1. The LORD is Greater than All Gods
Hymns: 351 He Leadeth Me 352 All the Way My Savior Leads Me 532 Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us
The LORD is Greater than all gods
(Exodus 18:1-12)
Exodus 18:1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt; 2 Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, 3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: 4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh: 5 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: 6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. 7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.
OUTLINE
- Faith Comes by Hearing and Observing (v1-8)
- Faith Authenticated by Worship (v9-12)
INTRODUCTION
The father-in-law of Moses, Jethro (priest of Midian), was soundly converted to embrace Israel’s God when he acknowledged before Moses and all the elders of Israel, the “LORD is greater than all gods”. What a wonderful testimony of God’s saving grace for elderly parents and loved ones by the testimony of their loved ones. Moses personally ministered God’s grace to his father-in-law. His testimony of the acts of God in the Exodus was well received by his elderly parent.
A word concerning the land Midian that played an important part in the life of Moses. Moses fled there from Pharaoh (Ex. 2:15). He met and eventually was employed by Reuel (or Jethro), a priest of Midian who had seven daughters. One of these Midianite girls, Zipporah, became his wife. Although the Midianites were descendants of Abraham through his wife, Keturah, they never were considered a part of the covenant people of God. The hospitality of Jethro to Moses is commendable but beyond that the Midianites were a people hostile to Israel.
The relations between Israel and Midian deteriorated after a Hebrew man married a Midianite woman.
Numbers 25:5-9 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor. 6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; 8 And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. 9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
Israel was at war with Midian thereafter where they slew 5 Midianite kings and during the time of the Judges, Gideon was raised by God to overthrow the Midianite yoke (Judges 6-7).[1]
We consider two thoughts in this passage: (1) Faith Comes by Hearing and Observing (v1-8), (2) Faith Authenticated by Worship (v9-12).
(1) Faith Comes by Hearing and Observing (v1-8)
1 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;
Jethro was exposed to the truth of God’s doings when he heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel in the Exodus and it gave him faith as Paul put it well concerning how faith comes to us in Romans 10:8-19, Paul says, “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. 19 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.”
2 Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, 3 And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land: 4 And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:
Even the names of Moses’s sons were a testimony to the reality of God in Moses’s life. He testified of God’s leading in his life by the way he named his sons. These continual exposure to the things of God brought faith to Jethro’s heart. Remember, he lives in a land that is hostile to Israel. The Lord must have opened his spiritual eyes to see the living God.
5 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God: 6 And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.
Jethro was a helper for Moses taking care of his children and wife during the time when he returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh and deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. He did bring them to see Moses so that the family can come together again.
7 And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. 8 And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
We can observe how Moses he honoured his father-in-law fulfilling even before God’s was given them to him – Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent. He had a good rapport with his father-in-law based by how he honoured Jethro, this is pleasing in God’s sight. Notice he did not embrace and hug his wife and children first but he honoured his father-in-law first. This is God’s law in action for our learning in building relationship with our in-laws.
Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
We see Moses was an example of being a doer of God’s law. He honoured his father-in-law. We observe by his demeanour toward his father-in-law. This is a law for the family. The family law for the Biblical way of life as a family under God, notice that there is great reverence Moses had toward his father-in-law. The honouring of parents is a form of piety, godliness in action. Children are required to obey their parents. The counterpart of this is the parents’ duty to teach the fundamentals of obedience to their children, the law of God. The law itself requires this:[2]
Deuteronomy 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
Deuteronomy 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And indeed, the bible does teach how the aged man is to be exemplary. Midian was filled with such grace from God. In the later part of the chapter, he will advice Moses how to best organize the care of the needs of Israel with division of labour. Paul said well in Titus 2:2-3:
Titus 2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. 3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Jethro was such a man under God to Moses’s blessing.
(2) Faith Authenticated by Worship (v9-12)
9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them. 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.
Jethro was soundly converted and he has become a follower of Israel’s God. This is seen by his testimony. He believed God. Remember Rahab the harlot also feared God when she heard the testimonies of God’s power in Egypt? How she too had faith in God who was a Cannanite!
McIntire says, “Faith makes a home, Faith keeps a home, Faith is the victory”. Moses was a positive influence to Jethro’s family. They came to God.
McIntire further observed, “Whenever the son of a Canaanite married the daughter from an Israelitish family, instead of the girl’s leading the boy over to her God, the heathen boy led the girl to worship Baal, the god of the Cannanites. Whenever there is a mixture, no matter what the mixture is, the influence is always down.”[3]
In this case, we see the conversion of Jethro and how he testified his faith before God in giving a sacrifice to God before all the leaders of Israel.
CONCLUSION
You may have unbelieving family members who are older than you. May the Lord use you as a testimony to them as Moses did! He was a good example of piety that we can learn.
[1] Merrill C. Tenney, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Volume Four M-P, 1976, 222.
[2] Rousas John Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1973, 183.
[3] Carl McIntire, McIntire Maxims, Far Eastern Bible College Press, 1999, 49.