The learning curve
Exodus 18
What we learn from the story of Jethro and Moses
Jethro is Moses’ father-in-law. And he makes a visit to Moses with the intent of giving his son-in-law some advice. Now, I don’t know about you, but, sometimes I have difficulty receiving advice from my in-laws. I love them dearly, but, then I have a “when I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you” attitude; not just with in-laws but with advice in general. Do you relate at all to this? I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who sometimes struggles with listening to advice. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and they were finally free from the oppression of Egypt, Moses sent his wife and sons to her father’s house. I believe there are a couple of reasons for this:
1. I wonder if Moses had a lot on his mind leading the people of Israel through the desert to Mount Sinai where they would receive further instruction from God, and felt best if his wife and kids were not around.
2. And I’m positive that life on the trail was very hard. If Moses and a couple of his buddies with backpacks were to hike the distance from the Red Sea to the region of Mount Sinai, it would take them about 3 days. It took the nation of Israel 2 months. I’m sure Moses figured that life would be better for his wife and kids if they stayed with Jethro.
This all makes sense to me but Jethro understood something better. He understood that Moses’ first responsibility was not to the nation of Israel but to his own wife and kids. He also understood that Moses was going to burn out as a leader if he didn’t make significant changes to the way he led the people. Jethro’s advice is just as relevant for us today as it was for Moses. And to Moses’ credit, he respected his father-in-law, he listened, and he took action on the advice he was given. How will you take his advice?
lesson 1: Disciple family first (Exodus 18:5)
God expects mom and dad to raise their kids to know Him and to love Him. Jesus tells us that our primary responsibility as His followers is to teach and make disciples. Doesn’t it make sense that a parent who follows Christ would want to teach their children first? Moses sent his family away when he apparently didn’t feel that he could be a husband, dad, and the leader of Israel all at the same time. Sometimes as parents we allow our responsibilities at work, or even at church, to distract us from what must be our primary objective; to raise our children to know and love the Lord. The modern church has allowed parents to become lazy in this way by hiring paid professionals to be the primary spiritual provider for kids. We’ve enabled parents to hand off their kids to a Sunday School teacher, or a youth or children’s minister and we have created the expectation that the church will take care of their Spiritual provision. But mom and dad, no matter what mistakes the church has made in this regard, God’s expectation is clear. You have been given the mandate by God to lead your kids to Spiritual maturity.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 - 4 “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Matt 28:19-20 - Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Eph 6:4 - Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Lesson 2: Celebrate God and His teaching with fellow believers (18:10-12)
The first thing Jethro led Moses and the leaders of Israel to do was to celebrate how God rescued them from the oppression of slavery in Egypt. What a celebration this must have been. When I consider that Jesus Christ has freed me from my oppression of slavery from my sin, I have the same response. I want to celebrate! Praise God, I don’t have to die in my sin! I can live with God, I can co-exist with Him because of what Jesus did for me. Jethro proclaimed that because of the testimony of the Israelite nation that “I know that God is greater than any other gods” Jethro was preaching to the people. Are you listening to this advice today? Is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob greater than anything else in your life? Are we building each other up to learn more, to serve more, to teach more? Why or why not?
Hebrews 10:23-25 - Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Colossians 3:16 - Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
1 Thess 5:11 - 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Titus 2:2-4 -Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers; Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children,
Lesson 3: Share your ministry (18:11-18)
Jethro advised Moses to share his responsibilities with others who were capable. It might be tempting to suppose that this advice only applies to church leaders, like Moses, but God shares in His Word that He expects those who follow Jesus to serve Him sacrificially. We call what followers of Jesus do for His Kingdom, ministry. Ministry can be defined as a work a follower of Christ does, that involves other followers of Christ, that increases and matures God’s church. This doesn’t mean that a ministry must be done in a church building. In James chapter 2 God tells us that just as a body is dead without breath, so also is a faith without a ministry. Ministry, which is working to increase and mature God’s people with other followers of Christ; this is what gives life and meaning to your faith. What ministry could you start that would be effective at increasing and growing God’s people from your home? How about from work? What ministry could you start where you live? And speaking of doing something that continues to increase and mature God’s people; What ministry are you doing? Who are you doing it with? Are you involved in a ministry with your family? Why or why not?
Ephesians 4:11-16 - Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
1 Cor 12:12-27 - The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[a] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[b] Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Rom 12:4-5 - Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
James 2:26 - Just as the body is dead without breath,[a] so also faith is dead without good works.
What can we learn from Jethro? Disciple family first, Celebrate God and His Word with Fellow Believers, and Share your Ministry
