Jethro, The Priest of Midian

A Pagan Priest Challenges Moses:
Lessons We Learn from Unexpected Sources

 1   Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt...   8  Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.   9  And 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. 10  Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.   11  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.   12  And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. - Exodus 18:1,8-12 ESV

We know very little about Jethro outside of Exodus 18 but, but for many years, he played an important role in the life of one of the Old Testament’s most prominent characters. We first meet him in Exodus 2 after Moses’ escape from Egypt when Pharaoh determined to kill him for his allegiance with the people of Israel. Having escaped Egypt, Moses fled to the land of Midian (Exodus 2:15).

Arriving in Midian, Moses stopped at a well. Seven young women arrived to draw water for their flock. As Moses watched, some shepherds appeared and began to drive the young women’s flock away. Being a man of justice, Moses was compelled to take up their defence. He drove the harassers away and helped the women water their flock. That would have been the end of the story except for the fact that when the women returned home early, their father asked them why they had arrived so soon. They described how an Egyptian had driven the evil shepherds away and watered their flocks for them. Their father, a man by the name of Reuel, asked where this Egyptian was, and told his daughters to find him and bring him to the home for a meal to thank him for his kind efforts. It was at this time that Moses was introduced to the family. Reuel would eventually give his daughter Zipporah to him as a wife. Moses would live with them in Midian for the next forty years.

There are a couple of details we need to consider in this context.

First, Reuel and his family lived in the land of Midian. Midian was the son of Abraham through his concubine Keturah:

 1  Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.   2   She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. - Genesis 25:1-2 ESV

When Isaac was born, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away so they would have no part of the inheritance of his son through Sarah:

 6  But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country. - Genesis 25:6 ESV

The Midianites would eventually become a thorn in Israel’s side. Numbers 25:1-5 describes how they led Israel astray into immorality. Along with the Moabites, they hired Balaam to curse the people of Israel for King Balak (Numbers 22:4-7). For years, they harassed the Israelites. We have an example of this in Judges 6, where we read:

 1   The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.   2  And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.   3  For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.   4  They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.   5  For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.   6  And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD.  - Judges 6:1-6 ESV

Some of Israel’s worst oppressions came at the hands of these Midianites.

The second detail we need to see is that in Exodus 2, Moses’ father-in-law was a priest by the name of Reuel (Exodus 2:18). We are uncertain of his religion at this point. He had seven daughters, one who would become Moses’ wife. The fact that Moses’ father-in-law is named Reuel in Exodus 2 has been the source of some confusion. We read in Exodus 18:1 that Moses’ father-in-law was a man by the name of Jethro, the subject of our study. 

 1   Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. - Exodus 18:1 ESV 

Who was Moses’ father-in-law? Was he Reuel or Jethro? To answer this, consider the following details. First, both Reuel and Jethro were the priests of Midian (compare Exodus 2:16-18 and Exodus 18:1). They were both the fathers of Zipporah, Moses’ wife (compare Exodus 2:18-21 and Exodus 18:1-2). There is only one logical conclusion. Reuel and Jethro are the same person. The name Reuel means “friend of God.” Jethro, on the other hand, means “his excellence.” This has led some to believe that Reuel was his real name and Jethro (his excellency) was how people addressed him as the priest of Midian. Easton's Bible Dictionary says about Reuel:

If he (Reuel) be identified with Jethro, then this may be regarded as his proper name, and Jethro (i.e. eccellency) as his title. - Easton, M.G. Easton Bible Dictionary, Marion, IA: Laridian Inc., 2001 Electronic edition copyright @2002 Laridian, Inc.

When, after forty years living with Jethro, God called Moses to return to Egypt, Jethro released him and offered his blessing on him and his family as he returned:

 18  Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”   19  And the LORD said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.”   20  So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand.- Ex 4:18-20

It is hard to know what Jethro believed as the priest of Midian. One thing is clear, however. He did not stand in Moses’ way as he responded to the call of his God. Jethro was willing to let Moses, Zipporah, and his two grandsons leave, not knowing if he would ever see them again. This demonstrates a certain compassion for Moses and an understanding of the call of God in his life. 

Exodus 4:20 tells us that Moses left Midian with his two sons and wife. In Exodus 18, however, we read that when Jethro heard how God had set Israel free from Egypt, he came to see Moses, bringing his wife and sons to him. Exodus 18:2 explains this by telling us that Moses had sent them home. We don’t know the details of Zipphorah’s return to her father. It is possible, however, that Zipporah went home and shared with her father the details of God’s wonderful deliverance.

