Heard, Told, & Judged

Pastor Jason was away this week at some denominational meetings, so it's my privilege to open God's Word with you this morning. I'm going to take us back to the book of Exodus. We're going to look this morning at Exodus 18.

Exodus 18. You can turn there now. At this point in the Exodus story, God's people, they were being led out of Egypt from slavery. They were being led into freedom.

And they were being led by Moses. And Moses, as he was leading God's people, he kind of had his hands full. He was encountering crisis after crisis.

Lack of water, lack of food, attacking armies, grumbling people. And then in this passage, in chapter 18, God throws something else at Moses.

A surprise visit from his father-in-law. A pagan priest from Midian. But we don't have to worry. I love my father-in-law. I'm sure all of you do, too, if you have father-in-laws.

This is not another crisis. This will prove to be a good visit. This is a visit that will result in Jethro coming to know the Lord. And it will result in Moses finding some much-needed help in leading God's people.

We're going to take this passage in two sections. The first section will be Exodus 18, 1 through 12. We will call this section, All that God had done.

So follow along as I read Exodus 18, 1 through 12. 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. Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons.

The name of the one was Gershom, for he said, I have been a sojourner in a foreign land. And the name of the other, Eleazar, for he said, the God of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.

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. And when he sent word to Moses, I, your father-in-law, Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and your two sons with her,

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. Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done.

To Pharaoh, to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, and that he had delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians.

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.

Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God.

And Aaron came with the elders of Israel to eat with Moses' father-in-law before God. Would you pray with me once again? Heavenly Father, we thank you for your word.

We pray that you would prepare our hearts to receive your word this morning. Help us to lay our worries and our distractions at your feet. Help us to actively listen to what you want to say to us this morning.

Help us to receive it with faith and thanksgiving. Be glorified in us now. It's in Jesus that we pray. Amen. Well, verse 1 begins with Jethro.

Moses met Jethro for the first time way back in Exodus chapter 2. After killing an Egyptian taskmaster, Moses fled to Midian. You might remember that.

Exodus 2 · chapter mention

And he came across, well, not Jethro, but Jethro's seven daughters. They were being harassed and intimidated by some shepherds. But Moses saved Jethro's daughters.

And as a sign of gratitude, Jethro invited Moses to come and stay with him. During his stay, Jethro even offered Moses the hand of one of his daughters, Zipporah, in marriage.

Moses and Zipporah were married. They had two sons who are mentioned in our passage. The oldest son was named Gershom. Gershom sounded very much like the Hebrew phrase meaning a sojourner there.

And his name was supposed to signify that Moses was living as a foreigner in a strange land. The second son, his name was Eliezer. And that meant God is help.

My God is help. God helped Moses by delivering him from the sword of Pharaoh after Moses had killed the Egyptian taskmaster. And Moses wanted to remember that by naming his son Eliezer.

So Moses, Zipporah, Gershom, Eliezer, this little family of four, they sojourned with Jethro in Midian for many years. They waited there until God called Moses to return back to Egypt and to lead his people to freedom.

And Moses obeyed God. He and Zipporah and the kids, they left Midian. They headed back to Egypt. But apparently, somewhere along the way in this return trip back to Egypt, Moses decided that it would actually be best if Zipporah and the kids, if they didn't come to Egypt.

Verse 2 in our passage tells us that Moses sent them home. He sent them back to Midian. Now, some scholars say that this means that what happened was Moses divorced Zipporah.

He sent her away. But I'm not really convinced of that. You know, over and over in our passage, Zipporah is called Moses' wife. Jethro is called Moses' father-in-law.

They still sound married to me. So to me, it seems that this whole sending away, it was not so much about divorce. It was really about safety.

You know, as Moses confronted Pharaoh, as the plagues struck, as the firstborn died, as the Red Sea was parted, Zipporah and the boys, they were all safe with Grandpa Jethro in Midian.

Even still, though these people are far away in Midian, Jethro is far away in Midian. Moses' family is far away in Midian. Word of everything that was happening in Egypt, that made its way back to Jethro.

Verse 1 says that Jethro heard all that God had done for Moses and for Israel. At this time, there was this really strong oral news network where people would spread news by word of mouth, you know, kind of like a precursor to our modern-day social media.

And it was through this news network that Jethro heard that Israel had been miraculously brought out from Egypt. And this undoubtedly jogged a memory for Jethro.

