Êxodo 18

Êxodo 18

Guzik - Jethro was the priest of Midian—likely a descendant of one of Abraham’s other children through Keturah named Midian (Genesis 25:1–2). Because of this connection with Abraham, we have good reason to believe he was a true priest, and worshipped the true God. Wiersbe feels that "Like Melchizedek (Gen. 14:17–24), Jethro was a Gentile priest (Ex. 2:16) whose testimony indicates that he knew the true and living God." It is interesting that Jethro is referred to as Moses' father-in-law more than by his given name. Clearly , the Holy Spirit emphasizes the relationship of Jethro to Moses as his father-in-law. This would also tend to support the premise that Jethro was to some degree an authority figure to Moses. In any case Moses reveals his great humility by willingly submitting to Jethro, even when he was planning to return to Egypt and sought Jethro's permission = "Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” (Ex 4:18+). Jethro - 9x in 9v - Ex 3:1; Ex 4:18; Ex 18:1; Ex 18:2; Ex 18:5; Ex 18:6; Ex 18:9; Ex 18:10; Ex 18:12 Father-in-law is repeated in 12x Exodus 18 - Ex 18:1; Ex 18:2; Ex 18:5; Ex 18:6; Ex 18:7; Ex 18:8; Ex 18:12; Ex 18:14; Ex 18:15; Ex 18:17; Ex 18:24; Ex 18:27; Note that Jethro is also called Reuel in Exodus and Numbers. Many people in history have more than one name. When they came to Reuel their father, he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?” (Ex 2:18) Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out to the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you’; come with us and we will do you good, for the LORD has promised good concerning Israel.”(Nu 10:29) Heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people - No email. No text. No pictures of the Red Sea closing on the Egyptians on Instagram. And yet the word of Yahweh's deliverance spread. Yahweh was glorified by this great deliverance. The Song of Moses stated "The peoples (pagans, Gentiles) have heard, they tremble." (Ex 15:14-15+), so the word of Yahweh's victory over the most powerful nation in the world at that time spread to all of the other nations in the area of Palestine. This news presumably spread even farther but the nations mentioned in Ex 15:14-15+ were those what would specifically interact with the nation of Israel in the future. John