There is Safety in Counselors - Exodus 17-20

 Exodus 18:24-27 (ESV)

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

Moses’ father-in-law was a brand new believer.  Until he heard about the power of God he did not have faith in God.  Note:

Exodus 18:10-11 (ESV)

Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.”

Up until this time he was polytheistic.   But, now he was given his allegiance to Yahweh.   Yet, despite not knowing God in the persona way that Moses did, Moses still took his wisdom.    What makes this so profound is that Moses had already had many encounters with God.  He has spoken to Him.   He has heard from Him.   Moses could have said to his father-in-law, “I got this old man!”   He could have said, “It is great that you are now a believer, but give it some time before you counsel me.”   Or, he could have said, “I speak to God every day so thanks for the advice, but if God wanted me to do that, He would have told me Himself.”   There are a lot of responses Moses could have said.  But, he simply allowed God to speak through this young believer’s life and improved his ministry to the people of Israel.   Younger men should listen to older men.  Notice Paul’s instruction:

Titus 2:2 (ESV)

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

The same is true of older men listening to younger men.  Note Job’s fourth friend, Elihu:

Job 32:6-8 (ESV)

And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said:

“I am young in years,

and you are aged;

therefore I was timid and afraid

to declare my opinion to you.

I said, ‘Let days speak,

and many years teach wisdom.’

But it is the spirit in man,

the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

Elihu finally had to speak.  The older men were wrong and needed his voice.   So, age is not the issue in all this.  The issue is listening to others to get counsel from them.  Why?  

Proverbs 11:14 (ESV)

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,

but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.