Exodus 18. Jethro’s Advice

Jethro’s Advice

• The chronology of Exodus 18 is debated. Reading Exodus straight through places Jethro’s visit before Israel’s arrival at Sinai in chapter 19.
  • However, Moses already speaks of teaching God’s “statutes and laws” (18:16, 20)
  • and Deuteronomy 1:6-18 appears to associate the appointment of judges with Israel’s being in Horeb.

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. ² Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, ³ along with her two sons.

• We haven’t heard of Zipporah since chapter 4 when she threw foreskin at his feet.
  • Some have suggested a divorce happened as the Hebrew word used is שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ (shillucheha), from the root shalach, which can mean “send away” in the context of divorce (as in Deut. 24:1), but this isn’t always the case.
  • Some also say that she is not the “Cushite wife” Miriam and Aaron complain about in Numbers 12.

The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), ⁴ and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 

• Here we see one of the few mentions of Moses’ second son Eliezer.
  • The name Eliezer (אֱלִיעֶזֶר) means “God is my help,” combining אֵל (El), which means God, and עֵזֶר (‘ezer), which means help.
  • Interesting comparison with his other son Gershom (גֵּרְשֹׁם) “I am a sojourner.”

⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. ⁶ And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” ⁷ Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.

• Moses shows humility for his father-in-law, even though he is the established leader.

 ⁸ Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. ⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

• Here we get the start of sharing God’s goodness with non-Israelites!

¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 

• Unsure if Jethro never acknowledged YHWH as the one true God (he is a high priest) or believed in multiple gods.

¹² And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

¹³ The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?”

• Can you imagine the toll of just being Moses and having to lead Israel and speak on the behalf of God, but then also having to listen to personal issues from morning to NIGHT

 ¹⁵ And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; ¹⁶ when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” ¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. ¹⁸ You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. ¹⁹ Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, ²⁰ and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. ²¹ Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. ²² And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ²³ If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

• It is not good for us as a church to put everything on one person. It is important for the church to delegate and share the load.
• Moses still will:
  • 1. Represent the people before God “bring their cases to God”
  • 2. Teach God’s word “warn them about the statutes and the laws”
  • 3. Teach people how to live “make them know the way in which they must walk”
• Qualifications Moses will look for:
  • Able men
  • Fear God
  • Trustworthy
  • Hate a bribe

²⁴ So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. ²⁵ 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. ²⁶ And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. ²⁷ Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

• There’s another episode where Moses becomes overwhelmed by leadership in Numbers 11:10-17.
  • Moses tells God: “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.” (11:14)
  • This leads to the 70 elders