Lessons from Moses on Leadership and Burden

Moses's leadership journey, particularly during the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and their wilderness wanderings, offers significant insights into the nature of leadership and the distribution of burdens. His role was divinely appointed, with God calling him to lead the Israelites out of bondage ^[6]. This leadership was not without its challenges, as Moses frequently faced the complaints and rebellions of the people ^[11].

One prominent lesson from Moses's leadership is the importance of delegation. Initially, Moses bore the entire burden of judging the people, listening to their disputes from morning until evening ^[15]. His father-in-law, Jethro, observed this unsustainable practice and advised Moses to delegate authority. Jethro suggested that Moses should continue to represent the people before God and teach them God's statutes and laws, but he should also select "able men out of all Israel" to serve as rulers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens ^{[1, 14, 15]}. These delegated leaders would judge the smaller matters, bringing only the difficult cases to Moses ^[15]. This counsel was not a miraculous revelation but an example of God's providence working through human wisdom, shifting Moses from a heavily hierarchical, Egyptian-style leadership to a more distributed model ^[15].

The burden of leadership was immense for Moses. He expressed his inability to bear the entire people alone, lamenting that he was not strong enough to carry them "in his bosom" like a nursing father ^[10]. This sentiment arose when the people complained about their diet, prompting Moses to question why God had laid such a heavy responsibility upon him ^[10]. Ramban (Nachmanides) interprets Moses's complaint not as an inability to provide food, but as a struggle with the people's constant demands and their tendency to blame him for their hardships ^[10].

Moses's leadership also involved a significant teaching role. He was commanded by God to teach the Israelites the commandments and judgments ^{[2, 8]}. Rashi, a prominent Jewish commentator, notes that Moses's specific role was "to teach the transmission of the laws" ^[7]. This educational aspect was crucial for the Israelites to understand and follow God's will ^{[3, 4]}. Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist commentator, emphasizes that Moses, along with the elders and priests, charged the people to keep God's commandments, underscoring the authority behind these instructions ^[9].

Despite the immense pressures, Moses demonstrated remarkable fortitude and composure. When the Israelites were trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army, they cried out against Moses. Yet, Moses calmly instructed them, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" ^[12]. This steadfastness, according to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, arose from his confidence in the miraculous cloud accompanying them, signifying God's presence ^[12].

Moses's life itself was a testament to preparation and divine timing. He spent his first forty years as a prince in Pharaoh's court, his second forty as a shepherd in Midian, and his final forty as a leader in Jeshurun (Israel) ^[13]. This long period of preparation highlights that God often prepares his servants for their destined work over extended periods ^[13]. Joshua, who would succeed Moses, was also instructed by Moses in the laws and in matters concerning God ^[5].

