Exodus 18 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Exodus 18:1-8

1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her 3 and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, ‘I have become a foreigner in a foreign land’; 4 and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, ‘My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.’

5 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. 6 Jethro had sent word to him, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.’

7 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. 8 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.

A. Find Out:

1. Who was Jethro? v.1
2. What had Moses done with his family? v.2
3. What did “Gershom” mean? v.3
4. What did “Eliezer” mean? v.4
5. To where did Jethro come? v.5
6. What did Moses tell Jethro about? v.8

B. Think:

1. How do you think Jethro had come to hear what had been happening?
2. What do the names of Moses’ sons indicate about the way he had felt about his life at different stages?
3. Why do you think Jethro now brings Moses’ family to him?

C. Comment:

      Moses had fled to Midian in the early part of his life (Exodus 2:15 -22) where he had married one of Jethro’s daughters. There he had established his family and as an outcast he named his firstborn, Gershom (see note at bottom of page in Bible). Presumably while still there he had his second son who he named Eliezer because he was beginning to realise that God had in fact delivered him out of Pharaoh’s hand. After meeting with God, he had then taken his family back to Egypt (Exodus 4:20). At some point Moses, presumably for their safety, had sent the family back to Jethro in Midian. Now news of the exodus and the wandering of this people had spread to this chief priest in Midian and so he takes his daughter and Moses’ children to be reunited with his son-in-law at the mountain of God.

      Moses had been here before (Exodus 3:12, 4:27) and it may well have been special, a special religious place for Midian as well. It is important that at such a place Moses is together with his family. Families should be united, wherever possible, before God.

D. Application?

1. Families are important to the Lord and He doesn’t want them divided.
2. Pray for the unity of your own family today.

Passage: Exodus 18:9-16

9 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. 10 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. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.’ 12 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.

13 The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood round him from morning till evening. 14 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 round you from morning till evening?’

15 Moses answered him, ‘Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. 16 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.’

A. Find Out:

1. How did Jethro feel about what he heard? v.9
2. How did he feel about the Lord? v.10
3. What did he conclude about Him? v.11
4. So what did he do? v.12a
5. What did he see Moses doing? v.13
6. About what was he questioning? v.14c

B. Think:

1. What had Jethro been up until now?
2. How does he now change?
3. What does he obviously feel when he saw Moses with the people?

C. Comment:

      Moses has been telling Jethro about all that has been happening to them. Up until then Jethro had been a priest of Midian, and Midian were not a people with a revelation of God, or if they did it was a limited revelation, but as Jethro hears all that the Lord has done, his heart is warmed and he praises the Lord as THE Lord above all others. We might say he was converted and became a believer in the one true God. We should note in passing that the Bible uses the word “LORD” here which is the means it uses to express God’s name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM” (see Exodus 3:14 and note at bottom of page). Jethro is acknowledging the one eternal God that Moses has come to know.

      We should also note Jethro’s response, to sacrifice, which was probably a part of his previous religion’s ritual, but it is soon to become an essential part of Israel ‘s activity, to offer to God the best you have. The picture here is of this elderly priest providing hospitality for the leaders in God’s presence. Great! Finally as he observes Moses in action, something seems wrong to him. Why do all these people have to stand round queuing, waiting to see Moses. Tomorrow we’ll see his wisdom.

D. Application?

1. Testimony to the Lord often brings a response in those who are open.
2. Worship means total giving to God.

Passage: Exodus 18:17-27

17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. 18 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. 19 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. 20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 21 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. 22 Let them serve as judges for the people at all times, but let 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. 23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.’

24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

A. Find Out:

1. What does Jethro say will happen? v.18c
2. Why? v.18b
3. What does he say Moses role should be? v.19b,20
4. What else should he do? v.21,22
5. What will be the twofold result? v.23
6. So to what was Moses limited? v.26 

B. Think:

1. What, up until then, had been Moses’ problem?
2. Why do you think he had not seen it for himself?
3. What does this say about leadership?

C. Comment:

      Jethro saw something that was patently obvious: the job was too big for one man! One man trying to settle disputes for probably nearly two million people was impossible, but Moses was doing it! Why??? Probably it just grew as a problem, and he did it without thinking. Perhaps others hadn’t the care for Moses that he needed, to point out he was running himself into the ground. It needed a gracious and caring father-in-law to point out the obvious, Moses needed help! Delegate the job to others, Moses; you teach them the rules and they can apply them. If there are particularly difficult cases, you handle those ones, otherwise leave the day-to-day stuff to others.     

No leader is called to do it all. Jesus calls us his body and it is made up of many members, ALL of which should be active (Romans 12:4,5 / 1 Corinthians 12:14 ,27 / Ephesians 4:12 ,16). Christian Superstars often arise because the body isn’t fully active, and they then hinder the body being fully active, and that is NOT God’s will. Jethro’s wisdom is needed in many parts of the church today if it is to function as God wants it to, in harmony and unity with each part fully operating as God designed it to. 

D. Application?

1. Am I functioning as part of Jesus’ body, the church, today?
2. Am I letting others do it all?