NOTES for Exo 18:1-27

On the one hand, this is a story that recounts in legendary form the beginnings of “civilization,” the organization within the people who left Egypt with Moses for the wilderness. On the other hand, behind this organization one can see the ambiguity of any mediation between God and human beings. As Israel’s prophet and “spiritual leader,” Moses is bound to undertake this mediation, but its burden is unbearable for a human being, because only God Himself can fully bear it. To make his task easier, Moses appoints many “officials” who are prepared to share with him responsibility for the people before God. The more people become able to stand independently before God, the nearer His goal becomes: the involvement of each person in a relationship of love with the Creator. Later, in a similar account (Numbers 11), we will see that the Bible understands such participation in shared responsibility as participation in God’s Spirit, in whom this love is realized...