Sermon Notes: Exodus 18:1-12 – The Powerful Good News Saves

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Jethro is a somewhat mysterious person. He was the priest of Midian. This means he is a religious leader who worships a fallen “watcher” from the rebellion and leads others to do the same.  

However, Jethro was descended of Abraham through Ketura, an additional wife of Abraham’s (Genesis 25:1-2). 

The Lord promised Abraham a son through whom the Serpent/Dragon crusher would come. This son is Isaac, and Isaac was to come by the Lord’s promise from Sarah. However, Abraham still took other wives and had many children. One of his children is Midian. 

NECESSARY EXCURSION: Even though the Bible never explicitly condemns it in the characters of the Bible, taking more than one wife is a violation of the Lord’s standard he set in creation when he made one woman from one man for man, performed the first wedding in Eden, gave away the first bride to be one flesh as husband and wife only. Violation of this natural law resulted in a multitude of sufferings for Israel.

It is this violation that creates some tension in our text about Moses and Zipporah. Numbers tells us about a Cushite woman Moses will take as a wife who is not Zipporah, so the textual tension about Jethro bringing Zipporah and “her” sons back to Moses is real. We won’t solve that tension today, but if you read it and feel that tension, it’s real, and I would argue it is due to this violation of God’s standard for marriage, even in those the Lord shows favor to such as Abraham, who so clearly violated God’s standard that gave us Jethro, the priest of Midian. 

Why the Lord chooses to not address this explicitly is a mystery to me. However, it’s not like he never deals with it. He allows them to reap the whirlwind from their folly thus displaying that they are violating his standard, and will eventually root that out of his people by his sanctifying grace.

So, Midian has children, and one of those children would be known as a tribe named the Kenites. Jethro is a Kenite belonging to Midian (Judges 1:16), and Jethro does not follow the Lord. 

“Jethro is referred to by other names in the Scriptures and other writings. The Talmud (collection of teachings and commentary on the OT Scriptures from the second temple period or second temple Judaism – italics mine.) records that his name was Jether originally, but after his conversion it became Jethro;… He is (also) called Reuel, the father of seven daughters whom Moses met at a well (Ex 2:16, 18; Nm 10:29). He is also referred to by the name Hobab (Jgs 4:11); and he is also said to be the son of Reuel (Nm 10:29). The Scriptures do not explain the use of the different names.” – Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Jethro,” in Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1164.

If we are to believe the Talmud about Jethro, and there is no reason to not believe it about Jethro, then Jethro did become a follower of the Lord at some point, and I believe our text today gives some indication of when that happens.

Jethro must have had some knowledge of Yhwh before he met Moses and came to a greater understanding of who Yhwh is through his interaction with Moses. 

We know this because priests and mouthpieces of the “gods” of Canaan were aware of Yhwh, evidenced by Balaam’s ability to hear from Yhwh. They heard from Yhwh because the Lord was actively confronting the evil Psalm 82 activity ahead of his people as he prepared to bring them into the Promised Land. 

As the priest of Midian, Jethro was likely the priest of El. In Midian and thus Canaanite religion, El was the husband of Ashera and the father of Baal. This has implications for us when Moses uses El to describe characteristics of Yhwh. 

What Moses is doing is telling his readers that Yhwh is the holy and unique Creator of all things and Yhwh is God Almighty, not some “watcher” who rebelled against Yhwh’s authority and is actively deceiving image-bearers into following him into eternal ruin. 

Don’t misunderstand when Moses uses “El” along the way. Moses is putting down these demonic “gods” while exalting Yhwh. Moses is doing evangelism in his writing. 

This is important because the Lord didn’t save Israel just so they could struggle in the wilderness and learn the faith. He is doing that. 

And, the Lord saves them for his name’s sake. He intends to exalt his name so that the nations who are in bondage to “EL”, “Ashera”, “Baal”, and a host of other evil “gods” might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, repent of their evil worship, be saved, and join in the mission to see all nations come to know the Lord (Genesis 12:1-3). 

So, what can we observe about the Lord’s saving work to rescue people and nations from darkness and transfer him to the kingdom of Jesus Christ?

Let’s read it! Exodus 18:1-12.

