Exodus 18. Israel is camped a short distance from the mountain of God. They are being introduced to their Lord in stages

Transcription

1 Exdus 18 Israel is camped a shrt distance frm the muntain f Gd We re building tward the mment when Mses will reach Sinai and ascend the muntain t meet with Gd Until that mment, we re still watching the Lrd bring Israel experience after experience The experiences are teaching pprtunities fr Israel They are being intrduced t their Lrd in stages They ve seen His wnders and pwers f destructin in Egypt And they ve seen His faithfulness t prvide fr His peple Last week we saw the Lrd prviding fd and water Manna and water puring frm a rck These prvisins were designed t create pictures f the Lrd The fd frm Heaven was intended t draw cmparisns t Jesus, the Bread f Life frm Heaven He sustains us spiritually, making pssible eternal life We studied in Jhn 6 hw Jesus cmpared Himself t the manna The manna Gd delivered left Israel hungry later And they eventually died despite that manna S it wasn t the ultimate slutin t their need But it pictured a great slutin, that is Christ Jesus als cmes frm Heaven and must be taken in But when we accept Him, we receive a new life that will never die We als lked at the water frm the Rck, but ur study ended befre we had time t make a cnnectin between the water frm the Rck and Jesus 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Exdus 18 2 f 19 The water came frm a rck that was split in tw when Mses struck it with his staff Then water gushed frth creating a river that eventually made a lake f fresh water fr Israel s encampment The rck itself is a picture f Christ 1Cr. 10:1 Fr I d nt want yu t be unaware, brethren, that ur fathers were all under the clud and all passed thrugh the sea; 1Cr. 10:2 and all were baptized int Mses in the clud and in the sea; 1Cr. 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual fd; 1Cr. 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, fr they were drinking frm a spiritual rck which fllwed them; and the rck was Christ. The rck at Hreb was real, and real water pured ut f it in a supernatural way But Gd determined t prvide water in this unique way t create this picture f Christ fr later generatins We shuld understand Jesus as the One Wh gives us living water, that is a living spirit And frm that new spirit, living water will spill ut f us Jhn 7:38 He wh believes in Me, as the Scripture said, Frm his innermst being will flw rivers f living water. In fact, a rck in sme frm is the mst cmmn symbl used t depict Christ At varius times Christ is described symblically as a rck, stne, blck, muntain, r crnerstne These symbls ften have unique features that teach us things abut Jesus Stnes that have nt be cut by human hands Stnes that have been tested Stnes that are fundatins r crnerstnes f a building A stne r rck f ffense that sme stumble ver Furthermre, the rck was struck by the staff Gd gave Mses 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Exdus 18 3 f 19 Mses staff has already becme a symbl f the Father s authrity All the majr miracles the Lrd perfrmed thrugh Mses were perfrmed using Mses staff The message has becme clear t the peple f Israel that the wrk dne thrugh that rd is the wrk f Gd thrugh Mses S as Mses struck the rck, a picture is frmed f Gd the Father rdering that the Rck, His Sn, be struck fr the benefit f the peple By striking Christ, the Father will bring a river f life flwing t His peple Is. 53:4 Surely ur griefs He Himself bre, And ur srrws He carried; Yet we urselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten f Gd, and afflicted. Is. 53:5 But He was pierced thrugh fr ur transgressins, He was crushed fr ur iniquities; The chastening fr ur well-being fell upn Him, And by His scurging we are healed. Is. 53:6 All f us like sheep have gne astray, Each f us has turned t his wn way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity f us all T fall n Him. Is. 53:7 He was ppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did nt pen His muth; Like a lamb that is led t slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent befre its shearers, S He did nt pen His muth. S Christ was struck (r afflicted) fr ur sake, just as the rck was struck by the rd Gd gave Mses Gd wanted the