Know it All's Exodus 18

Know it All's

A few years back I was in an unfortunate situation career wise that made it necessary for me to take a job outside my own career field, for the sake of a paycheck.

Having been a manager for several years I found it humbling and difficult to not be the boss. I had no idea that I was rubbing people the wrong way until my boss pulled me aside. She let me know in a very kind way that I was being a bit of a know it all, and it would be helpful if I could be a bit more coachable. I of course apologized and thanked her for the opportunity to humble up. For the next few months I had the chance to learn that lesson well as I learned the job from people just out of high school...ouch!!
When I was able to go back to managing in the career field I knew I was able to carry this lesson with me, and remember that there is something to learn from everyone, there is wisdom in the generation before us, and new knowledge that we need in the one coming up behind us.
One of the most difficult things to do is to try to help someone that is constantly saying "I know", while you are showing them something that they clearly "do not know". Its as if all their self esteem is riding on the fact that they have no need to ever learn anything from anyone. It makes every task twice as hard and bottle necks progress.

What I love about Moses in Exodus 18 is that while sharing all of amazing and wonderful things that God has done for the Israelites with his father in law, he doesn't once ask for a pat on the back or even mention the fact that God chose Him to lead. He consistently credits God with leading Israel and delivering them from Egypt. 

Later when his father in law see's him spend an entire day judging the people he doesn't say "good job Moses" he says "this thing you are doing is not good". You would think that would be tough to hear after a long day at work. I might be a little cranky at that point.
Moses listens, and takes his elders advice with humility, he doesn't argue, say "I know", or try to save face. What a great lesson for us!

By the way many of the conditions for an elder seen here are the same ones we see in Timothy and Titus in the New Testament.

Enjoy Exodus 18

Exodus 18 New International Version (NIV)

Jethro Visits Moses

18 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

² After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her ³ and her two sons. One son was named Gershom,^[a] for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; ⁴ and the other was named Eliezer,^[b] for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. ⁶ Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
⁷ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. ⁸ Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
⁹ Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹⁰ He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” ¹² Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
¹³ The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
¹⁵ Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”
¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. ²¹ 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. ²² Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. ²³ If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”
²⁴ Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. ²⁵ He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²⁶ They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
²⁷ Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.