You know, back when Moses was staying with Jethro, Moses claimed that he met with a god named Yahweh in a burning bush on Mount Sinai. And Yahweh claimed that the Israelites were his people and that he would deliver them out from slavery.

Moses even mentioned that this Yahweh was so powerful that he himself, Moses, had already been delivered from Pharaoh. He even named his son, Eleazar, to remind everybody, including Jethro, of that reality.

So that's what Jethro had heard before. And then he heard this kind of news about these people being freed. And so Jethro became convinced, it was reminded of him, you know what?

Moses said that Yahweh would make this happen. And it looks like Yahweh really did make this happen. Moses also heard that Jethro was encamped, or that Jethro, rather, heard that Moses was encamped with the Israelites after they had been freed.

They were in the wilderness close to Mount Sinai, near to the very mountain where Moses claimed to have met God. Jethro knew where that mountain was.

He knew it was only about 40 miles away. And so in verse 6, Jethro used this ancient news network, and he sent word to Moses, and he said, Hey, me, Zipporah, the boys, we are all coming to you because I got to hear more about this Yahweh who brought you guys out.

So Jethro and Moses, and Moses' family, rather, arrived in the Israelite camp. But we really don't get any details about Moses being reunited, rather, with his wife and children.

This passage is really more focused on Moses and Jethro, their reunion. So as Jethro approaches, Moses went out to greet Jethro. He bowed down and he kissed Jethro.

These were signs of respect, signs of affection. This is to show us that Jethro's visit really was a welcome visit. These two men, they start talking about their welfare or their shalom, their peace.

And that's interesting because the word peace is only used three times in the book of Exodus. And each time, Jethro is involved. He is a person of peace.

But Moses took this opportunity. He wasn't just interested in exchanging pleasantries with Jethro. Jethro was showing an openness and inquisitiveness toward the things of God.

And so Moses seized this opportunity to share. He took Jethro into his tent and he simply told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done.

Moses told Jethro about all that God had done to Pharaoh. About the hardships that God had sustained his people through while they were in Egypt.

Moses told Jethro about the great acts of deliverance that God had worked. About God's judgment against the armies of Pharaoh. About God's provision of water from the rock and manna from heaven.

Telling all that God had done. That was a pretty simple strategy. It wasn't even really a new strategy. Jethro had heard all of this before.

Even still, as Moses told of all that God had done. God produced some pretty profound results in Jethro. We see this happening in verses 9 through 11.

You know, first, Jethro rejoiced. He rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done. God's saving acts in Egypt delighted Jethro. God's amazing feats brought joy into Jethro's heart.

He rejoiced. Secondly, Jethro blessed God. What does it mean to bless God? Well, I think John Piper provides a helpful summary. He says, to bless God means to recognize God's richness, his strength, and his gracious bounty.

And to express our gratitude and delight in seeing and experiencing it. You know, blessing God means recognizing God's greatness and honoring God accordingly.

That's what Jethro did. He rejoiced and he blessed God. And thirdly, we're told that Jethro knew God. Verse 11 says, Jethro said, Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods.

Jethro was open to this idea of there being a multitude of gods. That's gods with a little g. He probably engaged in worship for Midianite gods.

He was familiar with the gods of Egypt, including Pharaoh himself, who claimed to be divine. Jethro also knew that all these gods, they were all against Israel.

They dealt arrogantly with Israel, as our passage says. They oppressed Israel. They enslaved Israel. And they sought to keep Israel with them.

But Moses said that his God was greater. He named his son, God delivered me from Pharaoh. And that's what Jethro is seeing now. Yahweh defied these gods.

Yahweh defeated these gods and brought his people to freedom. As Moses told Jethro all that God had done, Jethro became convinced that Yahweh ruled supreme over all other gods.

Jethro knew that Yahweh was greater. In verse 12, Jethro made a burnt offering and a sacrifice. He offered these sacrifices to God, to Moses' God, to Yahweh.

This was a sign that he had come to put his faith in the true God. And this is something that is affirmed later on by Aaron and the elders of Israel.

They come, they joined Jethro. They ate this sacrificial meal of Jethro together. They all ate it before God, in the presence of the true God.

And that brings us to our next section. This is going to be verses 13 through 27. We'll call this section, Bring Your Father-in-Law to Work Day.

Follow along as I read. The next day, Moses sat to judge the people. And the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. 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? Moses said to his father-in-law, Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

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.

Moses' father-in-law said to him, What you are doing is not good. You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out. For this thing is too heavy for you.