rck struck (as ppsed t sme ther methd) s that this picture wuld be available Finally, this mment als parallels ne f the stries f Jhn s Gspel 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Exdus 18 4 f 19 In chapter 4, Jesus meets a wman at a well, and the discussin turns t the imprtance f water frm the well Jhn 4:7 There came a wman f Samaria t draw water. Jesus said t her, Give Me a drink. Jhn 4:8 Fr His disciples had gne away int the city t buy fd. Jhn 4:9 Therefre the Samaritan wman said t Him, Hw is it that Yu, being a Jew, ask me fr a drink since I am a Samaritan wman? (Fr Jews have n dealings with Samaritans.) Jhn 4:10 Jesus answered and said t her, If yu knew the gift f Gd, and wh it is wh says t yu, Give Me a drink, yu wuld have asked Him, and He wuld have given yu living water. Jhn 4:11 She said t Him, Sir, Yu have nthing t draw with and the well is deep; where then d Yu get that living water? Jhn 4:12 Yu are nt greater than ur father Jacb, are Yu, wh gave us the well, and drank f it himself and his sns and his cattle? Jhn 4:13 Jesus answered and said t her, Everyne wh drinks f this water will thirst again; Jhn 4:14 but whever drinks f the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will becme in him a well f water springing up t eternal life. The wman talks abut the need fr physical water, water that ur flesh thirsts fr Meanwhile, Jesus talks abut a different kind f water, spiritual refreshment that leads t everlasting life Isn t it interesting that ur descriptins f Hell always include images f heat and burning Where the sufferers lng fr a drp f water And in cntrast, the believer is tld that faith brings eternal flwing rivers f water that bring everlasting refreshment Mving frward in the stry, we turn back t the end f chapter 17 t find the natin still mving tward the muntain f Gd And as they mve int place, they cme under attack 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Exdus 18 5 f 19 Ex. 17:8 Then Amalek came and fught against Israel at Rephidim. The natin f Israel cmes under attack fr the first time since leaving Egypt, and really fr the first time ever The attacker is a man called Amalek, and he leads a tribe called the Amalekites They attack at Rephidim, which is an encampment f Israel near the muntain f Gd Amalek is the great grandsn f Isaac thrugh Esau S he is essentially a distant cusin with the Israelites We must assume he was threatened by the sudden appearance f 2+ millin peple entering int his land We aren t given the details f the attack in this chapter, but later the Lrd reminds Mses f this event in Deut 25 and gives a cnsequence t the Amalekites Deut. 25:17 Remember what Amalek did t yu alng the way when yu came ut frm Egypt, Deut. 25:18 hw he met yu alng the way and attacked amng yu all the stragglers at yur rear when yu were faint and weary; and he did nt fear Gd. Deut. 25:19 Therefre it shall cme abut when the LORD yur Gd has given yu rest frm all yur surrunding enemies, in the land which the LORD yur Gd gives yu as an inheritance t pssess, yu shall blt ut the memry f Amalek frm under heaven; yu must nt frget. Apparently, Amalek chse t attack Israel frm the rear as they were mving int the camp The peple f Israel were weary after a day f travel And there were stragglers at the back f the assembly wh were vulnerable t the attack This was a cwardly way t attack Israel Mrever, Amalek shwed n fear f Gd in his attack We must remember that peple everywhere had heard f the Lrd s destructin f Egypt and His rescue f Israel 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Exdus 18 6 f 19 They wuld have als learned f the Pharah s destructin at the Red Sea crssing Nevertheless, Amalek was still willing t attack Gd s peple, thus shwing n fear f Gd Then a battle ensues Ex. 17:9 S Mses said t Jshua, Chse men fr us and g ut, fight against Amalek. Tmrrw I will statin myself n the tp f the hill with the staff f Gd in my hand. Ex. 17:10 Jshua did as Mses tld him, and fught against Amalek; and Mses, Aarn, and Hur went up t the tp f the hill. T lead the fight, Mses turns t a yung man named Jshua This is the first mentin f Jshua in the Bible He becmes a majr Biblical character One bk f scripture is named fr him His name was nt riginally Jshua In the genealgy f Numbers 13, we