Chapter 23: The Beginnings of a Judicial System
Q1 - Review the list of qualifications that Jethro suggested for the lower court judges (see Exodus 18:21). Then look at the qualifications given for deacons (see Acts 6:1–6 and 1 Timothy 3:8–13). How are their qualifications and appointed duties similar or dissimilar?
A1 - Jethro suggested Moses choose these type of men to be judges in Exodus 18:21 (NIV): “But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.”
The men selected in the early church for ministering to the widows needed these qualifications (Acts 6:3 ESV): “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.”
Paul gave a longer list of qualifications for choosing deacons in 1 Timothy 3:8–12 (NKJV): “Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.”
In comparing the qualifications Jethro suggested with those given in New Testament times, the basics are the same. The candidates should be men who are capable, fear God, and are trustworthy and honest. Jethro added that they should also be from “all the people,” indicating they should be representative of everyone, men selected from the entire group and not just from among a select few known associates. Appointing them as judges over varying size groups implied that the larger the group, the more capable a candidate should be. That’s because the cases would get progressively more difficult as they were handed over to a higher judge.
The role of a deacon differs somewhat from that of the judges Jethro suggested for the Israelites. Whereas the judges would be deciding who was right or wrong in a given case, the deacon’s role was to serve.
The need for deacons arose in Acts 6 when the twelve apostles realized they alone could not meet both the spiritual and physical needs of the early Christians. (Recall that Matthias had been selected to take Judas’ spot among the apostles, so they again numbered twelve.) The apostles needed to be out and about, actively preaching and teaching the Good News of Jesus. Yet, the widows needed to be cared for. So they told their brethren to select from among them seven men to help with the daily distribution of food.
As the early church grew and its needed expanded, elders or bishops were appointed in the various congregations of believers. Their role was to oversee the spiritual needs of their church members (1 Peter 5:1–2, Hebrews 13:17).
The complete role of deacon was not as well defined, which may have been intentional in order to allow the churches latitude to meet their particular needs. In general, it seems that deacons were to take care of the physical needs of the church members, or perhaps handle whatever the elders assigned to them.
So while the basic qualifications of the judges Jethro suggested to Moses and the deacons of the New Testament church are very similar, the roles they were to fulfill differed.
Q2 - Note the interactions between Moses and Jethro. Jethro is probably older than Moses, as he is the father of Moses's wife. He is also recognized as a priest and spiritual leader. Yet, Jethro is careful to honor Moses and treats him with great respect, even while he gives him instruction as to how to organize the judicial system. What insights might Jethro have gained concerning Moses's character during the forty years he lived in Midian? Now that the Israelites have been safely brought out of Egypt by God, what does that tell Jethro about Moses?
A2 - Moses distinguished himself even as he first met Jethro by defending his daughters from the other shepherds and watering their flocks for them (Exodus 2:15–21). Jethro thought enough of him to invite Moses to stay with him and ended up giving him one of his daughters in marriage. He also trusted him with tending to his flocks. In all, Moses stayed in Midian with Jethro and his family for forty years, so Jethro must have gotten to know Moses pretty well.
The fact that Moses was able to deliver such a massive group of slaves from from the hand of Pharaoh, one of the most powerful rulers on earth must have spoken volumes to Jethro. When Moses had departed Midian, he told Jethro he wanted to go back to his own people in Egypt to see if any of them were still alive (Exodus 4:18). What must Jethro have thought when he later heard through the desert grapevine all that God had done through the hand of Moses? As a priest, he surely had to have recognized that God was with Moses. Then, as Moses explained all that had transpired, Jethro knew for sure that Yahweh reigned supreme and had been the force behind the deliverance of the Israelites. Without a doubt, he now knew God was with Moses.
Q3 - Up until he met with Moses, it’s possible that Jethro may have worshipped or offered sacrifices to more than one god, perhaps to cover all the possible contingencies. He seemed truly delighted to learn all that God had done in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt. This proved to him that the one God of the Israelites was real and truly powerful, unlike other gods made of wood or stone. How do you think Jethro’s meeting with Moses helped spread the worship of God, Yahweh, throughout other parts of the known world? (Recall God’s promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1–3 that through him all nations or families of the world would be blessed.)
A3 - Jethro’s meeting with Moses and learning of all God had done for the Israelites had a powerful impact on him. As was discussed in the lesson, he brought a burnt offering for a sacrifice to God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to dine with him in the presence of God (Exodus 18:12). Here was a priest who had not descended from Isaac, Abraham’s son through whom God had made His promise, taking the lead in this offering and communing with the Israelite leaders in the presence of God Himself. Jethro left shortly after this offering took place and went back home. We assume that he continued to worship only God and spread the knowledge He had learned about God to his family, friends, and neighbors.