Exodus 18: Respecting Counsel--In-Laws

The father-in-law of Moses met with Moses here at the beginning of the journey to the promised land. This is one of those chapters in the Bible that has help for everyday life in the form of a narrative (a story). Jethro, the father-in-law, believed that there was a better way for Moses to get his daily work done (by delegating jobs to other people), so he chose to give him advice—counsel him. The lesson I hope we do not miss is that we should all be humble enough to cultivate good relationships with our in-laws so that we can accept their help when it is obvious that we need it. Moses was 80, but he was still able to learn.