see his name given as Hshea Hshea means savir Later, Mses changes his name t Jshua Jshua means the Lrd is savir When the Hebrew wrd Jshua is translated int Greek and then frm Greek int English, it becmes Jesus In ther wrds, Jesus and Jshua are the same name, which means the Lrd saves Jshua will becme a private servant t Mses In Ex 24 we learn that Jshua has been given this rle He als becmes Mses successr wh leads Israel int Canaan It s n accident that Jshua wuld be mentined in the same chapter where the rck is struck fr water 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Exdus 18 7 f 19 As we studied earlier in this chapter, Mses was instructed t strike a rck and water came ut And as we nted, the rck itself pictures Jesus The striking f the rck reflects Jesus having been struck (i.e., dying) n the crss fr the sins f men S the first part f Ex 17 taught us that just as Mses struck the rck t save Israel, s did Gd the Father strike His Sn t save Gd s children frm sin Later in Numbers 20, there will cme yet anther time when Gd will prduce water frm a rck in respnse t Israel s cmplaints In that future incident, Gd will instruct Mses t speak t the rck and water will cme frth In his disgust and anger at Israel s grumbling, Mses impatiently strikes the rck with his rd just as he had dne befre in Ex 17 This actin was nt in keeping with Gd s instructins And s the Lrd becmes angry at Mses fr his disbedience Hw are these events related t Jshua s appearance in the secnd half f Ex 17? As a result f Mses disbedience later in Number, Jshua is appinted as Israel s leader Furthermre, as a result f Mses disbedience, Gd disciplined Mses by denying him pprtunity t enter int the Prmised Land Mses wuld die in the desert In his place, Jshua was t lead Israel int the Prmised Land S Jshua is intrduced in cnnectin with the striking f the rck because in a later day, Jshua will supplant Mses in cnnectin with a similar incident The rck f water and Jshua becme clsely cnnected by that later incident One explains the rise f the ther 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Exdus 18 8 f 19 Yu might wnder why was Gd s upset at Mses disbedience? When Mses struck the rck a secnd time, Mses was distrting the picture the Lrd was intent n creating thrugh the rck Mses actins were suggesting that the Messiah Himself wuld need t be struck a secnd time by Gd the Father t save Israel In truth, Jesus must die nly nce fr ur sins and will never again be struck in that way When the Messiah cmes again, He cmes in pwer and glry, nt t be struck by a rd but t rule with a rd f irn Yet Mses disbedience ptentially crrupted that picture, frcing Gd t discipline Mses in rder t make clear that his actins were wrng This fact makes pssible an even mre pwerful understanding f Jshua s cnnectin t the rck f water Mses brings Israel the Law, and as a result Mses cmes t represent the Law in scripture We even call it the Law f Mses The purpse f the Law accrding t scripture is t act as a witness against the peple f Israel Paul tells us that Law was nt given t prduce righteusness The Law was given t reveal unrighteusness by shwing us t be guilty f disbedience Therefre, n man will be saved by wrks f Law, Paul tells us S when the man wh represents the Law is himself shwn t be a lawbreaker, he frms an unintentinal picture that Gd uses fr His wn purpses Mses, the Law giver, is nt qualified t lead Israel int the Prmised Land In ther wrds, the Law brings n ne int the Prmised Land, which is anther term fr the kingdm 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Exdus 18 9 f 19 Shuld we try t enter the kingdm by wrks f the Law, we will be fund t be a sinner and thereby be disqualified and prevented frm entering S Mses failure pictures the Law s failure t bring us t righteusness and int the Kingdm Instead f Mses, it was Jshua wh leads Israel int the Prmised Land Jshua, as yu knw, is the same name as Jesus Jesus is the One Wh leads us int salvatin and int the Kingdm He is the dr by which we enter the kingdm f Gd Jesus called Himself that dr Jhn 10:7 S Jesus said t them again, Truly, truly, I say t yu, I am the dr f the sheep. Jhn 10:8 All wh came befre Me are thieves and rbbers, but the sheep did nt hear them. Jhn 10:9 I am the dr; if anyne enters thrugh