You're not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice. I will give you advice. And God be with you. You shall represent the people before God, bring their cases to God.

And you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws to make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. 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, of tens.

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.

They will bear the burden with you. If you do this, God will direct you. You will be able to endure. And all these people will also go to their place in peace.

So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. Moses chose able men from out of all Israel and made them heads over the people.

Chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses. But any small matter they decided themselves.

Then Moses let his father-in-law depart. And they went away. And he went away to his own country. Well, back in verse 13, we're told that on the next day, Moses sat down to judge the people.

And the people stood around Moses from morning till evening. That might sound a little strange to us. You know, Jethro's question in verse 14, What is this that you are doing?

That might resonate with us. We're a little confused. You know, was Moses just kind of sitting down with this kind of look on his face? You know, like, You're dressed funny.

You're bad at that. Do you really think that's good enough? Maybe Moses is like a Gen Xer in the midst of a bunch of millennials. Who knows?

Very judgmental. No, this is not what Moses was doing. Moses was not being judgmental. He was acting as a judge. In the ancient world, judges sat when they were in session.

And those with legal complaints or issues, they stood around the judge to present their issue before them. So Moses here was acting as a judge for Israel.

The people were coming to him all day long with concerns. They asked Moses to inquire of God and discern God's will about particular issues.

They asked Moses to settle disputes between them and other parties. They asked Moses to make God's statutes and laws known to them. To remind them of the rules that God had already revealed.

The people were standing around Moses. They're kind of like in this huge line. They're waiting for Moses' attention. Person after person. Question after question.

Problem after problem. From sun up to sun down. Moses was judging all day long. Well, Jethro's with Moses. He stood by. He watched all this happen.

And at the end of the day, he took Moses aside and gave him some fatherly feedback. He said in verse 17, What you are doing is not good. He wasn't saying that it was not good for Moses to sit in judgment.

That was good. You know, discerning God's will. Settling disputes in God's ways. In godly ways. Honoring God's laws. These are all good things.

The people needed that. What Jethro was saying is not good was that Moses was trying to do all of this alone. Jethro said that this was a burden that was way too heavy for Moses to bear.

Moses would wear himself out under that kind of weight. And the people would be worn out too. They would be exasperated as their cases got backlogged because Moses could only get to so many issues in a day.

Or they would be really confused as they were waiting to know what they should do in a particular situation or matter while they were waiting for Moses to rule.

So Jethro, with the best interests of Moses and the best interests of the people in mind, he undertook a really perilous task. He offered his son-in-law advice.

That's scary. His advice included kind of a proposed restructure. First, Jethro advised Moses to focus on a few things. To focus on main things.

Okay? He needed to, one, be a mediator between God and the people. You know, God is holy. And before Jesus died to atone for the sins of his people, God only allowed his people to approach him through sanctified mediators.

Moses had to serve as that mediator. Bringing Israel's problems to God and asking God to show them what to do. So he needed to be a mediator.

Moses also, Jethro said, needed to focus on teaching God's people. Jethro explained this in verse 20. As a teacher, Moses needed to relay God's directives and God's laws to the people.

He needed to explain how God's decrees should shape the way God's people lived in their everyday lives. He needed to warn God's people about the dangers of disobeying God.

God's people needed Moses to be their teacher. And then thirdly, God's people also needed Moses to judge hard cases. Jethro is saying, Jethro told Moses, he advised him to still be available to hear the cases of God's people.

But only the really hard cases. Issues that were really complicated. Issues that had far-reaching implications for God's people. Kind of like Supreme Court level stuff.

That's what Moses needs to do. So mediating, teaching, judging difficult cases. In Jethro's mind, these were the main things that Moses should devote his time to.

These were the most important functions of the leader of God's people. And with those three functions, Jethro knew that Moses would have his hands full anyway.

And so, the second phase of Jethro's restructure was to find capable helpers.

Jethro advised Moses to take, to commission rather, chiefs or leaders to take care of smaller, simpler matters that the people might bring. But not just any helper would do for Jethro.

He said they needed to be able helpers that met certain qualifications. First, they needed to be male. You know, the concept of complementarity, of male leadership for God's people.

That is baked into the very fabric of the Old and New Testaments. Moses is saying they must be male. Secondly, they have to be from among the people.

These men had to be men who knew the people. And men who the people knew. Men that the people would be willing to come to for advice. Men of the people.

Third, they also needed to fear God. These men had to submit to God and to serve God. God's ways, God's decrees, God's rules. They should matter to these men more than anything else.

