In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Welcome back to Purify the Heart. This is Pastor Zachary Courie. In Exodus 17, the Lord provided water for His grumbling people from the rock, and Moses’ assistant, Joshua, overcame Amalek while Moses held out his arms like Jesus on the cross. In Exodus 18, Moses is burning out from having to judge all of the cases of the people of Israel, and so he takes the advice of Jethro, his compassionate and godly father-in-law.
Exodus 18
18 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13 The next day Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning till evening?” 15 And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make them know the statutes of God and his laws.” 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good. 18 You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. 19 Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, 20 and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 21 Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country. (Exodus 18:1–27, ESV)
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Though God chose Israel to receive His covenants, His revelation, and His public protection, He also uses others outside of Israel for His purposes. In today’s passage, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, provides wise counsel that strengthens Moses’ leadership.
Jethro is introduced earlier in Exodus 2:16, after Moses flees Egypt in fear. The priest of Midian had seven daughters who came to draw water for their father’s flock, but shepherds drove them away. Moses intervened, saving them and watering their flock. When they told their father what had happened, he invited Moses to stay and later gave him his daughter, Zipporah, as a wife. Jethro appears again in Exodus 3:1, where Moses, tending his father-in-law’s flock, encounters the burning bush at Horeb. Before returning to Egypt, Moses seeks Jethro’s permission in Exodus 4:18: “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” Jethro responds, “Go in peace.”
These repeated references to Jethro and Midian seem significant. Midian was named after one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah (Genesis 25). The Midianites appear prominently in Joseph’s story as well: when his brothers sought to kill him, they instead sold him to Midianite traders, who brought him to Egypt. This event ultimately led to Israel’s presence in Egypt and the beginning of the Exodus story. Later, Midian became a place of refuge for Moses before his call to return to Egypt and lead God’s people out of slavery.
Now, in Exodus 18, Jethro once again plays a crucial role. Seeing that Moses is overwhelmed by the burden of judging every dispute among the people, Jethro advises him to appoint capable men to handle smaller cases, bringing only the most difficult ones to Moses. Moses listens to his father-in-law and follows his advice (Exodus 18:24).
This contrasts with Adam’s failure in Genesis 3, where he listened to the voice of his wife instead of God, leading to sin. Here, the Lord uses Moses’ father-in-law to strengthen his leadership and help him fulfill his calling. Through Jethro’s wisdom, Moses is better equipped to care for God’s people as they journey through the wilderness.
Jethro’s advice to Moses foreshadows Christ’s role as the ultimate leader and mediator for God’s people. Moses, burdened by the weight of judging Israel, is given wise counsel to delegate authority so that the people may be properly cared for. In a greater way, Christ comes as the true and greater Moses, bearing the full burden of our sin and interceding for all of us before the Father. Unlike Moses, who needed help to lead, Jesus alone is able to carry the full weight of His people’s needs.
Furthermore, just as Moses appointed men to judge the people, Christ appoints His apostles and ministers to shepherd His flock. Through His wisdom and care, Christ leads His people by His Word through the wilderness of this life to the promised inheritance of eternal life.
Ultimately, Jethro’s advice points us to the wisdom of God revealed in Christ: our burdens are too great for us to carry alone, but Jesus, our true mediator and leader, carries them perfectly for us. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Let us pray. O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy, be gracious to all who have gone astray from Your ways and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of Your Word; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Let us pray. Almighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Thanks for joining me to Purify the Heart! Tomorrow, in Exodus 19, Israel encamps around Mount Sinai. Until then, grace be with you. Amen.