Me, he will be saved, and will g in and ut and find pasture. S as Jshua led Israel int the Prmised Land, s des Jesus lead us int salvatin and the Kingdm S Mses intrduces us t Jshua at this pint t emphasize that Jshua will be the future leader f Israel Turning t the battle itself, as Jshua takes sme f the peple f Israel and begins t engage the Amalekites, Mses statins himself n a hill verlking the battle With him are his brther, Aarn, and Hur Hur was said t the be Mses brther-in-law,, the husband f Miriam, accrding t Jsephus Israel had strength in numbers, while the Amalekites prbably had the benefit f better equipment and experience in battle But Israel had an even mre pwerful advantage They had Charlatan Hestn s underarms 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Exdus f 19 Ex. 17:11 S it came abut when Mses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand dwn, Amalek prevailed. Ex. 17:12 But Mses hands were heavy. Then they tk a stne and put it under him, and he sat n it; and Aarn and Hur supprted his hands, ne n ne side and ne n the ther. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. Ex. 17:13 S Jshua verwhelmed Amalek and his peple with the edge f the swrd. As Mses watches the battle, he finds that he has an ability t intercede n behalf f Israel When Mses raises his hands t the Lrd, the battle ges Israel s way, but when his hands drp, Amalek begins t win the battle We dn t knw hw Mses came t discver this cnnectin We assume he was naturally directed t pray n behalf f Israel, and he raised his hands when he prayed At sme pint he grew weary and ceased praying That s when he nticed that his intercessin was crucial t the battle Once Mses and his cmpanins ntice the cnnectin, they immediately understand what they must d They must remain in cnstant prayer until the battle is wn T achieve this physically straining endeavr, they assist Mses by hlding his hands when his wn arm muscles give ut We knw that the Lrd didn t need Mses s hands t be raised in rder t defend Israel, s why did Gd insist n such a cntrived methd? Once again, Gd s purpse is t teach Israel and later generatins cncerning the Lrd First, remember this is the first military battle fr Israel, and therefre it s the first time Israel will experience the Lrd fighting fr them in human cmbat The men f Israel are the nes physically engaged in the fighting But the Lrd will steer the events f the battle t His desired utcme 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Exdus f 19 This is the same way Giden defeats a huge army with nly 300 men In fact, battles will ccur frequently in Israel s wanderings and cnquest f Canaan, and all the battles will be fught under Jshua s leadership S this first battle will set an imprtant precedent fr the natin When Israel prevails, wh will they credit? Jshua? Mses? The Lrd? Wh is respnsible fr the utcme? S t ensure the natin appreciates the Lrd s grace and prvisin f victry, the Lrd chses t wrk thrugh Mses staff in a very visible way As Mses hlds his staff skyward with hands raised in full view f all the natin, Jshua prevails The staff cntinues t serve as a symbl f Gd s pwer and authrity S the message t Israel is that the Lrd was the One earning Jshua his victry When Mses drps the staff by the lwering f his hands, the natin ceases t prevails In that way the peple understand that Jshua and the men are nt strng enugh by their wn pwer t win the battle Human ability is nt the deciding factr...the Lrd is their secret weapn Credit ges nt t the man Jshua, but t the Lrd These scene is ften thught t be ne f the best picture f intercessry prayer available in scripture This accunt never says explicitly that Mses was praying, but it seems a reasnable assumptin he may have ffered prayer n behalf f Jshua Even if Mses never prayed himself, the entire scene remains a beautiful example f men seeking Gd s intercessin First, it reflects the true purpse f prayer 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Exdus f 19 T ften we assume that prayer is an attempt n ur part t persuade Gd t d ur bidding But Gd s will desn t bend t the hearts f men Gd s heart is t bend the will f men The true purpse f prayer is t bring ur needs befre Gd in the hpe f receiving His grace and mercy in sme way Perhaps we will receive