We catch a glimpse of Moses’ relationship with his father-in-law in Exodus 18:6-9. When Jethro announced he was coming to see him, Moses went out to meet him, kissed him, and they both sat down in Moses' tent, where Moses shared the details of what God had done in setting his people free. We can only imagine what it would have been like for Jethro to look around him at the multitude of Israelites camped in that region. Each one of them had been miraculously delivered from the hand of the king of Egypt through the work of his son-in-law and his God. You can almost sense the excitement of Moses to share this great deliverance with his father-in-law as they sat together.

Note the response of Jethro to what Moses told him that day:

First, Jethro rejoiced:

9  And 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. - Exodus 18:9 ESV

Jethro’s heart was thrilled to see what God had done. This was marvellous in his eyes and he rejoiced to hear of such an incredible victory.

Second, Jethro blessed the Lord who had delivered His people from the hand of the Egyptians:

10  Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. - Exodus 18:10 ESV

As he looked around him and contemplated the significance of what had taken place, Jethro’s heart was moved to worship and praise the God of Moses. Such power was glorious in His sight. Such a God was deserving of praise.

Third, Jetho, the priest of Midian, acknowledged that the God of Israel was greater than all gods. That day he confessed that he had never seen a god work on behalf of His people as the God of Israel had done. He had never seen a God so powerful as Israel’s God. He recognized Him as the All-Powerful God. Once again, we do not know the nature of Jethro’s faith prior to this moment, but certainly his declaration that day reveals that he now saw the God of Israel as more powerful than any god he had previously represented or proclaimed. 

11  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.”   - Exodus 18:11 ESV

Finally, observe that Jethro bought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and ate these sacrifices with his son-in-law and Aaron, the priest, before the Lord.

12  And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God. - Exodus 18:12 ESV

While the burnt offering was completely burnt before the Lord, the sacrifices were partially sacrificed to God and partly eaten in His presence in celebration and worship of His name. Jethro joins Moses and Aaron in celebration and praise of the God of Israel, convinced that there was no God like Him. The work of the Lord God through his son-in-law had convinced Jethro, the priest of Midian, that there was no god who could stand before Israel’s God. If only the testimony of my life were so powerful!

While God had done an amazing thing by delivering His people through Moses, the administration of such a vast number of people would prove to be an overwhelming task. The day after Jethro arrived in the desert to see his son-in-law, Moses sat to judge the people. The people came to him with their problems, seeking advice and resolution. Remember that there were no police or judges in the land at that time. Imagine an individual who had been wronged by a neighbour. What was he or she to do when there were no courts to bring their conflict for resolution? The only recourse the people had was through Moses as their leader. They knew he had access to God and the authority to bring a resolution to their conflicts. There would have been a variety of issues to address in those days. Exodus 18:13 tells that Moses judged the people from morning until evening:

13  The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. - Exodus 18:13 ESV

Moses’ day was filled with conflict resolution. Many people went home each day without resolution simply because, as one man, Moses could not deal with every problem.

It was not without reason that Jethro was with Moses in those days. The Lord has a way of bringing people into our lives at the precise moment we need them. Jethro saw what Moses did that day and questioned him saying:

 “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” - Exodus 18:14 ESV

There is an air of criticism in Jethro’s question. He perceived a problem in what Moses was doing that day: He went on to say:

 17  …“What you are doing is not good.   18  You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. - Exodus 18:17-18 ESV

Consider this for a moment. Moses was ministering to people who had genuine needs. He had been called by God to be their leader, and there were many issues to be addressed. Clearly, Moses felt responsible before God for these people. He had a passion for the work and a deep connection with God. God spoke to Moses and made His purposes clear. He was uniquely qualified, and there was a wide-open door of service before him in those days. The harmony of the nation depended on a solution to the multiple problems that presented themselves each day. Jethro, however, tells his son-in-law that what he was doing was not good. What is behind these words of Jethro? 

Understand first that Jethro was not speaking about the work Moses was doing. Clearly, as a priest of Midian, Jethro understood the problems being faced that day and the importance of a resolution. The good functioning of the nation as a whole depended on finding a solution to these multiple problems. No community can thrive without a means of conflict resolution. As a leader, Jethro understood the importance of what Moses was doing. 

