men in the Manual was not a systematically organized group at all. What kind of well-organized organization must have existed since I lived as a low-class citizen while suffering from forced labor in Egypt. At best, there must have been only low-level middle managers among the Hebrews who acted as chieftains to manage the workforce effectively.
Now the people of Israel have just arrived near Mount Sinai (Sinai). After leaving Egypt, the first destination was Mount Sinai. There they will meet God, make a concrete covenant with Him, and receive a written law. But look. Even when I've come this far, I've already had many complaints and resentments. They complained that the water in Mara was bitter, and complained about the lack of variety of food in the wilderness of Sin. At Rephidim, they were forced to have no water to drink. How untrained they are!
Moses almost dealt with such a people alone. I must have been very tired. In today's meditative sermon, that scene is described very well. “From morning to evening,” people lined up to come to Moses, and Moses had to focus on resolving the people’s big and small disputes and problems all the time. Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, was a man with very accurate eyes. He says stabbing the corner. Isn't it foolish to say that "what you do is not good"? “The people who are with you will be exhausted.” How hard must it have been for Moses as well as the people waiting in line. There is nothing more threatening to life than exhaustion. “This work is too difficult for you.” No matter how good my work is, if I overdo it, it will break. Sudden death is a disease that comes from that. “You can’t do it alone!” what a wonderful word Life is not about living alone. Nothing in life is meant to be done alone. Living together and working together.
Are you exhausted from too much work, or from work that is too difficult and complicated? You need the wisdom to share work with others and take appropriate breaks.
Prayer: Give us the training to live together. Let our families help each other. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer