Now I know

Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them." - Exodus 18v11

Until recently I did not know much about Jethro. I knew he was Moses’ father-in-law, that he was a shepherd, that he advised Moses on how to delegate authority, and that he had he same name as Jethro Bodine from the Beverly Hillbillies.

As I studied him a bit in preparation for a message I began to see some more great truths about this man. He was indeed Moses father-in-law. He was Zipporah’s dad and he had two grandsons through Moses and Zipporah. He is called a ‘priest of Midian.’ This indicates at least that he was a part of the pagan Midianite religion. At some point Moses had sent Zipporah and his boys to live with her dad.

During this time they were hearing amazing things about what was happening to Moses and Israel. Stories of the plagues, the Red Sea, the provision of manna and water, and the victory over the Amalekites all came to their ears so Jethro decided to take the family and go see for himself.

There was a great family reunion, the Moses and Jethro went into the tent to talk things over. Moses shared with Jethro how the Lord, not himself, had accomplished all these great works. His testimony had an impact on Jethro – ‘I have heard all the reports, but now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods.’ Jethro followed that up by sacrificing and worshipping Jehovah.

Moses was the one who made the connection between hearing the stories and knowing God. He was bold enough to share with his father-in-law that it was the Lord who had done the great works. His humility allowed him pass the credit on instead of taking it for himself.

What a picture of the importance of being a faithful witness to God’s power before our families!