Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the prople - men who fear God, trustworthy to men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.
During the journey to the Promised Land, Moses had all authority, both religious and political given to him. In times to come, future kings felt the same tension when they tried to handle the cares of both the king and the priesthood. The kings could not handle it and delegated the religious affairs to the prophets. In the same way, Moses was the Man of God and could not handle the political affairs of a people who had grown to greater than two million persons. From this arises the need for and appointment of judges. These are trustworthy men who assume the duty of governing the people politically. It times to come, God himself will raise up judges to settle disputes and govern people and show them how they must live before God.
Daily Prayer: Father, it is indeed necessary that we be able to trust each other. The affairs of your kingdom are far too weighty for any one of us to handle. It is so important that we differentiate between duty and being prideful. So often men when given authority seek personal recognition for their labor. Let this never be. Instead, let us walk humbly before the LORD so that our father will reward us secretly. Amen.
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