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LEADERSHIP (1)

JT I was thinking about leadership. The basic thought in mind is taken from the prophet Micah: Moses, Aaron and Miriam being sent before Israel in the wilderness. It was thought that we might look at these three leaders and then at others that are linked with them: Eleazar, and Joshua, five in all, who had to do with the great typical movement of God involving leadership in a most definite way. No servant in the Old Testament has more space given to him in history than Moses, so we have to be selective in our remarks about him in the time allotted to us. His childhood and boyhood are known very well to us, so that we shall hardly need to touch on the early stages of his history, but rather on what applies to him in his service or leadership.

The account of Aaron’s history is comparatively brief and Miriam’s is much briefer. Eleazar is important and so is Joshua. It is a question of skill to allot to each his place. Moses comes first, being the greatest servant of the Old Testament, a full type of Christ as prophet. He speaks of himself as a type of Christ, that God would raise up a prophet after him “like unto me”. The Spirit of God honours him as being allowed to appear on the mount speaking to the Lord.

What is in mind first is to refer to his decision when he came to Midian, in view of the much service, and the many servants today, for whom we may give thanks. We might look at the definite features that marked Moses as moving, before he is inducted into the service. He had grown up to be a man of forty years of age, in a position of great distinction as a man of this world. He had of himself made a definite move: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went ^[p. 105] out to his brethren and looked on their burdens” (Exodus 2: 11).

APT In Hebrews 11 it is said that he “chose”.

JT Yes; he reached his decision after his experience in the world. We are told that he was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds; but the definite point is in his decision — the stress as to definiteness. The first point is definiteness at one’s own volition, and at one’s own cost, so that he came into persecution.

JD Do you think that there is secret soul history seen in Moses in the words, “when Moses was grown;” that there had been a previous education in relation to the work of God in his soul before he revealed himself to his brethren?

JT Well, there must have been; but it is recorded as on his side, the movement is directly from himself. In Hebrews faith is stressed, “By faith Moses, when he had become great”, and the skill and method of the Spirit in the record would be to help other servants as to what we do from our own side, so that the credit is to us. God retires, as it were, if He has a certain thing in mind and if He wishes to set out a certain model for us. The record has that in view. So that it reads, “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown”. Hebrews 11: 24 - 26, referring to this part of the history says, “By faith Moses, when he had become great, refused to be called son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction along with the people of God than to have the temporary pleasure of sin; esteeming the reproach of the Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense”. It is all put on his side.

I thought that would be the lesson for us to begin with. An allusion is made to his place in Egypt and to his refusal; the word “refused” is used, then “choosing” and then “esteeming”, and the root explanation, that “he had respect to the recompense”. It has an application to our early experience and how we come to take part in the work of God, and begin to take part in the service of God. It is a question as to whether we are definite, fully estimating where we have been, or we shall surely go back to it; and choosing at our own expense, knowing that it involves loss but having respect to the recompense. This line of action intimates that the service of God cannot add to me as a man in this world, nor is it intended to add to my material circumstances. I believe that is what this chapter teaches.

AEH The Spirit of God is crediting Moses with having arrived at the sober estimate of Egypt; and he is ready now to subordinate that to what God is to get.

JT Yes. He took full advantage of the choosing and estimating which he had the opportunity of testing out. He was mighty in words and deeds. He had evidently acquired what was available to such a young man and deliberately gave it up on the principle of appraisal, knowing what the consequences would be, or he would be likely to revert to it again. It is one of the most important things in service.

Ques Would looking on their burdens have a part in this?

JT That shows what a man he was; he could take account of the sufferings of others, anticipating, without knowing it, what God was going to give him to do. God looked on the burdens of His people too, and heard their groans. He is in accord with the divine current at the moment. If we are not in the divine current in some sense, we shall be running up against elements that God is using, not knowing what we are doing. We want to come into the divine current.

CHH In the sovereignty of God could what he was taught in Egypt be used in service?

JT No doubt it was, but in his own estimation it ^[p. 107] was not of much account. He protested to Jehovah that he could not speak, yet he was mighty in words and deeds earlier.

RA Does “when he was grown” suggest a point reached in his history?

JT That is what is meant; it was when he was forty years old. His life is divided into three forty-year periods. We are beginning with the forty-first year. He is entering on the second forty years of his life.

Rem What you said about being in the current is very important. Leadership in any measure involves that all should be under the Lord’s control, that we should not get in one another’s way.

JT I thought it would be helpful to notice that he came into the current of things. Apollos was an independent work of God. He went from Alexandria and arrived at Ephesus where Paul’s greatest work was to take place. He was not altogether clear about what was current, but he came into contact with two who could tell him “of the way of God more exactly”. Aquila and Priscilla showed him the way of God more exactly, which he evidently accepted. Apollos encountered no difficulties; he was thoroughly in the current of the work of God. Although some of the Corinthians would set him up against Paul, yet there is no indication whatever that he encouraged that. He was not minded to go to Corinth, as though he would not countenance opposition to Paul.

JD Do you think that the features of leadership begin to show themselves when one hears the brethren?

JT I think it calls for a feeling man. The work of God requires one who feels how things are. The Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters in Genesis 1, which is a good indication of what enters into leadership, taking into account all the conditions that you have to deal with and feeling them.

JD I was thinking of the Lord in Luke’s gospel ^[p. 108] when He saw the city, He wept because of what would befall it, involving deep feelings.

JT So Nehemiah is a very feeling man. He wept when he heard of conditions at Jerusalem; he grieved so much that it was apparent before the king. That is a good beginning. When he arrives at Jerusalem, he goes out at night and surveys the conditions of the city.

JD Mordecai cried with a loud and bitter cry when the judgment went forth against his people.

JT So Moses “went out to his brethren and looked on their burdens”. Then he would put two of his brethren right, as we have often noted. “Why art thou smiting thy neighbour?” That is a good feature because there is so much smiting. Stephen comments on this. The one who was wrong said, “Who established thee ruler and judge over us?” (Acts 7: 27).

JD Is it to be noted in this question of leadership that forty years ago the boy wept? That would be carried forward; the Spirit of God would take notice of all the feelings in the boy.

JT Quite so.

AR We might suffer at the hands of the world, and that is bad enough, an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew; but two brothers quarrelling is very serious.

JT This incident shows how difficult it is to deal with such a circumstance, but yet it should be dealt with.

AEH He looked at their burdens; it is the burdens that cause deep feelings and sorrow.

JT As we were saying, that is an indication that he is already in the current of the mind of God, an important thing. There is always a current, God is always operating.

JTJr Being delivered from the Egyptian current would be the beginning for us. The river is in the previous paragraph. Moses as delivered from the ^[p. 109] influence of nature is able to move in the current of God’s mind.

JT He was drawn out of the river by Pharaoh’s daughter. His name means that. But then, the current of Egypt was there in Pharaoh’s house, and it brings out all the more his power of decision in leaving that. It is the deliberate decision that we ought to notice; knowing just what he has left, and in some sense knowing what he is coming into. He had not long to wait to discover what he was coming into: firstly, the burdens that were there, and secondly, the dispositions of the persons he was seeking to serve and the refusal on their part to be served. In looking over Stephen’s comments we have a side-light on the verses read: “This Moses, whom they refused, saying, Who made thee ruler and judge? him did God send to be a ruler and deliverer with the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush” (Acts 7: 35). And then an emphatic he, in “He led them out”. He is this man. Whatever the attitude of the persons, he is God’s man and he will come into the thought that was in his heart. The right thought was in his heart. So after a decision in the service we have to make up our minds for opposition from the brethren as well as from Pharaoh. Opposition comes from the brethren first.

CDeB The brethren misunderstood him. They did not understand the motives really that he had before him.

JT That is what it states. Why did they not understand? Would they have any knowledge of who he was? Why should he be coming out to them? It is worth while inquiring into it and not to set ourselves up against such a man. Let us look into the matter.

Rem It was the man that was in the wrong who became the spokesman in this verse.

JT We may be sure that as there is refusal of help it is on the part of the wrong-doer. The man who ^[p. 110] is in the current of the mind of God is ready to be helped. The lesson is, make full inquiry before refusing assistance.