They should fear God. And fourth, they should be men of integrity. They needed to be trustworthy. They should even hate the thought of a bribe.

Even the hint of a bribe. These had to be principled men who would strive to do what was right in the sight of God, no matter who was before them.

Jethro said that Moses should actively search for such helpers. He should find them. He should vet them. And then he should commission them over groups of varying sizes.

Some over families. Some over clans. Some over what would eventually be called tribes and so on and so forth. You know, a network of helpers.

These able helpers would be equipped and trusted to handle most of the issues that the Israelites were facing. And that would free up Moses to focus on his main tasks.

Jethro was confident that if Moses took his advice, things would be better for Moses. He could lead more effectively, ensuring that every case was addressed.

He could lead with longevity, being able to endure for many years, with the burden of leadership being shared by trusted helpers. And this would also enable Moses to lead for the good of the people.

He would be able to live, the people rather, would be able to live in peace with their issues dealt with. This was Jethro's advice. This plan made a lot of sense to him.

But Jethro still wanted Moses to consult God about his plan. Moses would have to determine for himself if God was in Jethro's advice. If God was directing Moses to take these steps.

It's pretty mature for a believer of one day. And it appears, though, that Moses did believe that God was in Jethro's advice. In verse 24, it says that Moses obeyed the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he said.

You know, elsewhere in the Bible, we are told that Moses was a very meek man, a very humble man. And his humility is on full display in this passage.

He accepted Jethro's advice without a trace of pride or offense. He did what Jethro advised. And then after Jethro's new structure was in place, he determined it was time for him to leave.

And so he went back to his own country with Moses' blessing.

With the time that we have left this morning, I want us to think back on a few key moments from this passage. And as we think back to each key moment, I think those moments will point, each moment will point to a key truth.

That I want us to take care, not to miss this morning. So here's our first key moment. I want you to think back to verse 1. This key moment, Jethro heard all that God had done.

I think that key moment is tied to our first key truth. God wants to draw the far off. And he wants to use the church to do it. God wants to draw the far off.

He wants to use the church to do it. Well, think back to that key moment. You know, God had done great things. Marvelous things in Egypt. Then again by the Red Sea.

And then at Marah. And then at Meribah. And Massah. And Rephidim. But Jethro was far off. He wasn't around. He was in Midian. He wasn't involved in any of those wondrous things.

He didn't see any of God's wondrous deeds. But through that ancient news network, Jethro heard all about what God had done. And once he heard about what God had done, he was drawn in.

And he became determined to visit Moses so that he could learn more. Today, God wants those who are far off. The world. The lost. Unbelievers.

To hear about all that he has done. And not through some ancient news network. But it's through the church. The church is one of those most reliable means by which God makes known what he has done.

As the church gathers together, the good news about what God has done, that goes out into the world. It is heard by the world. Let me give you a couple examples.

Consider how the church gathers on Sundays. We gather on Sundays for a reason. Because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. We gather on Sundays because Sundays now belong to the Lord.

Sunday is the Lord's day. So as the church gathers all over the world to worship on Sundays, the world hears something. The world hears that Jesus died for sins and rose from the dead on a Sunday.

The world hears as the church gathers. Let me give you another example. Consider how the church engages with the Bible as we gather. You know, when we gather, the Bible is preached, hopefully.

It's sung like we did this morning. It's prayed like Paul led us in prayer. And as we do this, as we engage, as the church engages with the Bible in this way, the world hears something.

They hear that God spoke to us in his word. We study what the Bible says. We submit to what the Bible says. We treasure what the Bible says because it contains the very words of God.

That's what the world hears as the church gathers together. The same thing is true for Christian fellowship. As we gather for fellowship, encouraging one another, serving one another, bearing with one another, the world hears something.

They hear that Christians have been made a new creation. They hear that we are now a family. That we are now one body with many members. That we are tethered together by one Lord.

In the fellowship of the church, the world hears that God really has redeemed a people for himself in Christ. The world hears that we are Christ's disciples.

I could go on and on with example after example, but I hope the point is taken. As the church gathers for worship, the world hears about all that God has done.

As each of us takes part in corporate worship, we are engaging in a kind of sacramental act. A witnessing to the world that is lost. A world that is far off.

A world that needs to hear. As the church gathers, the world hears all that God has done. Well, that's our first key moment and our first key truth this morning.

Let's go to our second. Our second key moment comes from verse 8. Moses told all that God had done. Our second key truth is tied to this. God gives believers opportunities to evangelize.