exactly what we request Maybe the Lrd will give us a different slutin r nthing at all Whatever He des, it will be the best thing we culd receive In the meantime, we will knw it came frm the Lrd In fact, ur prayer life will becme the means t glrify Gd in the same way Mses hands glrified the Lrd His intercessin gave pprtunity fr Mses and the peple t see the Lrd wrking and give Him glry fr it Withut the intercessin, the wrk wuld still happen, but wuld we have knwn t credit the Lrd? Perhaps we wuld have wasted time praising Jshua fr being such a great warrir Prayer is a billbard Gd will use t tell the wrld f His wrk n behalf f His children When we spend time seeking Him, then we have pprtunity t cnnect the dts between ur desires and His gdness This is why James says: James 4:2 Yu lust and d nt have; s yu cmmit murder. Yu are envius and cannt btain; s yu fight and quarrel. Yu d nt have because yu d nt ask. James 4:3 Yu ask and d nt receive, because yu ask with wrng mtives, s that yu may spend it n yur pleasures. James isn t teaching that we always get what we ask 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Exdus f 19 But he is teaching that until we becme prficient in seeking Gd fr ur needs, we can t mature int the persn wh asks fr the right things in the right ways and thereby sees the fruit f Gd s prvisin We culd make further cmparisns t the rle f partners in prayer, as illustrated by Aarn and Hur And t the need t pray cnstantly and nt just spradically But the pints are bvius S Jshua prevails Ex. 17:14 Then the LORD said t Mses, Write this in a bk as a memrial and recite it t Jshua, that I will utterly blt ut the memry f Amalek frm under heaven. Ex. 17:15 Mses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; Ex. 17:16 and he said, The LORD has swrn; the LORD will have war against Amalek frm generatin t generatin. The Lrd cmmands Mses t begin writing a bk This is the first time f five time we hear the Lrd telling Mses t write smething It s interesting - but prbably nt meaningful - that Mses eventually wrte five bks in the Trah Nevertheless, this is the first time Mses begins t write and sets Mses n the path t recrd Gd s wrd In this case, Mses is tld t recrd this event with a prmise frm Gd t blt ut the memry f Amalek under Heaven Furthermre, the Lrd will war with Amalek in the meantime Jshua later encunters the Amalekites in Canaan when Israel enters the land At that time, the Lrd rders Jshua t exterminate this peple at that time Nnetheless, sme live n but are eventually destryed under Hezekiah Amalek s fate is anther teaching mment fr Israel 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Exdus f 19 Just as Gd has given Israel prmises f future eternal glry, peace and pssessin f an inheritance, He is als prmising eventual end t Israel s enemies Ntice Mses is tld t repeat these wrds in Jshua s hearing, indicating that Gd wants this mment t be clearly understd by Jshua Jshua and Israel are t have cnfidence t knw that Israel s enemies will nt nly be defeated, but they will cease t exist ne day This is still true tday The enemies f Israel still have the upper hand, but in a future day, they will be exterminated frm the earth Finally, a memrial is erected t the Lrd s victry Mses builds an altar at the base f the muntain f Hreb He names it the Lrd is my banner, which refers t a military victry S Mses declares that the Lrd is the One Wh gives victry in battle Mse declares what the Lrd instructed The Lrd has swrn t battle against Amalek, and this battle will last fr generatins In fact, it lasts fr fur centuries befre the peple are wiped ut Fr a time in Judges, the Amalekites manage t win victries ver parts f Israel until Giden defeats them again Later Saul defeats the Amalekites s badly they never again have natinal status r strength After they win the battle, Israel settles in fr a time at the muntain, giving pprtunity fr Mses family t arrive fr a visit frm elsewhere in Midian 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Exdus f 19 Ex. 18:1 Nw Jethr, the priest f Midian, Mses father-in-law, heard f all that Gd had dne fr Mses and fr Israel His peple, hw the LORD had brught Israel ut f Egypt. Ex. 18:2 Jethr, Mses father-in-law, tk Mses wife Zipprah, after he had sent her away, Ex. 18:3 and