HB It says that Moses wrought signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Is there something that answers to that in our day?

JT There are literally signs and wonders according to Mark. “These signs shall follow”, the Lord told the eleven, but not simply because they were apostles. Indeed they are not called apostles in the passage alluded to. “And these signs shall follow those that have believed: in my name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they should drink any deadly thing it shall not injure them; they shall lay hands upon the infirm, and they shall be well” (Mark 16: 17, 18). That is the sort of thing. With Mark it is a question of believing, “those that have believed”. In our service there should be faith.

JS Do we have leadership added to this, the thought of “ruler and judge”?

JT The point is that what they needed he accomplished. They said, “Who made thee ruler and judge?” but “him did God send to be a ruler and deliverer”. He did the work. That is the test. Is the brother doing the work? The apostle says, “he worketh the work of the Lord as I also do”. That is the question, Is he doing the work?

CAM Would you say that, after the decision is made, the course that things take to work the matter out will be in the hands of God? Really a state of things develops that Moses would not have chosen at all.

JT The successive steps bring out in principle what a servant may look for. Pharaoh heard of this political incident and sought to slay Moses, but Moses fled from before Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of ^[p. 111] Midian. It is said in Hebrews, in the passage I alluded to already, that he did not fear the wrath of the king. “By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as seeing him who is invisible”. The rulers and the powers that be may turn against us, and we may be overwhelmed. So that all these features of the servants of old are recorded for our use in service. Therefore we are told here that Moses fled from before Pharaoh; but the Spirit of God in Hebrews says that he did not fear, because that would be a question of his state. The fleeing is not a question of his state, but the fearing is. Fear would damage many and render them useless for service. “Not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as seeing him who is invisible”. He saw Him who is invisible, that is the way it is recorded. There is a greater than the king, which would alleviate my fears so that I can go on. It was a long way to Midian but Moses knew what to do; he was learning all the way. He was not overcome by the fear of Pharaoh. It says in verse 23, “And it came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died”. God deals with him from whom he fled. In the meantime he is occupied with Him who is invisible, a very important point for us. Otherwise we shall not be available.

Ques Must we therefore leave the slaying of the Egyptian to God in His governmental dealings?

JT Leave the fear of such obstacles too.

AEH In the land of Midian he sits by the well, serving in a limited way, but still serving.

JT That is the next thing. The question of fear that might be in his heart is settled, because according to the Spirit of God there is not any. He fears God, that is, he sees Him who is invisible. He sees God in all this. Ultimately he goes back to Egypt after God deals with Pharaoh, but in the meantime he is not idle. He sat by the well and very soon work appeared before ^[p. 112] him in these women coming with their father’s sheep. It says, “And the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs, to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses rose and helped them, and watered their flock”. He is not using his physical power to deal with the situation at all, which is a beautiful trait in a servant. He helped the women. The women represent weakness, but the Spirit joins itself to our weakness in devoted service. They are watering their father’s sheep. He did not attack the shepherds. They drove the women away, “but Moses rose and helped them, and watered their flock”. He joins himself to what the women were doing and he is successful — the flock is watered. There is something done and done well. It is a very commendable piece of work over against what the shepherds did.

JHE “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah” (Zechariah 4: 6).

JT It is a beautiful trait of the Spirit of God to join itself to our weakness. We are doing the thing, but He is helping us. Here it is this generous trait in Moses, and we shall see it in Eleazar this afternoon. It is a question of a servant developing and coming fully into his service. He is not in it yet, he is not put into it immediately, but this is happening in the meantime.

EGMcA Would this acceptance of limitations by Moses in going to Midian bring out the development of what was in the man; and when his education had reached the right point God removed the opposition?

JT That is what comes out. It was when the time came; verse 23 says, “it came to pass during those many days”. Moses is going through something, but then God is acting governmentally at the same time. “It came to pass during those many days, that the king of Egypt died”. It required years, though he would ^[p. 113] die in a minute, but he must go, for God is saying that Pharaoh is in his way, an obstructer. He just dies in the ordinary way, no doubt, but God has His eye on him that he might be removed.

CHH Would a similar case be seen in the history of the assembly in Acts 12: 24 where Herod withstood the testimony and persecuted the saints? But he dies, and then “the word of God grew and spread itself”.

JT And so in the case of Sennacherib when he defied Jehovah and His people, as recorded in 2 Kings 19. God had His eye on that man. It might be slow work, we are not told exactly; it might have taken twenty years after the 185,000 Assyrians were slain by the angel before Sennacherib was slain. That is, God keeps His eye on a thing — during these many days. God has not withdrawn His eye from this thing that is going on in the world today, because His people are involved. Our prayers go on. Moses prayed, as to conditions in Egypt, and maybe Jethro. It is a question of what God is doing in “those many days;” during them the king of Egypt dies.

EGMcA This time was exercising for Moses. He had to develop patience and wait on God for instructions.

JT The idea of this chapter is that Moses is content; he “consented to remain with the man” — no doubt contrary to his natural thoughts. While in Midian he might well revert back to the times he had in Egypt; but he consented to dwell with the man, not that he felt that it was any great advantage to him — there is no evidence that Zipporah was particularly attractive. But God is keeping His eye on Pharaoh all the time.

JD Jethro says to his daughters, “where is he?” Would there be inquiry as to a man like that?

JT Quite so. You wonder at the women; they ^[p. 114] are not like ordinary women. There must have been a lack of womanly interest in them. Here is a man that has delivered them and watered their flock, and they do nothing about him. Jethro is a good-minded man, a man in whom there is something of God. He is concerned rightly about Moses, not for getting a husband for one of his daughters. But still the mind of God went on, and there is the mention of the birth of Gershom. That is the thing to notice. “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”, Moses says. There is not much said of Zipporah, but still she is a type of the church; but the point here is the history of Moses. It is this child called Gershom who reminds Moses that he is “a sojourner in a foreign land”. The servant has to experience the sense of being in a foreign land — it is not congenial at all, but he was there forty years and worked well for his father-in-law. As we have been saying, he was taking on the traits of the Spirit of God. He sat by the well — a type of the Spirit of God — over against what he learned in Egypt. He began to rely on the Spirit, and the effect began to come out immediately. Instead of driving the shepherds away, he helps the women; he takes on the shepherd character. He would not have been taught to be a shepherd by the Egyptians. He is learning the spiritual side and throwing off the natural — the Egyptian acquirements — “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith Jehovah of hosts”. The apostle Paul is a full example of this. He says, “For I did not judge it well to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2: 2). That is where the Spirit adds help to our weakness. The Lord was crucified in weakness, but He lives by the power of God. The servant has to come to that, that he does not have to rely on his natural acquirements.

CAM The paragraph closes with sonship. Would you extend the thought to Romans 8, that there ^[p. 115] is a wonderful result always in being in accord with the Spirit’s activities?

JT I think the first effect in his own mind as to children is the sense of being in a foreign land. I am not going to build myself up here, he would say. God says to Baruch in Jeremiah 45: 5, Do not build yourself up here; “Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not”. He is just a foreigner. Some have experienced that. In a foreign country there is usually a feeling of disadvantage — Gershom is that; but Eliezer is another thing. He is not mentioned here, but in the wilderness, Exodus 18: 4 says, “and the name of the other, Eliezer”, which means ‘help from God’. He says, “For the God of my father has been my help, and has delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”.

CAM I was struck with what you said about his not acting against the shepherds with violence, but instead helping the women; and this being typical of what the Spirit does — helping us in our weaknesses.

JT There are these two sons in Moses’ house. One is, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”, and the other, “the God of my father has been my help, and has delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”. The power of God in a man’s house — that brings out what a man ought to be. So it is not what he learned in Egypt that enables him to execute the service entrusted to him; it is the help which he gets from God.

GAT What did you have in mind about being in a foreign land?

JT In a moral sense, you do not identify yourself with the country in which you are. Moses did not become a citizen of Midian, he remained an alien and called his son by that name. Why did he call his son by that name? Because he was a foreigner. He was there under God’s government and accepted the alienation ^[p. 116] involved.

HB Is that why as to Eliezer he says, “the God of my father has been my help”?

