Written by: James Morson - The 29th Chapter
Exodus 18 v 1-4
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was the priest of Midian. He heard about
everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites, and how
the LORD had led the Israelites out of Egypt. Now Moses had sent his wife Zipporah
to Jethro, his father-in-law, along with his two sons. The first son was named
Gershom, because when he was born, Moses said, “I am a stranger in a foreign
country.”The other son was named Eliezer, because when he was born, Moses
said, “The God of my father is my help. He saved me from the king of Egypt.”
Notes
We all have testimonies or stories of things that God has done in our lives.
For Moses, his story was that he had become a stranger in a foreign land,
but God rescued him and his people from that foreign land.
The first thing that struck me about this passage was the names of Moses’ two sons. As with all the Bible’s characters, their names had great significance and were a constant reminder of what Moses’ situation was and what God did in that situation. It seemed that Moses wanted to express what God had done, so much so, that he told this story of God’s deliverance through the names of his children.
The first son was called Gershom, which meant, “an alien there”. So Moses told of how he had become a stranger in Egypt. His second son was called Eliezer, which meant, “my God is a helper”. So as Jethro received Moses’ sons into his house, he heard Moses’ testimony.
What has God done for you in your life? What is your story? Don’t be ashamed of where you have been and where God has brought you from. Your story is one of the most powerful things that you have, to show others the reality of what God can do in a life.
I encourage you today to think about what God has done in your life, and to pray about how you can share that with somebody else. Who knows what effect it may have on someone else’s situation today, when they receive that word into their life?
Prayer
Father, I thank you for the amazing things you have done in my life. Help me
to recognise those things and to be able to share them with someone, so that
your life-changing power can be shown through me. In the name of Jesus, Amen
Exodus 18 v 5-8
So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife and his two sons
and went to Moses. He was camped in the desert near the mountain of God. Jethro
had sent a message ahead to Moses that said, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law,
am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him.
After the two men asked about each other’s health, they went into Moses’ tent.
Moses told his father-in-law everything the LORD had done to the king and the
Egyptians to help Israel. He told about all the problems they had faced along
the way and how the LORD had saved them.
Notes
There are many of us who enjoy spending time with our families, and there are
those of us who don’t (especially if you have in-laws you don’t
get on with or you are a stereotypical teenager).
When Moses heard that his father-in-law was coming to visit and bringing his family, he demonstrated good character. The previous chapter of Exodus tells us that Moses had just fought a battle having to keep his hands raised for a very long time; he then had to write an account of the battle, and he built an altar to God. No doubt, he was very tired and possibly didn’t want to see anybody. Yet Moses welcomed his family and spent time with his father-in-law. What’s more, Moses continued to share the great things that God had done with Jethro.
It’s not always easy to share your faith with family because they have seen what you were before you became a Christian. Maybe God is calling you to be bolder in sharing your faith with your family. Maybe you have Christian family members who need you to take time out of your schedule to encourage them.
Take some encouragement from Moses. Notice:
1. He was camped near the mountain of God - It is important to keep in close
contact with the Lord so he can help you when you share with your family.
2. He greeted them warmly - Make sure you treat your family members well. Sometimes
it is difficult, but with God’s help you can love and cherish them.
3. He shared what the Lord had done - Sometimes all that is required is that
we share what God has done for us and God will do the rest.
Get close to God and let him use you to reach your family.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for my family and those you have placed around me.
Help me to cherish my family and treat them as you would have me to. Help
me to be an example to them. Where there is an opportunity to share my faith,
give me the words to say, and as I speak I trust you to do the rest. In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Exodus 18 v 9-12
Jethro was very happy to hear all the good things the LORD had done for Israel
when he had saved them from the Egyptians. He said, “Praise the LORD.
He has saved you from the Egyptians and their king, and he has saved the
people from the power of the Egyptians. Now I know the LORD is greater than
all gods, because he did this to those who looked down on Israel.” Then
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering and other
sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the older leaders of Israel came to Moses’ father-in-law
to eat the holy meal together before God.
Notes
Recently, my wife was applying for a new job. She had been disappointed by
not getting a couple of other jobs that she had applied for. At the same
time, two of our friends were applying for new jobs and within about two
weeks they had both got the jobs they were applying for. My wife, still waiting
to hear about her job, was slowly beginning to worry that she would be disappointed
again. However, we had to recognise what God had done for our two friends
and celebrate in their victories.
Jethro had heard about all that God did for Moses. When he heard
it he:
? Praised God for Israel’s victory over the Egyptians.
? Recognised God’s greatness above all other gods.
? Brought offerings to the Lord.
? Ate with Israel’s leadership team in God’s presence.
Jethro didn’t just say, “Oh, that’s nice, Moses; I’m happy for you”; he openly declared God’s greatness and honoured God on Israel’s behalf, bringing offerings to the Lord and having a celebratory dinner with the elders of Israel.
Today, is there someone you know who has had a great victory and wants to share it with you? Celebrate their victory; give God praise for it. Even if you are waiting for an answer to prayer for your personal situation, do not let that stop you from openly recognising God’s greatness in somebody else’s life.
I must mention that my wife got her job about a week later, but we were glad to have celebrated our friends’ victories before getting our own. Sometimes God is waiting for you to rejoice in other people’s blessings before you receive your own.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the blessings and the victories that are coming
my way, but while I am waiting for them, please help me to celebrate the
blessings that you give others. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Exodus 18 v 13-16
The next day Moses solved disagreements among the people, and the people
stood around him from morning until night. When Moses’ father-in-law saw
all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What is all this
you are doing for the people? Why are you the only one to solve disagreements?
All the people are standing around you from morning until night!”
Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come
to me for God’s help in solving their disagreements. When people have
a disagreement, they come to me, and I decide who is right. I tell them God’s
laws and teachings.”
Notes
Often, you can find that if left to your own devices you can easily justify
your wrongdoings. Have you ever done something wrong and then slowly argued
away the guilt until you’ve decided it wasn’t that bad? In the
time of the judges, which was a bit after Moses had died, the Bible tells
us that the Israelites had no king or leader so everyone did what was right
in their own eyes (Judges 17 v 6). This is a dangerous situation to be in
and the effects can be devastating.
As Christians, it is good for us to be committed to a church body where we can be accountable for our lives and actions. We also need that man (or woman) of God who will speak God’s word into our lives on a regular basis.
So, who judges for you? When I say judge, I don’t mean an old man who sits on a high seat with a wig and a gavel, or a person who compares your life to theirs and makes you feel bad; but the person that God has appointed to speak God’s word into your life, the person who you are accountable to and who challenges your actions and your lifestyle in line with what God’s word says. It might be a pastor or church minister that you trust and respect.
If there isn’t a person, maybe this is the time for you to ask God to show you that man or woman of God who will fit that mould. Are you committed to a church where you can hear God’s word regularly? If not, maybe this is the time to find that church. Today, check that your life and faith are being upheld by those who will support you according to God’s word.
Prayer points
· If
you need a man or woman of God to support you, ask God to show/draw you to
that person.
· If
you are not already committed to a church, ask God to direct you
to a place where you can receive God’s word regularly.
· Ask
God for his continual strength to do what’s right and for a deeper
understanding of his word.
Exodus 18 v 17-23
Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “You are not doing this right.
You and the people who come to you will get too tired. This is too much work
for you; you can’t do it by yourself. Now listen to me, and I will give
you some advice. I want God to be with you. You must speak to God for the people
and tell him about their disagreements. Warn them about the laws and teachings,
and teach them the right way to live and what they should do. But choose some
capable men from among the people - men who respect God, who can be trusted,
and who will not change their decisions for money. Make these men officers
over the people, to rule over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
Let these officers solve the disagreements among the people all the time. They
can bring the hard cases to you, but they can decide the simple cases themselves.
That will make it easier for you, because they will share the work with you.
If you do this as God commands you, then you will be able to do your job, and
all the people will go home with their disagreements solved.”
Notes
There are many people who work very hard in their churches. They never say “no” to
anything, they are at church events every night of the week, and they may not
realise it but they are worn out. Moses was definitely one of those people.
It took an outsider to realise how mad the situation was; one man single-handedly
judging thousands of people everyday. It meant he had massive queues of Israelites
waiting for him to hear their case. So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law,
gave him some sound advice. Delegate! All Moses needed to do was find some
good Godly men who had character and integrity and let them take the strain.
