Can I pray for you in any way?
Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
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.
After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, "I have become an alien in a foreign land"; and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; He saved me from the sword of Pharaoh."
Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, together with Moses' sons and wife, came to him in the desert, 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 bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God.
Exodus 18:1-12
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
It had been a long while since Moses left Midian and his father-in-law Jethro.
Scripturally, you need to go all the way back to the second chapter of Exodus when Moses had come to the aid of a fellow Hebrew who was being assaulted by an Egyptian. You’ll remember that Moses had killed the Egyptian, leading to Pharaoh wanting him dead and so he (Moses) fled to the land of Midian, There, after protecting the seven daughters of a priest named Jethro from a group of shepherds at a well, Moses was invited to stay with Jethro and his family which led to his marriage to Zipporah. They would have two sons together named Gershom and Eliezer.
In Exodus, chapter 3, you’ll recall that Moses was tending Jethro’s flock when he encountered God in the burning bush on Mount Horeb. In that holy moment, Moses was commissioned into service by God and sent to free the Israelites from Pharaoh and their Egyptian captivity. After this, he was to lead them to the Promised Land, an act that He was in the midst of carrying out with God’s help and providence here in the opening verses of chapter 18.
As we look at our passage for today, we learn that some time after returning to Egypt from Midian with his family in tow, Moses had sent Zipporah and his two sons back to Midian and Jethro, no doubt to protect them from any hardship that might come their way during the release from Egypt and the ensuing exodus.
Now, we find Jethro journeyed to meet up with Moses and reunite him with his family after he had "heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt."
It had to be a wonderful moment for Moses who had gone through a lot since he last had seen his family. After he caught eye of Jethro, Zipporah, and the two boys approaching, we read where Moses went out "to meet his father-in-law”, bowing down and kissing him. It’s obvious that Moses respected his father-in-law a great deal, never forgetting the loving hospitality he provided in a time of great need time while on the run from Pharaoh’s wrath. Away from his brother and sister Hebrews, you’ll remember how Moses felt as if he was an “alien in a foreign land" but his father-in-law did all he could to help him feel like family and less like a foreigner. Moses now got the chance to return the favor as he welcomed Jethro into his tent after the journey.
Once in the tent, the scriptures tell us that "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." We read where 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", so much so that he proclaimed:
"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."
In response to the testimony of what God had done for the Israelites, we read where Jethro “brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God”. He was joined by Aaron who had come “with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law in the presence of God." It was a wonderful time of worship to pay tribute and bring honor to the God of Israel.
In this passage, we find this tried and true formula unveiled. For when one tells others about the good that the Lord has done for them, that testimony results in a spirit of worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Such is the power found in testimony.
Personally, I always find myself inspired by the testimonies of those who have read the messages the Lord places on my heart as they share how the word of the Lord had touched their heart in a special way. Indeed, as I share the words that God gives every day through the Holy Spirit, each message contains encouragement for someone and the amazing part of this is that the Lord knows just who He is going to reach before the message is written and posted.
And so, I can fully see how Jethro was brought to a place through hearing Moses’ testimony where he fully realized that the God of Israel was greater than all other gods because this is what happens when a person hears the amazing work that the Lord has done. It happens to me and I am pretty sure it has happened to you as well. In fact, I am pretty certain that not a second goes by where the work of God is not being lifted up, praised, and worshipped by somebody in the world.
In the end translation, our God is good and He is so all the time, raining down immeasurable and abundant blessings on those who would place their hope and trust in Him. This God who through which nothing is impossible is always with us and for us, just as He was with the ancient Israelites, just as He promised. And the love He extends as limitless as it is unconditional.
My friends, this is our God, the same God of Moses and Jethro and every man or woman who has ever walked this earth since creation. Let’s make sure we share some testimony about Him today and every day thereafter so that others will come to know who He is and be drawn into an attitude of adoration and devotion. For our Lord, and only He, is the One worthy of all our worship and praise.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment