Monday, October 7, 2019

Exodus 18:1-6 Your wife and her two sons.

1Now Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about all that God had done for Moses and His people Israel, and how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her 3along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4The other son was named Eliezer, because Moses had said, “The God of my father was my helper and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
5Moses’ father-in-law Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the desert, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

Jethro was the priest of Midian, likely a descendant of Abraham and a priest of the One true God.
Genesis 25: 1Now Abraham had taken another wife, named Keturah, 2and she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

2After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her 3along with her two sons.
Even though I read this it didn’t stick in my mind, Moses most likely sent them back prior or during the plagues.

“This is the first, and only, mention of Moses’ second son, whose very name suggests a rekindling of faith in Moses’ heart, compared with the despair shown in the name ‘Gershom’.” (Cole)

“came to him in the desert, where he was encamped at the mountain of God. “ 
“I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
It is suggested that this coming to Moses is not in chronological order.

We learn from these verses that Moses sends his “wife and her two sons” back to his father-in-law most likely to protect them during the plagues and later his father-in-law returns them to Moses.

I wonder what Jethro thought when he actually saw 2 million Israelites being led by Moses through the wilderness? Would he have said OMG?

Blessings, David 

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