  1. Jethro heard all that Yhwh had done and how the Lord had rescued Israel from Egypt. 18:1
    1. It was common for Jethro to receive people through his region from Egypt who carried news because that is how he met Moses who they thought was Egyptian. 
    2. So, Egyptians and other people who traveled into Jethro’s region were telling Jethro about what was happening in Egypt to Egypt by the hand of Yhwh.
      1. Moses’ crafting of his historical narrative is telling. 
      2. He relays that the word being told to Jethro is that “God” was doing great works for Moses and Israel.
        1. NOTE how Moses shifts from “God” (Elohim) to Yhwh in 18:1.
      3. Moses clarifies that the news of “God” is not just some generic deity at work, rather it was Yhwh doing this work and that Yhwh is God Most High.
        1. In other words, the good news Jethro was hearing was not just about generic “God” activity, but it was news that Yhwh, the I AM, was saving Israel from Egypt and Egypt’s “gods”. 
    3. Jethro’s hearing is important. “Jethro heard…”
      1. Hearing is essential to gospel transmission, and we will say more about that in the application. 
      2. Romans 10:17 (ESV) 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
        1. In other words, there will be no faith in Jesus without hearing the message of Jesus. 
      3. What we don’t know is who specifically is telling Jethro about the Lord or how accurate their theology is, but we know from the text that Jethro is receiving news of Yhwh’s work in Egypt. 
  1. Jethro, in caring for his daughter and grandsons, has continued to be exposed to what the Lord was doing to save his people. 18:2-6
    1. We don’t know the circumstances under which Jethro was brought to be involved in Zipporah and his grandson’s care, but by participation in their care, he is continuing to hear news about Yhwh as Moses is likely sending word back to Zipporah and thus Jethro.
      1. Was it after the circumcision issue back in chapter 4 when Moses realized this was going to be dangerous work, so he sent them back home for safekeeping?
        1. Was it after the initial confrontations with Pharaoh? 
        2. Was it after the first sign the Lord performed against the “gods” of Egypt?
          1. We don’t know. 
          2. But Moses has sent his family back to Jethro, likely for safekeeping. 
      2. Jethro is getting news of Yhwh’s activity from travelers from Egypt and likely from Moses sending word back, and he is learning more of the details of the work and learning about the person of the Lord. 
      3. It is also likely that Zipporah, who knew the Lord enough to correct Moses regarding circumcision, is telling her Father who the Lord is.
        1. Remember, the Lord has revealed himself in the burning bush, told Moses his name, and called Moses to himself.
        2. No doubt, Moses has taught his family because he asked to leave Midian to go back to Egypt on mission with Jesus. 
    2. What we can say definitively is that Jethro has learned enough so that he is willing to bring Zipporah and the boys back to Moses at Horeb to be reunited and learn more.
      1. To be as accurate as we can be, this reunion was likely prearranged, yet Jethro didn’t have to hold up his end of the bargain if he didn’t believe Moses to be trustworthy.
        1. Yet Jethro brings Zipporah and the boys back to reunite with Moses and learn more of Yhwh’s saving work. 
  1. Moses “tells” Jethro about the Lord’s saving work from the plagues against the “gods” of Egypt to the Passover to the Exodus, as well as the sanctifying work of the wilderness. 18:7-8
    1. Moses’ first act is to greet Jethro and catch up.
      1. Culturally it is no surprise that Moses would not mention Zipporah and the boys ahead of Jethro, the head of home, who has served so faithfully in caring for his family.
        1. What Moses does share with us is that he appropriately honors Jethro, and they catch up.
          1. It would be here that Moses was reunited with his family, learned how they were, and they learned how Moses was doing. 
    2. Moses then personally “declares” to Jethro the saving work of the good news of Yhwh.
      1. The word translated “told” is perfectly fine translated as “told”.
        1. The word also carries an urgency in that it is also sometimes translated as “declare”.
          1. So in Moses’ telling, there is an urgency. It’s what the Greek language captures when it talks about “preaching” versus just talking. 
      2. Moses didn’t live out the good news. 
      3. Moses opened his mouth and declared to Jethro who the Lord is and what he had done.
        1. Moses also told ALL the Lord had done.
          1. Moses told the whole story, the metanarrative, of all that the Lord had revealed up to this point. 
        2. Moses told it all in the setting of a long-form conversation within the context of an established relationship.
          1. I believe it is a valid observation that declaring the good news within a long-form conversation with someone known has tactically superior advantages over a presentation of fast facts to someone previously unknown.
            1. Please don’t hear me say that we should ignore sharing facts with someone we don’t know. We should.
              1. Yet, there is a relational aspect to declaring the story of Jesus that I believe the Lord uses with great effect by his power, and it is modeled with Moses’ interaction with Jethro.
  1. Jethro responds in four ways to the good news of Yhwh’s work. 18:9-12a
    1. Jethro rejoiced for all the good Yhwh had done to Israel. V. 9
    2. Jethro “blessed” the Lord. V. 10
      1. The word “blessed” is the word “baruk”, and it means to salute, kneel before, or honor.
        1. For Jethro to “bless” the Lord is not to do something good for the Lord, it is to bow before him and acknowledge Yhwh to be all that his name says he is. 
    3. Jethro confessed Yhwh to be greater than all the “gods”. V. 11
      1. Jethro’s confession may sound strange to ears that are not accustomed to places where the dark forces are as overt as manifesting themselves as beings with names who are worshiped by entire populations.
        1. Yet Jethro’s confession is entirely appropriate for a man who used to represent El to an entire nation. 
        2. Jethro says that Yhwh rules over El, and he knows it and believes it. 
      2. Jethro has switched his allegiance to Jesus!
    4. Jethro evidences an allegiance change by bringing a burnt offering and other sacrifices to Yhwh that must have been in line with what he had been learning about Yhwh during all the time of witness to who the Lord is. V. 12a
      1. These four responses are what repentance looks like in Jethro’s life. 
  1. Now of the same faith, Jethro and the leaders of Israel have fellowship with each other together with the Lord. 18:12b
    1. Now that Jethro has believed, he is brought into fellowship with God’s people.
      1. What is astounding to me here is that Jethro, Moses, Aaron, and the elders have a meal with the Lord.
        1. The word translated “before” is also translated as “before the face”.
          1. Listen, because of the saving work of the Lord, these folks get a face-to-face meal with the Lord, and it stands to reason since we have established that these incarnations of Yhwh are none other than the Eternal Son, Jesus, that they are eating with the pre-incarnate eternal Son of God, Jesus.
            1. The Lord gives them an in-person experience of his presence.
              1. You might wonder, what’s different today?
                1. We get the advantage of post-ascension glory in that we get face-to-face continual fellowship with the Holy Spirit, who is the Father and Son’s presence with us. 
    2. When a person believes in the Lord, they get restored fellowship with the Creator Jesus which creates fellowship with the people of Jesus. 