her tw sns, f whm ne was named Gershm, fr Mses said, I have been a sjurner in a freign land. Ex. 18:4 The ther was named Eliezer, fr he said, The Gd f my father was my help, and delivered me frm the swrd f Pharah. Ex. 18:5 Then Jethr, Mses father-in-law, came with his sns and his wife t Mses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the munt f Gd. Ex. 18:6 He sent wrd t Mses, I, yur father-in-law Jethr, am cming t yu with yur wife and her tw sns with her. Ex. 18:7 Then Mses went ut t meet his father-in-law, and he bwed dwn and kissed him; and they asked each ther f their welfare and went int the tent. Ex. 18:8 Mses tld his father-in-law all that the LORD had dne t Pharah and t the Egyptians fr Israel s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them n the jurney, and hw the LORD had delivered them. Ex. 18:9 Jethr rejiced ver all the gdness which the LORD had dne t Israel, in delivering them frm the hand f the Egyptians. Ex. 18:10 S Jethr said, Blessed be the LORD wh delivered yu frm the hand f the Egyptians and frm the hand f Pharah, and wh delivered the peple frm under the hand f the Egyptians. Ex. 18:11 Nw I knw that the LORD is greater than all the gds; indeed, it was prven when they dealt prudly against the peple. Ex. 18:12 Then Jethr, Mses father-in-law, tk a burnt ffering and sacrifices fr Gd, and Aarn came with all the elders f Israel t eat a meal with Mses father-in-law befre Gd. Jethr, Mses father-in-law heard f everything happening t Mses and the peple, and s he travels t visit Mses He brings Mses wife and bys t visit Mses Remember, Zipprah was sent back t Midian at the incident f the circumcisin She wasn t a part f the wrk f Mses in Egypt It s wrth remembering that she missed the chance t witness all f Gd s miraculus wrk 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

16 Exdus f 19 She missed it because f her unwillingness t supprt Mses in beying Gd s wrd We als learn the names f Mses sns The first name, Gershn, was knwn already But nw we knw the secnd sn was named Eliezer, meaning the Lrd is my help Jethr sends wrd ahead f his arrival, s Mses shws Jethr respect by ging ut t meet him and welcmes Jethr int his tent Mses then relates the entire event f the Exdus t Jethr It must have been an incredible stry Jethr must have been wide-eyed thrughut the accunt This was better than any Hllywd mvie...well, almst better than any Hllywd mvie Jethr respnds in sme imprtant ways First, he rejices ver Israel s deliverance in v.9 This tell us that he had a heart t bless thse the Lrd has blessed and t lve thse the Lrd lves Secndly, he praises the Lrd and credits Him with this wrk in v. 10 This suggests t us that Jethr is nw cnvinced in the pwer and faithfulness f the Hebrew Gd Then, he makes a cnfessin in v.11 He declares that Gd was abve all ther gds Finally, in v.12 Jethr makes a sacrifice t the Lrd and an ffering f thanks What d we make f Jethr s actins? Sme believe this prves Jethr either was a priest f the Jehvah r becmes a fllwer f Gd at this pint Others pint ut that In Num 25:17-18 Midianites were described as pagans and wrshippers f many gds 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

17 Exdus f 19 Yu can find supprt fr bth views in the text Then Jethr makes a cntributin t Mses wrk Ex. 18:13 It came abut the next day that Mses sat t judge the peple, and the peple std abut Mses frm the mrning until the evening. Ex. 18:14 Nw when Mses father-in-law saw all that he was ding fr the peple, he said, What is this thing that yu are ding fr the peple? Why d yu alne sit as judge and all the peple stand abut yu frm mrning until evening? Ex. 18:15 Mses said t his father-in-law, Because the peple cme t me t inquire f Gd. Ex. 18:16 When they have a dispute, it cmes t me, and I judge between a man and his neighbr and make knwn the statutes f Gd and His laws. Ex. 18:17 Mses father-in-law said t him, The thing that yu are ding is nt gd. Ex. 18:18 Yu will surely wear ut, bth yurself and these peple wh are with yu, fr the task is t heavy fr yu; yu cannt d it alne. Ex. 18:19 Nw listen t me: I will give yu cunsel, and Gd be with yu. Yu be the peple s representative befre Gd, and yu bring the disputes t Gd, Ex. 18:20 then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make knwn t