JETHRO

BOOK OF EXODUS

CHAPTER 18

            Nice to see you again at our Daily Bread!  It’s been an eventful trip so far with Moses and the children of Israel during their exodus from Egypt.  By the Lord’s hand, they escaped the clenches of Pharaoh in the Red Sea and most recently, they defeated the attack of the Amalekites. 

            Back in Midian, Moses’ father-in-law Jethro heard of all that God had done for Moses and His people and how He brought Israel out of Egypt.  When Moses left Midian to go to Egypt, Zipporah, his wife was with him, but he sent her back.  So Jethro took Zipporah and Moses’ two sons to visit Moses.  It was mentioned earlier that Moses first son was named Gershom, because Moses said, I have been an alien in a strange land.  Moses second son was named Eliezer, which means, help of my God, because Moses said, for the God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.

            Moses and the children of Israel were camped in the wilderness at the mount of God when Jethro and Zipporah and Moses two sons arrived.  Moses told Jethro all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake.  Moses told about all that they went through on their way to the Promised Land and how the Lord delivered them from turmoils.  For all of these things, Jethro was happy and he said, Blessed be the Lord.  Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in the thing that they were most proud of, He was more powerful.  Jethro took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat bread with Jethro in front of God.

            The next day, Moses sat to judge the people.  That means that whenever there was any kind of problem, the people came to Moses with it, and he told them what was right and wrong.  If there were other kinds of problems that needed resolutions, Moses would decide what to do.  The people stood by Moses from the morning until the evening, as you can imagine, with such a large amount of people, there were many problems.

            When Jethro saw all that Moses did for the people, he said, Why do you do all this alone?  Moses answered, Because the people ask me what God wants them to do.  When they have a problem, they come to me and I judge between one and another and I teach them the statutes of God, and His laws.

            Jethro said, This isn’t good.  You’re going to wear away, both you and the people with you because the burden is too heavy for one person.  Listen to me and I’ll give you advice and God will be with you.  Guide the people to God, then you can bring the disputes to Him. Teach them ordinances and laws, and show them the way to live righteously and to do the work that they must do.  And also, choose out of all the people, men that fear God, honest men, hating covetousness, and put them in charge over thousands, and hundreds and fifties and tens, and let them judge the people.  Every important matter they will still bring to you, but small matters, they can judge, so it’ll be easier on you and they’ll bear the burden with you.  If you do this and God approves, then you won’t be wearied and God’s people will go to their place in peace.

            As you may well imagine, Moses must have been pretty weathered after all he had done but he felt how important his job was and his devotion to it was so strong that he never even thought of getting help from others.  But what Jethro said made sense, to give it to God and things would be easier, so Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he said.  And Jethro left and went back to Midian. 

            When we come back, Moses goes up into the Mount of God and we’ll find out what God says to him next time in our Daily Bread.

CONTINUE TO THE NEXT STUDY