Application

What are we to do with our observations? Is there some encouragement for us to be good news preachers to the nations from the local church?

  1. Believe that Jesus intends to bless every nation of the earth with the knowledge of who he is, that they need to believe, repent, and live on mission with him.
    1. Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 28:16-20
      1. This must be the vision for every local church.
        1. AND, if it is, then everything done in the local church must begin to align with God’s purpose or it’s wasted energy.
          1. Fellowship is the result of good news proclamation.
            1. So, we don’t exist to have fellowship, we exist to preach the good news, and the resulting tactical joy is that we get to wrestle with what fellowship should look like in the kingdom of God.
              1. NOTE: Covenantal and not transactional. Transactional relationship is the opposite of good news fellowship. 
  2. Believe that hearing is essential for a person’s salvation.
    1. Jethro’s salvation was preceded by his hearing about the saving work of Yhwh.
      1. Romans 10:9-15 (ESV) 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
    2. A person is not going to believe simply because we live in certain ways.
      1. Our living is not going to articulate the metanarrative worldview of the Bible.
        1. Don’t be mistaken, it matters that we live as a holy people, but living holy is not gospel proclamation.
          1. Holy living lends validity to the message being heard.
        2. The good news has to be heard!
          1. Why? Hearing/taking in the right information is God’s appointed means of transforming people. 
  3. Believe that for people to hear, they have to be told.
    1. Romans 10:14 And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
      1. We cannot “live our lives” in such a way for people to be put nto a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
        1. The good news is a metanarrative, a worldview, that must be communicated and taught in such a way that people can understand it, and leave their false worldview behind in favor of the truth.
          1. That is why Jesus taught us in the Great Commission to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you”. 
    2. TRC, can you declare the metanarrative of the good news? When was the last time we declared this powerful news to someone?
      1. Creation – Fall – Redemption – Restoration
  4. Believe that for people to tell, to preach they have to be sent.
    1. Romans 10:15 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
      1. Paul’s logical answer to his question about how they are to preach unless they are sent is answered by his quotation from Isaiah 52:7
        1. Implicit in Isaiah’s word is that good news has a calling to go and tell built into it in such a way that people can not and should not withhold that good news. 
        2. Good news has built in in such a way that the news propels and sends people to tell.
          1. To make sure we understand this Jesus just says it explicitly when he tells the whole church to go and make disciples.
            1. Three Rivers Church, you are sent!
  5. Three Rivers Church, believe that the gospel you sow has the power to produce the fruit of salvation.
    1. Mark 4:26-29 (ESV) 26 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”