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Exodus 18:1–12
“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” (v. 9).
Rephidim was the region where the Israelites received water from the rock that Moses struck and where they defeated the Amalekites (Ex. 17). It was located near the base of Horeb, another name for Mount Sinai, on the Sinai Peninsula. The region of Midian was also there, and as we learned in Exodus 2:11–22, Moses’ wife, Zipporah, was the daughter of the priest of Midian. Thus, we are not surprised that shortly after Moses and Israel arrived in the Sinai wilderness, in the vicinity of Midian, Moses enjoyed a family reunion with Jethro, his father-in-law.
Today’s passage describes this reunion. We see that Jethro, having heard of all that God had done for Israel in the exodus, came out to meet Moses with Zipporah and two of Moses’ sons (Ex. 18:1–5). We do not know when Zipporah and the two boys had gone to Midian, for Moses never describes his sending his family back to their land of origin. Most likely, he had them go to Midian when he and Aaron reached the border of Egypt as they were entering the land of the Nile to make the case to Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. In any case, the reunion had to be a joyful one, and we get a glimpse of that in the warm greetings that Moses and Jethro exchanged (Ex. 18:6–7).
When Moses met up with his father-in-law, he told Jethro all about Israel’s experiences in the exodus, both the difficulties and the deliverance God had provided. This news caused Jethro to rejoice and to recognize the greatness of Yahweh, the covenant Lord of Israel, over all other gods (Ex. 18:8–11). Some commentators refer to this as the point of Jethro’s conversion to faith in the one true God, which is certainly possible given that we were not told explicitly in the earlier chapters of Exodus that Jethro was a priest of Yahweh. It is also possible that Jethro’s response to the news of Israel’s rescue from Egypt reflects the strengthening of his theological understanding that the God of Israel is greater than all other so-called deities. Either way, Jethro came to a new understanding of and confidence in Yahweh, as seen in his offering a sacrifice to the Lord (Ex. 18:12). John Calvin comments, “This was [Jethro’s] first sincere and legitimate sacrifice since the God of Israel had been more clearly known to him.”
That the news of God’s great act of salvation in the exodus drew forth from Jethro a response of faith makes perfect sense. After all, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the gospel—the story of the Lord’s redemption—is what elicits saving faith (1 Peter 1:22–25).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Our testimony to what the Lord has done for us individually can encourage people to trust in Christ. Yet only the actual gospel can bring people to saving faith. We must strive to proclaim the story of what God has done in history in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That is the gospel, the only word that can save.
For Further Study
- Nahum 1:12–15
- Mark 1:14–15
- Romans 10:5–15
- 1 Corinthians 15:1–11