them the way in which they are t walk and the wrk they are t d. Ex. 18:21 Furthermre, yu shall select ut f all the peple able men wh fear Gd, men f truth, thse wh hate dishnest gain; and yu shall place these ver them as leaders f thusands, f hundreds, f fifties and f tens. Ex. 18:22 Let them judge the peple at all times; and let it be that every majr dispute they will bring t yu, but every minr dispute they themselves will judge. S it will be easier fr yu, and they will bear the burden with yu. Ex. 18:23 If yu d this thing and Gd s cmmands yu, then yu will be able t endure, and all these peple als will g t their place in peace. Ex. 18:24 S Mses listened t his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Ex. 18:25 Mses chse able men ut f all Israel and made them heads ver the peple, leaders f thusands, f hundreds, f fifties and f tens. Ex. 18:26 They judged the peple at all times; the difficult dispute they wuld bring t Mses, but every minr dispute they themselves wuld judge. Ex. 18:27 Then Mses bade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way int his wn land. Jethr bserves as Mses take n the duties f a judge in Israel It is understandable t see Mses assume this rle Israel cnsists f 2 millin peple but withut lines f authrity r gvernment 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

18 Exdus f 19 They are living in a cmmune and taking rders frm Mses, wh receives them frm the Lrd Inevitably, a grup f 2 millin peple will encunter disputes, varius frms f lawlessness, etc. Smene must judge ver these matters, and Mses naturally assumes he must accmplish this wrk Furthermre, Mses was receiving instructins frm Gd n a regular basis, and these instructins were handed dwn t the peple by Mses Since there was n , and n megaphnes, Mses was literally cmmunicating instructins t all 2 millin peple Evidently, he passed ut instructins t ne grup and then anther In v.13 we learn that Mses was frced t serve in this way frm mrning until evening And Jethr crrectly determines that this wn t wrk fr lng Mses is hping he can hld ut, but Mses needs a plan, and hpe is nt a plan S Jethr takes it upn himself t pint ut the flaws in Mses system First, he says this is nt gd, r beneficial It is nt beneficial fr Mses r fr the peple Mses has t much burden t bear and must include thers in the wrk Secndly, the wrk Mses chses fr himself must be the wrk he alne is qualified t handle, that is the wrk f a prphet Mses is t act as Gd s representative, since this is the rle Gd assigned t Mses His wrk shuld fcus n teaching Gd s statutes and laws and exhrting them t walk in these ways Finally, he is t appint trustwrthy men t wrk alngside him at lwer levels f authrity in a chain f cmmand 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

19 Exdus f 19 These lwer fficials will handle mst issues and nly bring the mst serius nes befre Mses Jethr assures Mses that is he will benefit frm this change as well the peple Mses will be able t endure and sustain his wrk The peple will receive quicker, easier reslutin t their disputes It shuld be clear t us all that these instructins set a wise precedent fr spiritual leaders in the church tday First, leaders are nt suppsed t g it alne in ministry They shuld wrk within a plurality f leadership ver cngregatins If ne man tries t d it all, he repeats Mses mistake Secndly, leaders shuld knw their spiritual gifts and calling, and then remain fcused n them while resisting the temptatin t d ther things The senir leader(s) has a primary respnsibility t train up the bdy in the wrd f Gd and t exhrt ur peple t live accrding t it If leaders let ther duties cme between them and teaching the wrd, they begin t fail the Acts 6 test They frsake the teaching f Gd s wrd t feed the widws If ur peple learned the Bible and lived by it, every ther issue we face as leaders wuld diminish if nt disappear altgether Thirdly, we shuld establish sme degree f hierarchy f leadership in the church Multiple levels f leadership supprt the efficient peratin f the bdy Remembering that levels f leadership desn t imply a bunch f emplyees and staff receiving supprt frm the cngregatin Next week we mve with Israel t the muntain f Sinai 2012 Verse By Verse Ministry Internatinal ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.