Jethro's Advice (Exodus 18:1-12)

1 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. [How do you think Jethro heard about these things?] 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. [Why did Moses send his wife and two sons back to her father?] The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”) [sounds like “alien there” in Hebrew although the name was probably Egyptian], 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”) [Canaanite, meaning “God of help”]. 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. [It must have been a well-known mountain as Aaron had earlier been able to find it when coming to meet Moses. Zipporah and Moses’ sons are not mentioned again in the Bible except for genealogical references. Why this omission?] 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. 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. [Oftentimes when we evangelize we tell the “good news” about ourselves. Moses includes the “bad news” as well. Is Moses seeking to convert Jethro or just share information with him?] 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.

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.” [The critical information for the conversion of Jethro is the story of delivery for Moses and his people. As Christians, what is our delivery? What gods have been “put in their place” in your life?] 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. [That Aaron, the high priest of the people, comes to join the meal signifies the formal admission of Jethro into Israel. All cultures seem to know that obedient worship involves sacrifice. The concept seems to have trickled down from the first family.]