27. Good works of God vs Not-so-good works of Moses (Ex 18:1-27)

Moses’ father-in-law brought Moses’ family. He praised the Lord’s works and gave some advice to Moses.

πŸ‘‰ Read Exodus 18:1-27


Whom did Jethro bring to Moses?


Moses explained God’s works to Jethro (verse     ). Jethro (           ) and praised that the Lord is (            ) than all gods. He offered (            ) and had fellowship with the elders.


What is the qualification of the leaders of the people? (21)


Those qualifications were required because leaders were agents of (           ). When they make decisions for people’s disputes, all people will go home (              ) (15, 19, 23)


Answers and Meditation

Zipporah, Gershom, Eliezer

In Exodus 4, Moses’ wife returned with her sons to Midian after the affair of circumcision. Because of this, they could not experience God’s great works in Egypt and the Red Sea.

 

8, rejoiced, greater, burnt offering

After hearing ALL GOOD works of God, Jethro praised and offered a sacrifice to God. He joined the fellowship of God’s people. However, he returned to his land after this temporary fellowship (27). The Union of the Jews and the Gentiles will come through Jesus Christ.  

 

Capable men, God-fearing men, men of truth

Capable men = God-fearing men

Men of truth = those who hate bribes.

The leaders were not chosen according to worldly standards. Rather than worldly wise, fearing God was the requirement. They needed to inform God’s will to the people. They needed to bring people’s cases to God. In doing that, all people were supposed to have the peace of God as they followed God’s will.

 

God, satisfied

The Law of God was given to Moses by God. Ironically, the social structure was given by a Gentile, Jethro. Jethro’s advice will impact the governing structure of God’s people. Moses listened to Jethro (24) just as he had listened to the Lord.

They went home satisfied (in Shalom) (23).

Why not through an Israelite, but a gentile, did the advice come to Moses? In Old Testament people, the wisdom will have been partially hidden until Christ. They needed to hear the advice of the world. But, in NT, the wisdom was fully revealed, and we are to judge the world (1 Cor 6:2)

 

When Jethro saw how Moses dealt with people’s cases, he said, ‘what you are doing is not good’ (17). And this makes a contrast with ‘all the good that the Lord had done’ (9). Moses could not bring goodness to His people, but God brought good.

Chapter 18 is the last chapter of the exodus narrative, the first half of the book. The author says that their exodus from Egypt was solely done by God. It is because that God is the only one who is good and can bring goodness to us. 

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