Torah Portion: Exodus 18:1-20:23

Yitro (‘Jethro’)

Jethro was a priest of Midian who made his contribution to the history of Israel by helping his son-in-law, Moses, fulfil his calling from the Lord at the right time and in the right way.

Moses, the Israelite, became part of Jethro’s family when he was a fugitive from Egypt after trying to intervene to help his own oppressed people. It was 40 years later, at the mountain of God, that the Lord told Moses to return to Egypt to bring the Israelites out in the way that the Lord would direct. We can only wonder what Jethro thought of this as Moses left with his family. It was Moses’ wife, Zipporah, who circumcised their son on the way to Egypt. Both Midianites and Israelites were descended from Abraham, who had received the covenant of circumcision, but Moses had not done this before.

Later, Moses sent his family back to Jethro. After the Exodus, Jethro heard of all that the Lord had done to bring about that great deliverance and he recognised it was time to reunite Moses with his wife and sons. Again, Moses was in the desert at the mountain of God - but this time with responsibility for a whole nation, rather than just his father-in-law’s sheep. Moses honoured his father-in-law and “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” (Ex 18:9). This seems to have been a significant time for Jethro as he realised that the LORD was greater than all other gods and that He had judged those who had treated Israel arrogantly. Jethro affirmed this understanding by offering sacrifices to the LORD and eating with the leaders of Israel in the presence of God.

Jethro then used his position to advise Moses when, the next day, he saw the load of responsibility Moses was carrying as judge for all the Israelites. Jethro proposed appointing capable, trustworthy men who feared God to decide simple cases so only harder ones were taken to Moses. That set Moses free to have more time to teach the people the decrees and laws of the Lord. It seems that delegating responsibility prepared Moses to receive the Torah, the teachings from the Lord that set out how His people were to live. Israel was to be God’s treasured possession out of all the nations on the earth, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

This was Israel’s calling, both a privilege and a responsibility. Now, all who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Yeshua HaMashiach, a lamb without blemish or defect, are grafted into Israel to be a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God. Then we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His wonderful light (1 Pet 1:19; Rom 11:17,18; 1 Pet 2:9). Jethro played his part in making this possible for us by helping another, rather than by taking the lead himself.

Author: Catharine Pakington