Jethro’s suggestion seemed so logical, yet so many of us fall into the same trap. We get bogged down, doing so much more than we are supposed to be doing. The Lord doesn’t expect us to be overworked and worn out. The problem with being overworked is that you will never give 100%, simply because you are stretched in too many different directions. If you are in that situation, it is time for you to look for somebody to pass some of the workload to.
If you feel like there is nobody to support you, pray and ask God to show you who to ask, or ask God to send workers. After all, Jesus said, “There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that he will send more workers to gather his harvest” (Matthew 9 v 37-38). Maybe you are one of those able-bodied people of good character waiting to be given a job. Well, make yourself available and expect God to open a door for you to do some work for his kingdom.
Prayer points
· If
you are overworked, begin to pray for those key workers to come into your
church.
· Ask
the Lord for direction for who he wants to support you.
· If
you are waiting for a job to do for the Lord, ask him to show you
who to speak to.
Exodus 18 v 24-27
So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose
capable men from all the Israelites and made them leaders over the people;
they were officers over groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
These officers solved disagreements among the people all the time. They brought
the hard cases to Moses, but they decided the simple cases themselves.
So Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro went back to his own
home.
Notes
Sometimes, I wish I had taken more heed to my parents’ advice when I
was younger. I wasn’t a bad kid; I grew up honouring my parents (most
of the time), and we still have a great relationship today. However, there
were those little pieces of advice they gave me that I listened to but didn’t
take seriously enough to follow. If I had, my current situation would have
been different.
Moses was a wise man, who listened to and followed wise advice. He had, up to this point, been judging the whole of Israel on his own. His father-in-law Jethro saw this and realised that Moses was burning himself out and at the same time giving Israel a poor service. So he advised Moses to set up a team who would support him in his judging. Genius! Moses followed Jethro’s advice and created Israel’s first citizens advice bureau.
However, Moses didn’t have to take his father-in-law’s advice. He could have told Jethro, “I am a mighty leader, I led Israel out of Egypt, and I know what I am doing!” Does that sound familiar? It is easy to get proud and refuse to take advice, but the Bible talks about that in the book of Proverbs: “Fools think they are doing right, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12 v 15).
Never get to the point where you think you know everything and don’t need advice. Through advice, God will often confirm his direction; you learn things, and you never know who else may benefit from your decision to follow the advice. Moses benefited from advice and so did everyone else. It meant that he got to rest more, a number of men were now using their gifts, and the people of Israel got a better service.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you that you place people in my life to give me good
advice. Forgive me if I have been too proud to take advice in the past, and
help me to follow good advice in the future, that I might benefit others
as well as myself. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Exodus 19 v 1-6
Exactly three months after the Israelites had left Egypt, they reached the
Desert of Sinai. When they left Rephidim, they came to the Desert of Sinai
and camped in the desert in front of the mountain. Then Moses went up on
the mountain to God. The LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “Say
this to the family of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘Every
one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried
you out of Egypt, as if on eagle’s wings. And I brought you here to
me. So now if you obey me and keep my agreement, you will be my own possession,
chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine, you will be
my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ You must tell the Israelites
these words.”
Notes
Wow, this passage is such a wonderful piece of scripture. The people of God
camp out in the desert right in front of the mountain of God. God calls Moses
from the mountain and gives him a message for the Israelites. What a wonderful
message it is.
God tells them:
· I
carried you out on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself.
· If
you obey me, out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession.
· The
whole earth is mine.
· You
will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
What awesome words. How encouraging. Today God is calling to you. He wants to encourage you and tell you how special you are to him. Know that the Lord himself carried you out of your spiritual bondage on eagle’s wings and brought you to himself. His desire is that you would obey him and do his will. You are his treasured possession.
Remember that the earth belongs to the Lord. That means you are in a very privileged position to be loved by the God who owns the whole earth. The Lord tells the Israelites that they will be for him a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. In the New Testament, Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2 v 9 that because of what Jesus did on the cross for us, we “are a chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession”.
Today, you don’t need to set up your tent in front of God’s mountain. You just need to go into a private place and get into his presence. When you do that, listen for his call and receive his word of blessing and encouragement for your life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your word which tells me how precious I am in
your sight. Help me to draw near to you that I might hear your voice and
receive your promises for my life. I know you require obedience; help me
to do what pleases you. In Jesus’ name, Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes