Exodus 18

Exodus 18:1

D. Moses and Jethro (Chap. 18)18:1-12 Chapter 18 marks a distinct division in the book of Exodus. Until now we have had the manna, the stricken rock, and the streamspeaking of Christ’s incarnation, His death, and the giving of the Holy Spirit. Now we seem to have a foregleam of Christ’s future glory. Moses is a type of Christ reigning over the earth. We also see the Jews, represented by his sons; the Gentiles, pictured by Jethro; and the church, typified by Moses’ Gentile bride, Zipporah. All these will enjoy the blessings of the Millennial Kingdomthe Jews and Gentiles as subjects in it, and the Church reigning with Christ over the earth. The events are not in chronological order. Jethro is described as coming to Moses at Mount Sinai in verse 5, but the Israelites did not arrive at Mount Sinai until Exo_19:2. One commentator suggests that this arrangement is to clear the way for an uninterrupted account of the meeting with Jehovah and the giving of the Law. Moses had probably left his wife and two sons in Midian when he went back to Egypt. Now Jethro brings Zipporah, Gershom and Eliezer (my God is help) to Moses for a joyous reunion. It appears that Jethro had become a convert to the one true God here, though some scholars believe he had already been a worshiper of Jehovah. 18:13-27 When Jethro saw the tremendous task that fell to Moses in judging the people, he advised his son-in-law to select men of high character, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, to assist him. Jethro’s suggestion included rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. This would ease the burden on Moses and enable the work to be handled more quickly. Some think that Jethro’s counsel was divinely given, that it urged a sensible delegation of authority to others. Others remind us, however, that God never assigns tasks without giving grace for them. Up to this time God had been speaking to Moses as a man speaks with a friend, and had not been using a go-between. Therefore Moses should have carried on until God Himself made other arrangements.