What Jethro addressed here was not the work Moses was doing, but the way in which he performed it. Jethro felt it was important to point this out to Moses and correct some faulty understandings Moses had about ministry, his qualifications, and the call of God on His life.

When Jethro questioned Moses about his work, his son-in-law defended his methods before him. Let’s take a moment first to consider Moses’ defense of his actions:

 15  And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God - Exodus 18:15 ESV 

“Moses, why are you doing what you are doing?” asked Jethro. “The people come to me to inquire of God,” responded Moses. The people had an expectation of Moses. He was their leader and the one who heard from God. He had authority and a calling. Who else could they go to? Israel had an expectation of their spiritual leader and what his role was to be among them. I have seen this same attitude in all too many churches. The pastor or lead elder is tasked alone with the responsibility to take care of the people’s needs. All eyes are on him. I have also seen pastors, overwhelmed with responsibility, either burn themselves out or spend their time meeting people’s perceived needs to the point where they are no longer able to use the gifts God has given them for the body. I have experienced many times when the voices of people crying out for help were so loud that I could no longer hear the gentle leading of God’s Spirit. Sometimes, Jesus pulled away from the crowds, found a lonely place just to linger in the presence of His Father. Jethro challenged Moses in this matter. It is all too easy to allow people to determine the shape and texture of our ministry. We can allow needs to take priority over calling, the leading of God’s Spirit, and even common sense. We can all too easily confuse the expectations of people with the purpose of God.

Note how Jethro challenged Moses' false understanding of his own ability:

18  You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. - Exodus 18:17-18 ESV

Moses was a man of eighty years. From morning until evening, he sat listening to one problem after another, only to repeat this the next day. The problems never ended. Day after day, people showed up at his doorstep, and Moses sat before them, addressing one conflict after another. 

Writing to the Philippians, the apostle Paul had this to say:

 11  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.   12  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.   13  I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:11-13 ESV

How often have we heard people quote verse 13? - “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Understand, however, that Paul is speaking about the circumstances in which God placed him in ministry. Sometimes he was brought low through persecution and discouragement. He found strength in the Lord in those times. Sometimes he had nothing to eat as he travelled from town to town, but God strengthened him and provided what he required. Sometimes he overflowed in abundance, but God gave him the ability not to be distracted.

I understand that the God who strengthened Moses parted the Red Sea and brought Egypt to its knees. I also understand that when God calls me to something, He will strengthen me to do the task. We have all met people, however, who abuse the body God has given them by working long hours without rest. They take on more and more obligations and responsibilities, believing that God will give them the strength to do the impossible. The reality of the matter, however, is that they are not being led by the Spirit, but by a need or a personal drive for success or accomplishment. The devil challenged Jesus one day to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and let the angels catch Him on the way down. He refused to do so. It is one thing to be led by the Spirit and know the empowering of God in doing so. It is quite another to foolishly jump from the highest point of the temple and expect that we will not get hurt when we hit the ground. 

As Jethro watched Moses, he did so understanding fully what God had done for Israel. He had just worshipped this God above all gods, whose miraculous power had crippled the nation of Egypt in favour of His people. It was not the power of God that Jethro questioned. It was the strength of his son-in-law, who was living as if he were an all-powerful god, when in reality, he was an eighty-year-old man who failed to accept his limitations. 

One of the great hindrances in the Christian life and ministry is the fact that we believe we are invincible and can do anything we set our mind to do. We can come to a place where we don’t feel our need for God, His wisdom, His strength, His enabling, His wisdom. We can have an elevated view of our ability until every so often a “Jethro” comes into our lives and reminds us that we are not the only one God uses and that the burden of the world does not fall on our shoulders alone. God has a way of putting us in our place and helping us to understand our limitations.

Notice one more detail in Moses defence before Jethro in the words:

  16   when they have a dispute, they come to me, and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” - Exodus 18:16 ESV

Moses told his father-in-law that when people came to him, he explained to them the statutes and laws of God. It was Moses who received these laws and statutes from God, and he knew what God required. No one else knew what he knew. No one else had sat in the presence of the Lord, hearing Him teach these laws.  Nobody was more qualified than Moses to decide these legal affairs. 

While Moses felt he was justifying his methods, they only proved to Jethro that his son-in-law had a faulty understanding of what was required. Jethro saw things from a completely different perspective and offered his advice to Moses in verses 19-22. Let’s consider this advice briefly:

First, Jethro encourages Moses to continue representing the people before God. 