Sources

Exodus “Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. -- Exodus 18:25”
I Chronicles “I Chronicles 22:13 (DRC) — For then thou shalt be able to prosper, if thou keep the commandments, and judgments, which the Lord commanded Moses to teach Israel: take courage and act manfully, fear not, nor be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy “Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. -- Deuteronomy 33:4”
Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 8, section 24: who were diligent about the worship of God, and the observation of his laws, and who did not reject what Moses had said to them; while the other wished them all manner of happiness also; and when these last put up the like prayers, the former praised them. After this, curses were denounced upon those that should transgress those laws, they, answering one another alternately, by way of confirmation of what had been said. Moses also wrote their blessings and their curses, that they might learn them so thoroughly, that they might n”
Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, CHAPTER 7, section 2: the army, if they should at any time stand in need of such a one; and this was done by the command of God, that to him the care of the public should be committed. Now Joshua had been instructed in all those kinds of learning which concerned the laws and God himself, and Moses had been his instructor. 3. At this time it was that the two tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh, abounded in a multitude of cattle, as well as in all other kinds of prosperity; whence they had a meeting, and in a body came and besought ”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Harmony of the Law, Vol. 1, section 14.3: the name of all, and all their minds prepared for departure; since, unless they had timely notice of it, there would have been no general consent to embrace the mercy of God. It was then of great importance that the vocation of Moses should be well known, that they might boldly follow him as the leader set over them by God. He does not express without a purpose, that the God who had been seen by him, was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for the vision, which would have been otherwise hardly credited by the people, depended on the ancient c”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Micah 6:4: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam — Jonathan paraphrases: Moses to teach the transmission of the laws, Aaron to atone for the people, and Miriam to instruct the women.”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rationalist)) “Abraham Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 4:5: [I HAVE TAUGHT YOU.] Moses states, I have taught you , after saying which I teach you (v. 1), because he wants to add, even as the Lord my God commanded me . The meaning of our verse is, the precepts which I taught you are God’s commandments, which you should observe in the land that God will give you for a possession. Furthermore, the commandments are your glory over the nations. 6. YOUR WISDOM AND YOUR UNDERSTANDING IN THE SIGHT OF THE PEOPLES. Because an intelligent person can understand the basis of all the commandments. An intelligent person can ascert”
Deuteronomy (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 27:1: Here is, I. A general charge to the people to keep God's commandments; for in vain did they know them, unless they would do them. This is pressed upon them, 1. With all authority. Moses with the elders of Israel, the rulers of each tribe (Deu 27:1), and again, Moses and the priests the Levites (Deu 27:9); so that the charge is given by Moses who was king in Jeshurun, and by their lords, both spiritual and temporal, in concurrence with him. Lest they should think that it was Moses only, an old and dying man, that made such ado about religion, or the priests an”
Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Numbers 11:14: I AM NOT ABLE TO BEAR ALL THIS PEOPLE MYSELF ALONE. The meaning thereof is not that the elders should help him to give the people flesh, for where should they get it from? Moreover, even if they would have many leaders they would still only complain against Moses our teacher who took them out of Egypt, as they used to say to him, And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt ? 178 Further, 20:5. [asking him] that he should give them through his prayers all that they asked for, and grant them their desires 179 See Psalms 78:29. [and so they would s”
Exodus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Exodus 16:4: Then said the Lord unto Moses--Though the outbreak was immediately against the human leaders, it was indirectly against God: yet mark His patience, and how graciously He promised to redress the grievance. I will rain bread from heaven--Israel, a type of the Church which is from above, and being under the conduct, government, and laws of heaven, received their food from heaven also (Psa 78:24). that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no--The grand object of their being led into the wilderness was that they might receive a religio”
Exodus (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Exodus 14:13: Moses said, . . . Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord--Never, perhaps, was the fortitude of a man so severely tried as that of the Hebrew leader in this crisis, exposed as he was to various and inevitable dangers, the most formidable of which was the vengeance of a seditious and desperate multitude; but his meek, unruffled, magnanimous composure presents one of the sublimest examples of moral courage to be found in history. And whence did his courage arise? He saw the miraculous cloud still accompanying them, and his confidence”
Exodus (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Exodus 3:1: The years of the life of Moses are remarkably divided into three forties: the first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh's court, the second a shepherd in Midian, the third a king in Jeshurun; so changeable is the life of men, especially the life of good men. He had now finished his second forty, when he received his commission to bring Israel out of Egypt. Note, Sometimes it is long before God calls his servants out of that work which of old he designed them for, and has been graciously preparing them for. Moses was born to be Israel's deliverer, and yet not a wo”
Sefaria (Jewish (Kabbalistic/Philosophical)) “Ramban (Nachmanides) on Exodus 18:20: AND THOU SHALT TEACH THEM THE STATUTES AND THE LAWS, AND SHALT SHOW THEM THE WAY WHEREIN THEY MUST WALK. That is, “according to the law and the commandment with which you will strongly admonish them, and you will teach the law and the commandment.” Thus Jethro also conceded to Moses on this matter, of which he had said, and I make them know the statutes of G-d, and His laws . 98 Above, Verse 16. In this too there was counsel [on the part of Jethro], i.e., that Moses should strongly admonish them and warn them of the commandments and [Divine] punishments [i”
Exodus (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Exodus 18:13: 18:13-27 Jethro’s wise advice is a further example of God’s providence, although it was not given in a miraculous way. Jethro introduced Moses to a style of leadership that involved delegation of authority. It appears that Moses had been following an Egyptian style of leadership that was heavily hierarchical and based on circumstances. No Egyptian law code has yet been discovered. It appears that all authority flowed downward from the pharaoh, who ruled by fiat. Jethro proposed a structure of delegation that would make Moses’ life easier. 18:13-16 Moses had set h”

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