JT Yes, you might ask Moses, Why did you call him Eliezer? Because, he says, ‘God is my help’. In the same way, I do not identify myself with a trades union, I trust God. It is a question of the state of my household. The names Moses gave to his sons were a constant testimony in his house.

Rem The absence of these features in a household would greatly weaken leadership in the head of it, although otherwise right.

JT You have to accept that it is the government of God. If we accept it humbly, God will not forsake us. These two boys in the house would be a witness to the father’s testimony.

FNW “Esteeming the reproach of the Christ”, would that have a bearing on this matter of his household?

JT It was a definite estimate of the reproach of Christ. Reproach attached to the name of these sons of Moses. He professed to be dependent on God — helped by Him and not by political affiliation. And also he professed to be “a sojourner in a foreign land”. This involved reproach and natural disadvantage.

AEH Why, in this attitude of strangership, did Moses fail to circumcise his son?

JT That was a defect clearly. Evidently it was Zipporah who objected to it, but it was his responsibility, just as it is now the responsibility of every head to baptise his household in faith.

AR Paul says to Timothy that an overseer should conduct his own house well.

CHH Would the fact that these two names are mentioned in Exodus 18 suggest that Moses had retained these impressions through his forty years of experience?

JT Clearly. His family is mentioned where he ^[p. 117] is in the very height of his work. God is actually using him, and he is devoting himself to the people; he is sitting there all day answering questions without complaint. It comes in there strikingly, and Jethro, too, shines there. So the facts would show that Moses’ visiting Midian, and his relation with Jethro, was not detrimental to him, but God overruled it for blessing. As there is faithfulness, things that may seem to be detrimental in our marriages God will overrule for good beyond what we may expect. We have little idea how God loves a true servant, a man like Moses or David. David says, Jehovah chose me because He liked me; likeableness in him as made king is referred to.

APT “Hast thou considered my servant Job?” (Job 1: 8).

JT Job had a place with God, although he had much to learn. God had His eye on him as His servant and would reach His end with him. Jehovah honoured him under this designation at the end as at the beginning. In view of the history that intervened this is most touching and should assure all who seek to serve God.

AB Do verses 21, 22 stand over against the end of verse 12, “He smote the Egyptian”? That was the end of that exercise, but in verses 21, 22 there is great fruitfulness as typically having the Spirit.

JT That is the thing to see, how God oversees the history of His servant in giving him this son and then another one; and how he links the latter with God — “For the God of my father has been my help, and has delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”. What I think we should see is that normally the servant is peculiarly loved by God and occurrences favourable to him will come about. Moses is loved by God and God will do things for him.

EGMcA What do we learn from Moses’ patience in the school of God for forty years?

JT He “consented to remain with the man”, that is in keeping with his decision; he was a man who had made up his mind. He bows to the situation and God accepted that and honoured it. Patience in a servant is one of the greatest things.

JTJr He was not concerned about wages. He leaves that matter with God.

JT That comports with ‘Eliezer’ and God honours him. Jethro would not be an unfeeling man. There is no question here about wages, but Jacob made much of it. His father-in-law changed his wages ten times. How unfeeling we are — taking advantage as to natural things of being in fellowship! That is what happened with Jacob and Laban. There is no question with Moses of wages. There is in this respect dignity attached to him. Unionism, in which some christians take refuge, is abhorrent to the mind of God, and it should be to the saints too.

CHH The apostle Paul says, “I shall most gladly spend and be utterly spent for your souls” (2 Corinthians 11: 15).

JT Quite so.

JS Would the forty years be a question of slow experience with God?

JT That is it; he is qualifying for the third chapter. We may have to touch on Moses again; we cannot leave out the third forty years, for that is where the full fruition is seen of all this experience. Even though things are against us, decision is the great point. He consented to dwell with the man.

Ques Is there a link between the second forty years and the third forty years? Moses returned with his sons and the staff of God in his hand.

JT We will begin with that next time. The first thing in the third chapter is the vision. He led the flock behind the wilderness and came to the mountain of God — to Horeb. That is a fine touch. And the angel of Jehovah appeared to him.

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