As we make the move from Genesis to Exodus I want to take a little time to introduce you to the father-in-law of Moses. We meet him in Ex. 2:16 as the priest of Midian, whose name was Reuel (2:18) or Jethro (3:1) or Hobab (Judges 4:11). Perhaps the first thing to do is to figure out his name. Reuel means “friend of God,” and may be an alternate name relating to his priesthood. The name Hobab likely refers to his son (Num. 10:29), and in Judges it just means the Kenites are the descendents of Jethro through Hobab. Thus, Jethro!
The significant events/passages about Jethro
are …
ü Ex.
2:11-25: Jethro, the priest of Midian, gives Moses his daughter becoming Moses’
father-in-law. After meeting God at the burning bush Moses
seeks and gets Jethro’s permission to return to Egypt (4:18).
ü Ex.
18: Jethro brings Zipporah, Moses’ wife, and the two sons to Moses when they
arrive at Mt. Sinai. Moses and Jethro
converse, with Moses telling Jethro about all God had done to deliver Israel
from Egypt. Jethro responds by offering
a sacrifice to the Lord, and proclaiming YAHWEH to be greater than all the
gods. Jethro advises Moses to
establish a judicial system to ease his burden of being the sole judge for the
nation. Moses encourages Jethro to join them
on their journey (Num. 10:29-32), an offer apparently accepted (it doesn’t
specifically say he joined them; but the descendants of Jethro are later found to be
living in the land; e.g. Judges 4:11).
I want to look at some specific passages
relating to Jethro and his descendants.
To me, it shows one way God fulfilled His promise to Abraham, saying I
will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen. 12:3).
Today, in Israel, there is an ethnic minority
called the Druze, who claim to be the descendants of Jethro. They have settled in two primary areas: in
the Golan Heights and on Mt. Carmel. For
the most part, they are citizens of Israel (those in the Golan have a special
designation and maintain a close connection with their Druze brethren in Syria
and Lebanon.) They are required to serve
in the Israeli military, and, in fact, hold many high positions both in the military
and government of Israel, including the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Since 1948 they have fought and died with
Israel in every one of their wars. They
are the police charged with keeping the peace on the Temple Mount, since their
background and culture make them less provocative to the Muslims.
They have staked their future on a “covenant
of blood” with Israel, which stems back to Jethro whom they believe to be their
progenitor. More on this is upcoming.
No comments:
Post a Comment