The story of Jethro coming to visit Moses and the people of Israel while still in the desert is one of my favorites. It’s a touchstone of the church growth movement, organizing what we usually call cell groups into “bite size” portions so that no one person is over-burdened.
There is another aspect of this story that I would like to focus on, though. Jethro is not a Jew. He’s not traveling to the Promised Land, and as far as we know he never makes it there, either. But this is what fascinates me about the story of God as laid out in the Bible. There are these hints that our God is working among the entire world, even as we follow this one group.
Now, again, I must be clear that I am talking about when Yahweh reveals himself, not Baal, or even Ra or Ganesh. There are many gods but only one Yahweh, only one creator as revealed to us through His son Jesus the Messiah. Jesus never said, I am one way among many to get to God. If we take his message seriously, then we take Jesus at his word.
With that said, however, none of us should be so bold as to assume we know or have captured all of what God is doing or every way that Jesus is drawing men and women to himself. It’s Jesus and only Jesus, but he is shockingly moving among the people of the world revealing God’s truth to those who would hear it.
With that said, here is the next excerpt from the paper:
Exodus 18:17-27 – Jethro
Jethro has already been identified as a priest of Midian, who has proclaimed the wonders of Yahweh (cf. Exodus 18:10-11, Kaiser 2000:40). His proclamation of the excellence of God and shared worship with Moses and Aaron is an indication of the work God has already been doing in Jethro’s life. It is his counsel to Moses, though, that shows a sharing of the good news with the Jewish people.
Good News and Fatherly Advice
It is more than simple church growth advice Jethro dispenses to Moses, it is words of life to a leader called to a task beyond his ability. Jethro, a God-fearing priest is able to serve two distinct roles in the life of Moses and by extension the whole community. Namely, he serves as outside consultant and substitute Father.
Outside Consultant
Mission happens in a very “earthy” and seemingly secular way in this passage. The advice given, however, is almost indisputably from God. God sends Jethro to the Hebrew community for several reasons. First, Jethro has grown up a free man and not as a slave. Facing an overwhelming amount of freedom for the first time in several generations, the people of God are paralyzed into inaction.
Jethro is able to help this group take its first steps into nationhood by dividing the situation into sizable pieces of engagement. The Hebrews have spent decades being told what to do at every step, and it takes a godly leader of people, this priest of Midian, to help lead them out of their self-imposed slavery. A Gentile must bring the solution from the outside, because the answer is not to be found within the boundaries of God’s people.
Father Figure
There is another role Jethro is playing in this passage that should not be overlooked. God has provided Moses the orphan with a father to look out for his needs. If only for a brief time, Jethro is able to take his son-in-law aside and give him advice that will last him the rest of his life. This role could have just as easily been played by a Hebrew, but the biblical record does not reveal this type of interaction. The Jewish community gives suggestions (at times too many) to Moses at every turn, but only Jethro offers godly advice.
Again, it is no coincidence that Jethro is a Midianite. He fulfills a specific call by God (I believe) to set the people of God on the right path. An orphaned people find a father for a time, but the lesson of the desert is reliance on God, and Jethro returns to his home, his mission fulfilled. Even as they are consciously trying to avoid contact, God sends a word to them, reaffirming his love for his children.
2 responses so far ↓
thomas rockett // May 19, 2008 at 9:06 pm |
that’s such a powerful story of Moses being desperate, needing advice and knowing who to turn to. i’m assuming Moses sent his wife and sons back to Jethro as a plea to say, “i’m in big trouble and i need your help”.
how often do we try to do all the hard stuff of life without reaching out to anyone older, experienced, a surrogate father.
Alice Haydock // May 31, 2008 at 12:19 am |
To think on the enormity of the task of Moses leading these people is to sense all the frustrations of leadership he had to face with a mixed multitude of people, an active opposition force of complainers, people with real needs…it’s interesting that God prepared Moses to lead both by being pharaoh’s daughter’s adopted son for 40 years but also sheepherding on the backside of the desert in Midian alongside Jethro for 40 years. He had become so humble he couldn’t see the problem in handling so many people’s problems. Oh my…how grateful I am for this insight into God’s provision for the weary. I think your points are well taken in contrasting Jethro’s background to Moses’. Thanks, Jared.