 19  Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God - Exodus 18:19, ESV

Jethro was not diminishing the significance of Moses’ calling and unique qualifications. He knew Moses needed to be involved as a judge, but how he was doing so was not sustainable. This leads to the second piece of advice Jethro offers Moses:

Second, Jethro challenged Moses to make the statutes and laws of God known to the people. 

20  and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 

What is Jethro counselling Moses to do here? He is telling him to teach these laws to the people so they know what to do and do not have to come to Him. Moses was to instruct them in how they were to live as believers according to the purpose of God. This way, they would avoid the conflicts altogether. Moses was to place an emphasis on teaching the people what God had revealed to him. He was not to keep the truth God revealed to him on the mountain to himself but share it with the people so they could “know the way in which they must walk and what they must do.” Moses was not to be a storehouse of God’s knowledge but a channel sharing what he had learned with others, making the law and statutes of the Lord common knowledge.

Thirdly, Jethro told Moses to look for able men to come alongside him for the purpose of judging the people. He was to share the responsibility with other men. Jethro explains the type of men Moses was to look for in verse 21:

21  Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. - Exodus 18:21, ESV

These men were to be able or capable men with the ability to judge and understand the statutes and laws of God. They were to be men who feared and reverenced God in their hearts. Finally, they were to be trustworthy men who would not pervert justice for dishonest gain. That is to say, they would not take bribes to favour one person over another. These men were to take on the task of judging people regularly, relieving the load that Moses had to carry.

Finally, anything that these regular judges could not decide on their own, they were to bring to Moses so he could consult the Lord for resolution.    

22  And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.   

The care of the nation was not to fall on one person alone. The work of the kingdom is not the work of one person. None of us has all the gifts required. I need my brothers and sisters to stand with me. If the body of Christ is to be healthy, we need to understand our limitations. We need to recognize our need for one another. Jethro reminds us that if the church is going to be healthy, each member must understand their role. He also reminds us that the work of the kingdom is a joint effort and the health of the body is dependent on each member’s participation.

Jethro assured his son-in-law that if he followed his advice, he would experience a threefold blessing. Observe what Jethro tells Moses in verse 23:

23  If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.” - Exodus 18:19-23 ESV

“If you listen to my advice,” Jethro says, “I promise you these three things.”

First, God will direct you. Consider this promise for a moment. What happens when we fail to understand our limitations and seek to do more than God has given or equipped us to do? What happens when we begin to believe that we alone are the only ones who can lead and minister effectively to those around us? What happens when we do not give people around us the opportunity to use the gifts God has given them or exercise their calling for the body? Can we legitimately expect that when we hinder the work of the kingdom in this way, the Lord will direct us? Get out of the way? Don’t think more highly of yourself than you should. Encourage the body to use their gifts and step out as God has called them, and watch what He will do. This was Jethro’s counsel to Moses. It is still good counsel for the church today.

Second, Jethro promises Moses that if he follows his advice, he will be able to endure. It doesn’t take too many years of doing everything and believing that we are the solution to every problem before we find ourselves burning out. Unlike God, we cannot carry all the burdens of the world on our backs for long before we come crashing to the ground, flattened like a pancake under their weight. We were never created to do this. God has not given any one person all the gifts necessary for this. We need each other if we are going to endure for the long haul. Jethro challenges his son-in-law to realize that God had not called him to do everything on his own. He had surrounded himself with people to stand with him in the ministry of the kingdom. Moses needed to call on them, teach them, and embrace their role. He would not be able to endure otherwise.

Finally, Jethro promises that if Moses takes his advice, the people will be able to go home to their place in peace. God is omnipresent (everywhere present). We are not. Moses could not be speaking to everyone who came to him at the same time. There were needs that would go unnoticed. There were people who would not be ministered to, simply because Moses was not god nor could he know every need and be there for every person. To think he could was blasphemous, for he was not God. By following Jethro’s advice, more people would be cared for. Those who had quarrels with a neighbour would have those matters addressed and return home at peace. Matters would be settled, and God’s people satisfied and happy. 

Jethro’s advice had a radical impact on the nation. Moses took his advice and trained able men to judge the people and restore harmony to the nation through their judgments. We are left wondering what would have happened had Jethro not been there at that time. He was God’s instrument to rebuke Moses at a crucial time in Israel’s history. Moses was humble enough to accept this advice, and the nation as a whole was blessed. I have met men who were not so humble.