Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness
which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the
Egyptians. (Exodus
18:9)
And well should we all rejoice at the good the
Lord has done for His people whom He has delivered from the power of death and
of the devil!
In Chapter 17 we read of the great Rock of
Horeb on Sinai that Moses was commanded by God to strike with his rod. The
great Rock was split, and out gushed living Water. Insofar as Horeb is at
Sinai, and the rod of Moses represented the Law, the grace of God came by way
of the Law which Christ (the Great Rock) satisfied (see 1
Cor 10:4 & John 19:34). God
supplied not only the Bread of Heaven to His people, but the Water of Life as
well.
It seems apparent from the following verses
that Moses must have sent Zipporah, his wife, away from Egypt with his two
sons, back to her father Jethro. It is my speculation, as well as my hope, that
this was a precaution of Moses to protect them from retribution by Pharaoh.
1 When
Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had
done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel
out of Egypt; 2 Then
Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her
back, 3 And her
two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an
alien in a strange land: 4 And the
name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine
help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: 5 And Jethro, Moses' father in law,
came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he
encamped at the mount of God: 6 And
he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife,
and her two sons with her.
It is a bit unsettling that Jethro refers to
the two boys as “her” two sons since they are also the sons of Moses. It begs a
further understanding of the separation of Moses and Zipporah. Both boys were
named by Moses to reflect his life – Gershom means, I am a foreigner; and
Eliezer means ‘God is my help.’ Since scripture does not reveal the reasons for
the separation, I prefer to conclude my own opinion stated above.
Moses next happily relates all that the Lord
has done in alleviating the struggles of the people in coming out of Egypt.
Jethro must have been quite impressed to see Moses at the head of a nation of
about two million people (including children).
7 And Moses
went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they
asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father in law all
that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and
all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered
them. 9 And
Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he
had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath
delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh,
who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater
than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 12 And Jethro, Moses' father in law,
took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the
elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.
It seems Moses and his fellows enjoyed somewhat
of a limited communion with Jethro and his hosts. Jethro was a priest of the Midianites – enemies of the children of
Israel as we shall read later. But Jethro seems to come to an understanding the
God of Israel is the true God of all.
13 And it came to pass on the morrow,
that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the
morning unto the evening. 14 And when
Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this
thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all
the people stand by thee from morning unto even? 15 And Moses said unto his father in
law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: 16 When they have a matter, they come
unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the
statutes of God, and his laws.
Jethro was a man of the desert hill country.
Such men, as I learned in Iran, are gifted with an innate wisdom of life.
Jethro sees, and hears, how Moses has taken upon himself to judge such a host
of people in matters of daily life and justice. The hosts of Israel must
approach two million people since there were 600,000 men who came out of Egypt.
Practically all of them had families that would swell the ranks to at least the
larger number. How could one man hope to adequately judge such a host in all
matters of equity, and still have time to eat and sleep? Jethro observed this
impossibility immediately. It happens in churches often. A good minister begins
a good ministry dedicated to God. He must do yeoman’s work from the beginning
to establish the Church on the firm foundation that is Christ. As his numbers
grow, God sends others to help – but the minister is so accustomed to doing all
by himself, he may fail to use the helpers God sends. At last he is overwhelmed
by the enormity of the work, and may despond of it. In fact, the suggestion of
Jethro to diversify the process into greater numbers of wise counselors is the
strength of the Church at worship. In our own Reformed Anglican Church, we have
three orders for ministry – Deacon, Priest, and Bishop (there is not title for ‘arch’
bishop in the Ordinal or Thirty Nine Articles[1]).
But the concept applies equally well, not only
to the authority of ministry, but the process of worship as well. Our worship
is not to be man-centered. It is for this reason that we have responsive
readings, communal prayers (Lord’s Prayer being best example), prayers and
creeds uttered in common, and hymn singing. Worship is not centered on a man
standing in the center of the sanctuary, but upon all worshippers worshipping
in communion the same Lord.
17 And Moses' father in law said unto him, The
thing that thou doest is not good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this
people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not
able to perform it thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee
counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that
thou mayest bring the causes unto God: 20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and
shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
21 Moreover
thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of
truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 22 And let them judge the people at all
seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee,
but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and
they shall bear the burden with thee. 23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee
so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to
their place in peace. 24 So Moses
hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said. 25 And Moses chose able men out of all
Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of
hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all
seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they
judged themselves. 27 And Moses
let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.
The
wisdom of Jethro’s counsel has proven solid advice for the organization of
churches since. There must be many hands that belong to God to conduct His
labors. It is even directed in the New Testament. 40 Let
all things be done decently and in order. (1 Cor 14:40) Order requires organization.
Organization compels order. Please observe the same counsel instituted in the
Book of Acts:
1 And
in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a
murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then
the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the
word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore,
brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (Acts
6:1-3)
Reverence and good
order are foundation stones of Reformed worship. Let us adhere to both in the
Light of Scripture.
[1]
In point of fact, like
the word fairness, the word arch is not found in the Bible at
all. To be fair, the word fair is found in the Bible, but only in
the sense of fair young maiden, that is nice to look at, kind and and sweet.
