Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s household and educated by the best instructors in Egypt at the time. He spent his first 40 years learning the customs and ways of Egyptian culture. Then he left the lap of luxury and spent his next 40 years in the Midian desert as a shepherd where he married and raised a family and lived under the patriarchy of Jethro, his father-in-law who was described as a priest. The text doesn’t indicate whether he was a pagan priest or if he worshipped the true and living God. Chances are likely that he was a pagan priest at that time and became a believer after witnessing the mighty power of God in rescuing the Israelites from Egypt.
At age 80, the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush incident and he was dispatched back to Egypt to redeem the Israelites. God used a series of miracles in the powerful redemption process and the Israelites ended up leaving with the riches of Egypt and made their way to Mount Sinai. From there, the Lord spoke directly with Moses on many occasions and gave him the Law Code that this special nation would be required to observe. Moses was clearly established as their leader and Aaron was established as the High Priest. The Israelites were divided into their twelve ancestral tribes and they numbered over 2 million (600,000 men plus women and children). Apparently there were disputes among the people that were being brought to Moses who served as a judge and he would decide the proper resolution to each of these disputes according to the decrees and instructions received from the Lord. Jethro visited to reunite Moses with his wife and sons. Moses must have left his family in Jethro’s care when he left to speak to Pharoah. Now that the redemption process was complete and the dust had settled, Jethro met Moses by Mount Sinai. As they celebrated the Lord’s mighty redemption they worshipped the Lord together. It is at this point that Jethro must have become a true believer in the Lord.
“Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. Jethro had sent word to him, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, 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. They greeted each other and then went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.
“Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.’ Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.”
Exodus 18:5-12
Jethro stayed on and observed Moses’ daily activities and offered some advice. He proposed that Moses delegate some responsibilities to trusted leaders and lighten his personal burden. Moses took the advice of his father-in-law and implemented a leadership structure just as Jethro advised.
“The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?’
“Moses answered him, ‘Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.’
“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.’
“Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.
“Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.”
Exodus 18:13-27
Some students of the Bible are baffled as to why Moses would take the advice of an outsider without consulting the Lord. Up to this point in the narrative the Lord had been speaking directly to Moses. To suddenly move to using a go-between, much less a Gentile Priest seems very unlikely. The text indicates that Jethro made his suggestion and qualified it with “If you do this and God so commands (v. 23).” However, there is no record that Moses did in fact get permission from the Lord. It merely says he implemented the system Jethro suggested.
On the face of it the idea seems to be sound – obvious even. However, the Lord had given a detailed law code and Moses and the others were still getting used to the new rules. Any new system takes time to become familiar and to get things right. Apparently, Moses was taking things slow and easy, focusing on the letter of the law and making quality a priority over quantity. The move to delegate to so many others at this point must have been premature. It didn’t work. In hindsight, Moses would have been better off waiting for the Lord’s lead on the matter.
Later in the narrative, Moses admits his ongoing frustration with the Israelites to the Lord. He was venting and showing signs of burnout as he complained. The Lord replied to choose 70 men, far less than Jethro’s advice called for.
“Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, so that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.'”
Numbers 11:10-17
Much later in their journey to the Promised Land Moses instructed the Israelites to appoint judges and officials in each town. This captures the essence of Jethro’s original advice. It appears that it was a good idea but the wrong time for implementation when Jethro first mentioned it. A right move at the wrong time is the same as a wrong move. Moses should have been more patient and continued to listen to the Lord for instructions.
The lesson for believers of our age is clear. We must always be careful to consider our options with wisdom, patience and prayer. Moses and the Israelites focused on the letter of the law and poured over the chapter and verse in an attempt to keep it perfectly. Based on the teaching of Christ from the New Testament, we understand the law in a different way. We don’t strive to keep God’s law like the Israelites did, we put our faith in the one who did fulfill the requirements of the law, Jesus Christ. Christ taught that God’s law should result in love for one another and forgiveness of debt, damage and all wrongs. Jesus expounded on the intent of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 3-5). He also said the whole law can be summed up in two simple phrases based on love:
“One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:35-40
Love is a spiritual gift given to each believer. When we are faced with making decisions in life and get advice from trusted allies such as the Jethro’s in our life, we must be careful to use discretion and not make the same mistake as Moses. He liked the timing of that idea because he was burned out and it offered relief to his personal burden. Perhaps selfishness factored into his decision to implement it immediately. Selfishness is the opposite of love. We must remember that when God assigns us a task, he also grants us the grace to perform it. Patience, endurance, prayer and attentiveness to the Holy Spirit are keys to success for believers.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.”
John 16:12-14
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:22-25
Additional Notes on Jethro
Jethro, being a Midianite, was a descendant of Abraham through his second wife Keturah. Keturah had several sons and Midian was one of them (Genesis 25:1-2).
Jethro was also known as Reuel which means “friend of god”. It’s unclear if he was a pagan priest and friend of a so-called god or if the God of Abraham was the one he served and worshipped. It’s likely he was a pagan and converted after the redemption of Israel. Either way he was a Gentile and left the Israelites to return to his homeland. Based on his words and actions, he left as a follower of the true and living God. However, the Midianites would become a thorn in the side of the Israelites for generations.
Jethro had seven daughters and Zipporah was the one Moses married. He lived in Midian under the patriarchy of Jethro for 40 years.
“One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, ‘Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?’
“The man said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and thought, ‘What I did must have become known.’
“When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
“When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, ‘Why have you returned so early today?’
“They answered, ‘An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.’
“‘And where is he?’ Reuel asked his daughters. ‘Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.’
“Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, ‘I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.'”
Exodus 2:11-22
Jethro had at least one son named Hobab who served as a guide for the Israelites (Numbers 10:29-32).
Midianites are mentioned often in the Old Testament. They are the ones who sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites and ultimately into slavery in Egypt. Moses spent 40 years in Midian and married a Midianite wife who bore him two sons. The Midianites teamed up with the Moabites in causing Israel to sin under the devious scheme of Balaam. Gideon defeated the Midianite army with only 300 men after they had suffered years of oppression by them. One of God’s final commands to Moses was to wipe out the Midianites:
“The Lord said to Moses, “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.’
“So Moses said to the people, Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.’ So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.
“They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.
“Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.
“‘Have you allowed all the women to live?’ he asked them. ‘They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.'”
Numbers 31:1-17
Midian is located in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Mecca is also located in the same country and Islam is the major religion of the region. Mecca hold the most sacred mosque of the Islam religion and Islamics pray five times a day facing that direction. Thousands gather there every day of the year and about two million make a pilgrimage there during the period of Ramadan annually. Though not directly connected with Midian, the close proximity is noteworthy.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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