Exodus 18:17-18 And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
You Can’t Do Everything Yourself
Have you ever met a leader of some organization and been disappointed by how little he knew? We have this idea that a good leader is a person who can do everything better than everyone else. Nothing could be further from the truth. Moses was a good leader, but as good as Moses was, he wasn’t good at everything. Nobody can be good at everything at the same time. In Exodus 18:18 Moses’ father-in-law said, “Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”
Now, there can only be one leader. There may be a team of leaders, but there has to be someone who is ultimately responsible. Moses was that man, but just because a person is a leader doesn’t mean that he has to perform everything himself or be able to do everything better than everyone else.
You can’t do everything by yourself, and a good leader doesn’t try. A leader represents a higher authority, and any authority you have is delegated as you also delegate to others. You should want to turn your followers toward God. As a leader there were a couple of things Moses learned to do. First, he learned to teach. In verse 20, his father-in-law says, “And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.” He was teaching other people in order to multiply his ministry.
Secondly, Moses learned to delegate. In verse 21, his father in law tells Moses, “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them.” He was delegating work that needed to be accomplished, and he was multiplying his force by teaching those who then could serve others.
Thirdly, Moses learned proportion. In verse 22, Moses’ father-in-law says, “And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” He was multiplying the ability he had to serve others with a sense of proportion. Small matters came to some judges and larger matters came to Moses.
The bottom line is that neither burn-out nor rust-out is what God intends for you. Verse 23 says, “If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure.” Someone says, “Well, I’d rather burn out than rust out.” Well, that’s silly. Whether you rust out or burn out, you are out. God intends that we maintain leadership and service that is sustainable. That means you can’t do everything by yourself, and a good leader does not try. He represents a higher authority and helps other to come along with him behind that authority.