Taking Advice

Exodus 18:19 English Standard Version (ESV) Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God,

What I am about to write is what I see and should be weighed as nothing more than one man’s insight. It does not say everything that is to be learned in those passages that we might have meditated upon two days ago.

Jethro is Moses’ father-in-law and there is history and respect in that relationship. Jethro has some intimate knowledge of Moses, his calling and his special relationship with the God Jethro believes is the one true God. What tribe Jethro came from is irrelevant, his belief is in the one true God.

Jethro speaks into Moses’ life calling in the arena of intercession. This is a portion of the foreshadowing spirit of Christ. Moses and Christ are both intercessors.

Moses and Christ are both men. Jethro does not know about Jesus Christ but he does know what it means to be a man with authority over others. Jethro has life experience. He knows that if Moses stands alone before his people in the wilderness, they will wear him down with many things that are not of a spiritual nature.

Jethro’s advice to Moses is directed to Moses’ humanity, not his calling. It is advice that shall be repeated in the future because it is sound advice.

Acts 6:2-3 English Standard Version

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

We must feed the soul and the body. Neither can be neglected if the body of Christ is to move forward to the promise.

What I see is what I see. I can share it but weigh it in the light of the Lord and not in any influence my words might have.

We can feed you the word of the Lord but digestion is up to you.

Giving Advice

Exodus 18 English Standard Version 

Jethro’s Advice

This is the header for Exodus 18.

I advised my readers to meditate on the Word of the Lord.

Did you take my advice?

For those who did meditate on the Word, did you do so just because I advised it?

For those who did not meditate, ask yourselves what not.

Here is a lesson about giving advice.

We do not control the outcome.

My hope is that the Lord would speak to those who did meditate.

I do not control what was shown to those who did meditate.

Jethro was a Midianite, he was not from a tribe of Israel.

What does that tell us?

Moses took his advice. What does that tell us?

My last comment about unsolicited advice is this; 

Look to the Lord for the answer to any question including whether to heed advice or not because unsolicited advice can be used as a tool of manipulation and control.