Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Exodus-Chapter 18

Exo 18.1-27 tells us about a meeting with Moses and his father-in-law Jethro and hears about all that Yehovah has done; Jethro give Moses some advice about the delegation of authority; Moses follows his advice.

v 1…Now Jethro (Hebrew “Yitro” meaning “remnant”) the priest (“kohan” and can mean “chief” or “noble”; David’s sons were called kohanim in 2 Sam8.18 where it simply means nobles or officers) of Midian (Josephus called this “Madian-polis” or a city in Midian known as Al-Bad today in northwest Arabia, about 18 miles from Sinai)), Moses’ father-in-law, heard of what the Lord had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

v 2…And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took Moses’ wife Zipporah after he had sent her away (back to Jethro after what happened in Exo 4.24-26 for safety).

v 3…And her two sons, of whom one was named Gershom (stranger there), for he said, “I have been an alien in a strange land”;

v 4…and the other was named Eliezer (my God helps): “for the God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh (when he killed the Egyptian).”

v 5…Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was camped, at the mount of God (Sinai or Horeb where he struck the rock, Rephidim is near Horeb).

v 6…And he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons are with her (there was heightened security after the battle with the Amalekites).”

v 7…Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and kissed him (the usual custom); and they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent (where he dwelt).

v 8…And Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake (on their behalf), all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the Lord had delivered them.

v 9…And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.’

v 10…And Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

v 11…Now I know that the Lord (Yehovah) is greater than all the gods (powers); indeed it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.”

v 12…Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices of God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel, to eat a meal (a meal consecrated to God, or a Lord’s Supper) with Moses’ father-in-law before God (probably on the altar of Exo 17.15 that Moses built).

v 13…And it came about on the next day that Moses sat to judge the people and the people stood (this is why the Chamber of Hewn Stone had to have a place where all the judges sat outside the Azarah, and the accused stood in the sanctified area) about Moses from the morning until the evening.

v 14…Now when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this thing you are doing; for the people? Why do you alone sit (as judge) and the people stand about you from morning until evening (single-handedly)?”

v 15…And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God (about a legal decision because justice belonged to God and a judge must never pervert it).

v 16…When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and make known the statutes of God and his laws (Hebrew “torot”; these laws were already given like the Sabbath, theft, violence, etc).

v 17…And Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you are doing is not good (expedient for the people or the physical welfare of Moses.

v 18…You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task to too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone (Deut 1.9-18 tells us Moses realized this).

v 19…Now listen to me; I shall give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God,

v 20…then teach the statutes and the laws and make know to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do.

v 21…Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain (incorruptible); and you shall place these over them, as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens (same thing today-1 Tim 3.1-13; Titus 1.5-9).

v 22…And let them judge the people all the time, and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear (the burden) with you (the hierarchy is, a person at the top gets an answer directly from Yehovah in tough cases-Deut 17.8-13).

v 23…If you do this thing and God so commands you (God must sanction this advice), then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace (after having their case settled in a timely fashion; they will not have to go to Moses but can have justice served in their own part of the camp).

v 24…So Moses listened to his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

v 25…And Moses chose able men out of all Israel (he looked for them), and made them heads over the people, leaders of thousands (of families-Mic 5.2 for instance), of hundreds (of families), of fifties (of families) and tens (of families; this would reduce the amount of judges needed).

v 26…And they judged the people at all times; the difficult dispute they would bring to Moses, but every minor dispute they themselves would judge.

v 27…Then Moses bade his father-in-law farewell, and he went his way to his own land (to Madian-polis).

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*