2026_08_02_Exodus

You have given us this, you say, for our instruction and for examples and help us to correctly and rightly divide, to know the difference between marching orders for the church and principles that we need to apply in our daily lives.

And you're awesome, sovereign, moving in creation.

And we are grateful for the sacrifice that you made to condescend to mankind, to take on flesh, carry our sin to the cross, and hand us your righteousness.

So that we are now no longer in fear either of bondage of the law nor of condemnation because our righteousness is in you.

We are grateful for that. Thank you, Lord. And bless our church family this morning, we pray. Amen. Amen. Okay.

Now, if you turn to chapter 18, we just kind of asked, is this?

No, I won't ask it. We'll notice that this account is not exactly in a chronological order. Because we are not yet at the mountain of God.

We're not yet at Sinai. Yet, what do you see about Jethro? Where did he come?

Or where does the meeting take place? At the Mount of God. So, I don't know when he got there.

But, nevertheless, it has no bearing upon what we read just to remember that it's not delivered or it's not in the writing in a chronological fashion.

So, we've not quite come to the mountain of God. But, actually, it will be in chapter 19, verses 1 and 2, when we do come to the mountain of God.

But, we'll stay here with Jethro. Who's Jethro? Moses' father-in-law. All right.

All right. And, what do we know about him? He's a sly guy? How so? No, you're not.

That in Jethro, that was Laban. All right. Who is Jethro? He's the priest.

And, he's located in Midian. Well, that's interesting because he's not part of the people of God, is he? As far as the chosen people of God.

The Israelites. He's not an Israelite. He's a Midianite. Yet, who does he worship? Who does he worship? Who does he worship?

He's called a priest of God. And, he recognizes the Jehovah God. All right.

Who else does that remind you of? Or, does it? Who else do you know that was not an Israelite, but was called the priest of God?

Melchizedek. In fact, in the book of Hebrews, we will read, as they quote from the Old Testament, we will read, Thou art a priest forever, speaking of Jesus, in the order of Melchizedek.

Melchizedek. Now, why, I'm going to chase this rabbit just a little piece. Why did, is Jesus referred to as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek?

He was spoken of in reference to the scripture where Melchizedek is mentioned.

His lineage is not mentioned. And so he's used as an example having no father or mother. That's in the book of Hebrews. That's one thing. What's the other thing?

He's not a Levite. He's not of the tribe of Levi. Who are the priests going to be? Levites.

They're going to be of the tribe of Levi. And they are going to be specifically after the family of Aaron.

Now, this hasn't necessarily been revealed to us yet as far as how far we've come in the scripture. But we're rehearsing things that we have read and trying to organize them in my disorganized mind.

So, Jethro is Moses' father-in-law. How so?

When did Moses marry into that family? When he was in the wilderness. Why was Moses in the wilderness?

Now, this is rehearsal. He murdered an Egyptian and ran. Now, he killed the Egyptian.

Why? Because the Egyptian was what? I'm sorry?

Yeah, he was beating on an Israelite. Now, we go back to Hebrews a little bit. Especially in that chapter 11. And we say, we find out what about Moses and why he was out there hanging out where the Israelites were working.

Moses was of the royal household as far as Egypt was concerned. He was a prince in Egypt as far as that was concerned.

So, why is he out there hanging around where the Israelites are doing their building work? In Hebrews chapter 11, we will read, Because he thought it better to be identified with the people of God.

And it's worded something like this. Than to enjoy the fruits of sin for a season. That is, rather than be identified with the hierarchy in Egypt.

He said, I'm going to identify with the people of God. And it's used as one of the illustrations of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.

Are you looking at that? You're not? Okay. So, back to where we are now. So, Moses heads out to Midian in the desert, Running for his life because he has killed an Egyptian and it's found out.

And while he's out there, he takes a job. What's his job? He's a shepherd. For whom?

For Jethro. Now, he's a shepherd for Jethro and he marries Jethro's daughter.

Now, are there children? Yes. How many do we know? Two sons. Okay.

Now, we'll get back into it. We're at Exodus chapter 18, verses 1 through 5 especially. Now, what had Jethro heard?

Now, he's up in Midian and they're down in the Sinai Peninsula right now. They're down in the desert. But Jethro had heard something. What had he heard?

He's up in the desert. He's up in the desert. But he brought Moses. Right. And all that God had done for Moses and for Israel.

And how he brought them out of Egypt. Now, once again, the meeting is taking place where? Where? At Mount Sinai.

Now, who came with Jethro? Okay. Okay.

He brought his wife and two sons. So, sometime between chapter 4, verse 26, and where we are here at chapter 18, verse 1, sometime in there, Moses had sent them back.

We say that because when God sent Moses back into Egypt with Pharaoh, who went with him? Aaron.

Aaron. Aaron met him. His wife and his sons. Yeah, because remember, while he was on the way, God met him and sought to kill Moses.

Why? Well, at least one of them wasn't. We're not sure. But one of the boys hadn't been circumcised.

And that's where we, that's where Zephora said, you're a bloody husband to me. So, sometime between going to, toward Egypt at least, and where we are now, he had sent Zipporah and his sons back to Midian.

We don't know. We are not instructed as to why or when. Or at least, I don't know. If you know why or when, you can reference that.

But I don't know. I didn't find any reference to it. So, Jethro had heard about this, and he brings his daughter and her sons with him.

I don't know if anyone else came or not. It doesn't say. But he comes to find Moses. Now, what else do I not know?

I don't know how he knew where to find him. I'm not told that. But somehow, he knew where to find him.

Because he came to him. In the wilderness. Down where they're not supposed to be. Because they're down in the, I think, somewhere in the middle of Arabia or the upper third.

But they're not on the main trade route. The main trade route runs right up through the promised land. And that's not the route that God told them to take.

Because the sign. Now, what are, here comes another question for me. What were they doing at the mountain?

Why were they down there? Well, the obvious thing is, who's been leading them?

God. God. God told them to go there. And he showed them by the, the pillar of cloud.

God's still leading them. How long is he going to lead them, by the way? 40 years. Well, yeah, 40 years plus.

But as far as their trek through, this is God's doing. They're not just wandering about. Remember, that's what Pharaoh said. Pharaoh said, ah, I've got him trapped.

They're just wandering around down here. And they're trapped between the sea and the mountains. Well, I've got them now. And the Lord said, no, I have you now.

But nevertheless. Yes. On an instant.

Or on a, at a point. That's the same. By the way. I just quoted that Moses is in the hall of fame, if you will, of faith.

What I call that. Romans chapter, or Romans. Hebrews chapter 11. Why did, we're going to jump way ahead. We're going in the time machine now.

Why did Moses not enter Canaan? He was still vigorous at the time.

He didn't do what God told him to do. Well, he didn't do what God told him to do. And specifically, he didn't treat God as holy. Well, one instant.

Moses said, I brought the water for you. Now, who brought the water? Okay.

I need to remember that, by the way. I don't, I don't get my way into heaven. Who took me there?

Jesus Christ. See, the word of God doesn't say that God accepts everyone. He says, God accepts.

We are accepted. That is, the believers. The church is accepted in the beloved. In Jesus Christ.

If I'm not in Jesus Christ, God's not taking me. I'm accepted because of Christ, not because of me. And not because God's a squishy God.

In fact, everything we read so far and will read hereafter, he's anything but wishy-washy. So, back to the point here.

So, Jethro has heard this. He's brought his wife, or his daughter. Here we go.