Original Entry: November 8, 2008
McMinnville, OR
Moses’
father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will
only wear yourselves out. The work is
too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.
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 the decrees and laws, and show
them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. 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. Have them serve as judges for the people at
all times, but have them bring every difficulty case to you; the simple cases
they can decide themselves. That will
make your load lighter, because they will share it will you. If you do this and God so commands, you will
be able to stand the stain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
Exodus 18:17-23
And the things
you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men
who will also be qualified to teach other.
2Timothy 2:2
We have
been out about 10 times trying to get my son Darby his first buck. We sat on a corn field of a friend of mine
thinking it would be a sure thing, but to no avail. In the pre-dawn darkness we actually had buck
grunt in response to my cough at only 10 yards, but by shooting light he was
long gone.
Last week
I met a man who shared that a mutual acquaintance had taken a buck, and after
he shared the story another friend responded, “Hey didn’t he also kill one in
Eastern Oregon?” In Oregon you can only
take one animal unless you draw a special tag which limits hunting to the
Willamette Valley. When this man heard
it he smiled, and shrugged his shoulders.
“He must
have had a family tag,” I smirked.
We all
knew what that meant.
This man
belongs to a “Christian” family that is known for their blatant breaking of the
law in order to kill more game. The
hunting obsession has not only tarnished the name of Christ but put a blemish
upon their family name.
They may
or may not be a Christian family but from their perennial actions it is safe to
say they do not fear God. Exodus
18:17-23 is a story about Moses’ father-in-law Jethro counseling him to change
his leadership style and recruit men to help him. These men needed Moses to “teach them (20),”
to help them understand how “they are to walk and the work they are to do
(20).” Verse 20 lists what Moses is to
do for these men but it is in verse 21 Jethro lists what kind of men Moses
should be looking for.
“You shall
select out of all the people able men who Fear God, men of truth, those who
hate dishonest gain (21).”
As I read
this it became as clear as that Leopold scope mounted to Darby’s Remington
Model Seven-260. The Fear of God changes
men. Jesus changes a heart but the
ultimate Fear of God keeps that heart in change. I am sure that the “faithful men” Paul spoke
to Timothy about more men who feared God.
Think about this. Isn’t it in
times when we don’t Fear God that we openly indulge in sin? Sin NEVER surprises me. It is always a conscious choice to please the
self and subsequently not fear the God I say I serve.
It is the
fear that changes us into ‘men of truth.”
Men who do not pull the trigger after dark, across private fences,
before the dawn but withhold “dishonest gain” in order to gain the Fear of God
that is found only through the Fear of God.
