After Moses had sent back his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro had received her, After Moses had sent back his wife ZipporahThis phrase indicates a separation between Moses and his wife, Zipporah. The context for this separation is not explicitly detailed in the text, but it is understood that Moses sent her back to her father, Jethro, for safety or due to the challenges of his mission in Egypt. This action reflects the difficult circumstances Moses faced as he led the Israelites out of Egypt. The sending back of Zipporah may also suggest a temporary prioritization of his divine mission over family life, a theme seen in other biblical narratives where God's calling requires personal sacrifice. his father-in-law Jethro had received her
Jethro, also known as Reuel, was a priest of Midian and Moses' father-in-law. His reception of Zipporah and her children indicates a supportive family relationship and highlights the cultural practice of extended family networks providing care and protection. Jethro's role as a priest suggests he was a man of wisdom and influence, which is later demonstrated when he advises Moses on leadership and governance (Exodus 18:13-27). This interaction between Moses and Jethro also prefigures the inclusion of Gentiles in God's plan, as Jethro, a non-Israelite, acknowledges the God of Israel. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe central figure in the Book of Exodus, chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. At this point, he is leading the Israelites through the wilderness. 2. ZipporahMoses' wife, whom he had sent back to her father, Jethro, at some point during the Exodus journey. Her return to Moses is a significant event in this chapter. 3. JethroMoses' father-in-law, also known as Reuel, a priest of Midian. He plays a crucial role in advising Moses on leadership and governance. 4. MidianThe region where Jethro lived and where Moses had fled after leaving Egypt. It is a place of refuge and family for Moses. 5. The Exodus JourneyThe broader context of this passage, where Moses is leading the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land. Teaching Points The Importance of Family SupportMoses' relationship with Zipporah and Jethro underscores the importance of family support in fulfilling God's calling. Family can provide wisdom, encouragement, and practical help. God's Provision through RelationshipsJethro's role in Moses' life demonstrates how God often provides guidance and support through relationships. We should value and seek counsel from those God places in our lives. Balancing Ministry and FamilyMoses' decision to send Zipporah back to Jethro may reflect a need to balance his leadership responsibilities with family considerations. This balance is crucial for effective ministry and personal well-being. The Role of Wise CounselJethro's later advice to Moses about leadership structure ( Exodus 18:13-27) highlights the value of seeking and heeding wise counsel, especially from those with experience and insight. Bible Study Questions 1. What can we learn from Moses' decision to send Zipporah back to her father, and how might this apply to balancing family and ministry today? 2. How does Jethro's relationship with Moses illustrate the importance of having mentors or advisors in our spiritual journey? 3. In what ways does the account of Moses and Zipporah challenge us to consider the role of family in our own spiritual lives and callings? 4. How can we apply the principle of seeking wise counsel, as seen in Jethro's interaction with Moses, to our own decision-making processes? 5. Reflect on a time when family support or wise counsel significantly impacted your spiritual journey. How did it shape your path, and what lessons did you learn? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 2:21-22Provides background on Moses' marriage to Zipporah and their life in Midian, establishing the family connection. Exodus 4:18-26Describes an earlier journey where Moses, Zipporah, and their sons set out for Egypt, highlighting the family's involvement in Moses' mission. Numbers 12:1Discusses a later conflict involving Zipporah, showing her continued presence and influence in Moses' life. 1 Samuel 25:32-33Offers a parallel in which wise counsel from a family member (Abigail) leads to a positive outcome, similar to Jethro's advice to Moses. People Aaron, Egyptians, Eliezer, Gershom, Jethro, Moses, Pharaoh, ZipporahPlaces Egypt, Midian, RephidimTopics Besides, Father-in, Father-in-law, Jethro, Law, Moses's, Parents, Received, Taketh, Wife, Zipporah, Zippo'rahDictionary of Bible Themes Exodus 18:1 5433 occupations Library The Ideal Statesman [Footnote: Preached on Occasion of Mr. Gladstone's Death. ]
'Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them.'--EXODUS xviii. 21. You will have anticipated my purpose in selecting this text. I should be doing violence to your feelings and mine if I made no reference to the event which has united the Empire and the world in one sentiment. The great tree has fallen, and the crash has for the moment silenced all the sounds of the forest. Wars abroad and controversies at home are …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureGershom and Eliezer
'The name of the one [of Moses' sons] was Gershom ... and the name of the other was Eliezer....'--EXODUS xviii. 3, 4. In old times parents often used to give expression to their hopes or their emotions in the names of their children. Very clearly that was the case in Moses' naming of his two sons, who seem to have been the whole of his family. The significance of each name is appended to it in the text. The explanation of the first is, 'For he said, I have been an alien in a strange land'; and that …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Origin and Growth of Law.
MOSES' WORK AS JUDGE AND PROPHET.--Ex. 18; 1-27; 33:5-11. Parallel References. Hist. Bible I, 198-203. Prin. of Politics, Ch. VI. Maine, Ancient Law. Jehovah spake to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend--Ex. 33: 11. And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard cases they brought unto Moses, but every small …
Charles Foster Kent—The Making of a Nation The Development of the Earlier Old Testament Laws
[Sidenote: First the principle, and then the detailed laws] If the canon of the New Testament had remained open as long as did that of the Old, there is little doubt that it also would have contained many laws, legal precedents, and ecclesiastical histories. From the writings of the Church Fathers and the records of the Catholic Church it is possible to conjecture what these in general would have been. The early history of Christianity illustrates the universal fact that the broad principles are …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament That the Ruler Relax not his Care for the Things that are Within in his Occupation among the Things that are Without, nor Neglect to Provide
The ruler should not relax his care for the things that are within in his occupation among the things that are without, nor neglect to provide for the things that are without in his solicitude for the things that are within; lest either, given up to the things that are without, he fall away from his inmost concerns, or, occupied only with the things that are within bestow not on his neighbours outside himself what he owes them. For it is often the case that some, as if forgetting that they have …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Opposition to Messiah Ruinous
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel T here is a species of the sublime in writing, which seems peculiar to the Scripture, and of which, properly, no subjects but those of divine revelation are capable, With us, things inconsiderable in themselves are elevated by splendid images, which give them an apparent importance beyond what they can justly claim. Thus the poet, when describing a battle among bees, by a judicious selection of epithets …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2 Easter Tuesday
Second Sermon. Same Text. Acts 13, 26-39. THE WORD AND THE RESURRECTION.[1] [Footnote 1: This sermon appeared first in the Church Postil, the Explanation of the Epistle and Gospel Texts from Easter to Advent. Printed by Hans Lufft, Wittenberg, 1559.] 1. This sermon was preached by Paul in the synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia, where were gathered with the Jews some Greek converts. Wherever in a city Jews were to be found, there also were their synagogues in which they taught and preached; and many …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II After the Scripture.
"In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God created He him."--Gen. v. 1. In the preceding pages we have shown that the translation, "in Our image," actually means, "after Our image." To make anything in an image is no language; it is unthinkable, logically untrue. We now proceed to show how it should be translated, and give our reason for it. We begin with citing some passages from the Old Testament in which occurs the preposition "B" which, in Gen. i. 27, stands before image, where …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Appendix xii. The Baptism of Proselytes
ONLY those who have made study of it can have any idea how large, and sometimes bewildering, is the literature on the subject of Jewish Proselytes and their Baptism. Our present remarks will be confined to the Baptism of Proselytes. 1. Generally, as regards proselytes (Gerim) we have to distinguish between the Ger ha-Shaar (proselyte of the gate) and Ger Toshabh (sojourner,' settled among Israel), and again the Ger hatstsedeq (proselyte of righteousness) and Ger habberith (proselyte of the covenant). …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Exodus 18:2 NIVExodus 18:2 NLTExodus 18:2 ESVExodus 18:2 NASBExodus 18:2 KJV
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