Exodus 18:1-20:23
Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
Introduction
Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, sends word to Moses he heard what God had done for Israel and he was coming to meet Moses and was bringing his wife and two sons with him.
Exodus 18:1-12 1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land"), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, "The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh"). 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her," 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people." 12 And Jethro, Moses' father- in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God. (ESV)
Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law was a priest of his the Midianites. He spoke these words acknowledging he had worshipped pagan gods and after hearing what the God of Moses had done to Egypt he stated the Lord was greater than all gods and the gods were defeated because they had dealt with the people arrogantly. So while it appears Jethro accepts the God of Moses he still accepted the gods he had served and the he knew of the gods of Egypt who had been defeated by the God of Moses. In Jewish writings it is said that Jethro became a believer in the God of Moses and he went back to his people to share about the God of Israel. We know from this passage that Jethro made a sacrifice of a burnt-offering to the God of Israel and other offerings as well and broke bread with Moses and the elders of Israel. This was a sign of great respect for Jethro but it is also indicative of several instances where we are told in the Bible of the people acknowledging the God of Israel as being the greatest among the gods. So while accepting the God of Israel the people still clung to their old gods. This is shown to us at the sin of the Golden Calf and one of the reasons God punished both houses of Israel.
Genesis 35:2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone." 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears. Jacob hid them under the terebinth tree that was near Shechem. (ESV)
As Jacob was returning to Canaan and was about to face his brother Esau after all the years of separation he had his encounter with the angel of the Lord and he told his family and those who were with him to put away their foreign gods, to immerse and put on new garments as they were about to have an encounter with the Holy One. They gave Jacob all of their idols and their earrings and he hid them. I was always curious as to why Jacob did not destroy the idols? Remember when Jacob had left Laban Rachel had taken her brothers household idols so even among his own wives idolatry was still prevalent showing us how susceptible we all are to the lure of that which the Lord instructs us to turn away from. We face many tests in our lives where we are faced with the choice to follow what the world is doing and what the Almighty desires us to do. This is what one commentary has to say about Jethro: In the ancient Near east, the parties to treaties or pacts often participated in a solemn meal as part of the ratification ceremony. A burnt offering and sacrifices are the two main types of sacrifice offered in ancient Israel. The first, olah, was wholly consumed by fire on the altar as a tribute to God; the second, zevah, was partially offered up, and the major portion eaten at a festive meal. Here they are offered to Elohim, the generic name for God, rather than to YHWH, the specific name of God revealed to Israel. This indicates that although Jethro made obeisance to the Deity he did not join the Israelites in their worship of YHWH.
This would make sense because of the fact that Jethro praises the God of Israel above all of the other gods but it does not specifically tell us Jethro gave up his worship of pagan gods. This seems to be a widespread problem, even in Israel, where the people accept the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob but still cling to their pagan gods. This would be one the reasons the Lord wanted the Israelites to wipe out the seven nations in Canaan when they were taking the land because He knew the temptations the Israelites would be exposed to and they would follow after other gods. This became reality because Israel did not wipe out all of the nations as they had been instructed and they became a thorn in the side of Israel the same as they are today. We live in a world that claims majority worship of a single god when in truth we are worshipping different gods. The Jews follow the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob without Yeshua because they say to worship Yeshua as a God is paganism. Christianity worships the Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit while saying they are one in unity. Moslems worship one god named Allah but it is a god far different from our own. Then there are the numerous other ways to worship whatever it other choose to worship and there are those who claim not to worship any god at all.
When we turn away from the gods of the world and turn to the one true God and His Son, the Messiah Yeshua we are making a willing choice to put away everything we once held dear to us and commit ourselves to the Creator of the universe. Clearly Jethro honored the God of Israel but still held onto his other gods. The ancient nations all followed this with Rome leading the way in adding thousands of gods to its roster every time they conquered a new nation. Even the God of the Jews was accepted until later on but they treated Israel as a curiosity because of their embrace of only one God. They could not understand this way of thinking. Why not cover all of your bases by worshipping a multitude of different gods? Yet in doing this they would flit around from one god to another never knowing who should be their main god. We do this today as well choosing only to bring God out when it is convenient for us to do so or we have no other choices left to us.
Deuteronomy 8:19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. (NKJ)
Deuteronomy 11:16 Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; 17 then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you. 18 "You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 20 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. (ESV)
Deuteronomy 30:17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." (ESV)
Jeremiah 35:15 "I have also sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, `Turn now everyone from his evil way, amend your doings, and do not go after other gods to serve them; then you will dwell in the land which I have given you and your fathers.' But you have not inclined your ear, nor obeyed Me. (NKJ)
The Almighty lays out very clearly what He expects from us and what will happen if we do not do as we are instructed to do. The Holy One of Israel sent His prophets to the people to warn them to change their ways but the people refused to listen. When Israel came out of the land of Egypt after having been in slavery they had been exposed to the false gods of Egypt and struggled to follow the way the Lord had called them to. They had been called out to be a holy people who now belonged to the Almighty but they would only seek out the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as long as He continued to show them His power and basically take care of them. He went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night and He fed them with manna and their clothes did not wear out for the forty years they wandered in the Wilderness but if any little thing went wrong they whined and complained against Moses but in reality their complaints were directed to the Almighty. Moses was simply the physical representative of an invisible God as well as Aaron being His High Priest. Those who were jealous and coveted what Moses and Aaron had would turn the people against them. Apparently it was not that difficult to do and every time the people rebelled they were punished. They were just like children who despite being corrected over and over continued to misbehave hence why they are called the Children of Israel. Of course they have this designation because they are descended from Jacob who had be renamed Israel but the description of them as children is applicable the same as it is for the rest of us.
To walk with the Holy One of Israel is not easy my friends. It is a daily struggle and one that we must fight to maintain. We are to guard our salvation because we can lose it in a moment of indecision. As the last days come closer our walk will become harder and it will take everything we have within us to stay the course. Don’t be like Jethro and acknowledge the God of Israel believing Him to the greatest among all of the gods. The clear cut understanding must be there is only one God not many and He must be at the center of your lives. Place Yeshua in your heart as He is the way, the truth, and life. He is the way to the Father.
Isaiah 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." (ESV)
When things don’t go the way you would like them to remember to turn to the Lord not away from Him and hold tight to Yeshua the source of your salvation.
Isaiah 6:8-13 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." 9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." 11 Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump. (ESV)
Once more we read about a tenth of the people being left and then once again they will have to be refined even further. As much as we focus on the idea of tithing where we are instructed to give a tenth of what we earn to the work of the Holy One this concept of the tenth carries through to God’s people. We are always told about a remnant of the people being left but is it possible the remnant is the tenth or tithe the Lord calls as His portion?
Romans 9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "THOUGH THE NUMBER OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL BE LIKE THE SAND OF THE SEA, IT IS THE REMNANT THAT WILL BE SAVED. (NAU)
Isaiah 10:22 For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them will return; the destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. (NKJ)
Even though the Almighty will punish His people because of the things they have done He will pour out righteousness upon them. The promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was their descendants would be like the sand of the sea but only a remnant would be saved. The Lord would honor His promise but out of the multitude only a remnant, perhaps a tenth, would be saved in the end. One can be born or grafted into Israel but without faith in Yeshua and Torah once can be removed from Israel just as quickly. The road we follow is a very narrow one my friends and we must tread lightly always being aware of where we are.
Deuteronomy 5:32 "Therefore you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (NKJ)
Joshua 1:7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the Torah which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. (NKJ)
The Torah is what guides us along the way and we must stay the course; if we do not disaster waits for us and if we fall off the way the result will not be pretty. I have seen many friends, associates, and have heard from others of people they have seen turn from Yeshua to plot their own course saying they do not need Yeshua because He is not the Messiah and He is not God. They say they can go directly to the Holy One of Israel without the need of an intercessor but the truth is the only way to the Almighty is through an intercessor. What did Israel think the Priesthood was for or Moses for that matter? They were symbols of the One who would come later and reveal Himself as the Son of God – the way to the father. To deny Him is to bring judgment down upon you and you are going to wish you had never turned away from Him because the end result will be it will be harder on you than it will be on a unbeliever. To leave the Church and come into the Messianic Movement only to go into traditional Judaism or simply to turn away from Yeshua and become a Noahide is not the answer as the result of a long search that has finally brought you to the truth. You have bought into the lie the enemy would have you embrace because he will do whatever he has to lure you away from the Messiah and His father. We have been given the truth and one who can help us find our way in the darkness. The Ruach HaKodesh-the Holy Spirit is there for us. Yeshua spoke about the Spirit before He left to return to His Father. The Spirit helps us to understand the things of God, to comfort us, to embrace us, to bring us close to Yeshua.
Zephaniah 3:2 She has not obeyed His voice, She has not received correction; She has not trusted in the LORD, She has not drawn near to her God. (NKJ)
Are you one these who no longer listens to the voice or the word of the Lord? Have you pulled back from your God only to find another god one that is not true or who loves you? I have seen so many turn from Yeshua and they have lost their joy. Don’t lose your joy hold fast to the way of the Lord and His Son Yeshua.
Isaiah 40:1 "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" says your God. 2 "Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD'S hand double for all her sins." 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (NKJ)
Blessings, Mordecai Silver
Torah Man Says: “Generally speaking, you’re not learning a whole lot while your mouth is moving.”
Tree of Life Messianic Ministries
PO Box 467
Organ, NM 88052
866-874-7250 (toll free)
866-800-2390 (toll free fax)
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.etz-chayim.org