And he wants us to focus on what he has done. God gives believers opportunities to evangelize. And he wants us to focus on what he has done.

You know, after he heard rumors about what had happened in Egypt, Jethro showed up on Moses' doorstep. He came asking questions. In these questions, Moses was presented with a providential opportunity.

And Moses seized that opportunity. And he shared all that God had done with Jethro. He talked about how God had brought the plagues. How God freed Israel.

How God judged Egypt and the Red Sea. After Jethro was told all that God had done, Jethro responded. He rejoiced. He blessed God. He knew that God was God.

Today, God gives us providential opportunities to engage with unbelievers. Questioning unbelievers. You know, maybe a co-worker that makes a comment at a break table while you're at work.

Maybe a parent expresses some doubt over a phone call with you. Maybe a friend asks you a question over lunch. Our passage holds out to us a simple yet powerful example of what to do when God presents us with these providential moments.

Tell them all that God has done. That's what Moses did. He told them all that God had done in the Exodus. We should also tell them all that God had done.

But we have something even greater. Something even more meaningful to share than Moses did. You know, Moses talked about how God delivered the Israelites from slavery.

We get to tell others about the miraculous gospel of the Lord Jesus. We get to tell others that God the Son became one of us. That he lived a sinless life for us.

That he died for us. Bearing our sin and shame and judgment and death on himself on the cross. We get to tell that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven.

We get to tell that Jesus offers eternal life and salvation to any who would repent and believe in him. When those providential opportunities come, our main evangelistic aim should be to share what God has already done for us in Christ.

When God gives you a providential opportunity to evangelize, you should take the opportunity to clearly and boldly share all that God has done for you in Jesus.

That's a really simple strategy. But our passage shows us it's a powerful strategy. As God's people tell others about all that God has done, God draws people in.

He brings rejoicing. He inspires worship. He opens eyes and helps people to know that he alone is God. When God gives you a providential opportunity, tell of all that he has done.

Our third and final key moment is found in verse 26. The elders judged the people. I think that's linked to our third and final key truth this morning.

God calls qualified elders to lead his people. And they must do so in integrity and humility. Jethro advised Moses to get help from qualified men to lead the Israelites.

And God was in this plan. Moses needed help. So he could focus on the main things. So the people could get timely assistance. And this pattern is a pattern that is picked up again in the New Testament.

In Acts, in 1 Timothy, in Titus, and in 1 Peter, God calls elders to lead local churches. He calls men who will feed God's flock. God also calls deacons to serve alongside these elders.

Deacons are called to focus on the practical needs of the church. Kind of like our church board does. So that elders can focus on teaching. On spiritual leadership.

On counseling. As qualified elders lead churches, they should do so with integrity. Our passage shows us that this should include an integrity of heart.

You know, that's a commitment to fear and honor the Lord. This also includes an integrity of doctrine. A commitment to teaching God's decrees and laws.

Or as the New Testament states, an ability to teach. Elders also need an integrity of conduct. Hating a bribe. Refusing to show partiality. They need to be men of integrity.

They also need to be men of humility. That's what we saw from the ruling elder in our passage, Moses. He showed humility by receiving Jethro's advice.

Without defensiveness. Without resentment. He showed humility by acknowledging his limits. Receiving help. Letting things be removed from his plate.

God calls qualified elders to lead his church. He calls them to lead with integrity and humility. And I believe strongly that Redeemer is blessed to have a group of elders that lead in this exact way.

I can say that because I'm not technically an elder. So I'm not being prideful here. But Jason, Andrew, Matt, Tom, Paul, Josh. These are men of integrity.

These are men of humility. They'll probably hate that I even said their names. These men are committed to shepherding this flock. So I want to encourage you this morning to pray for your elders.

Pray that God keeps them. Pray that God uses them to lead us well. Pray that God allows them to bear the burden that they have with faithfulness and longevity and unity.

I also want to encourage you to utilize your elders. Share your troubles with them. Seek their advice. Ask for their prayers. Receive their leadership.

Benefit from their ministry. As the author of Hebrews wrote, Obey your leaders and submit to them. Since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.

So that they can do this with joy and not with grief. That would be unprofitable for you. But this time I want to invite the worship team to come up and they're going to lead us in a closing song so that we can end our time worshiping the Lord together.

And as they do come, I want to invite you to pray with me once again. Heavenly Father, we thank you for all that you have done for us. You made us.

You hold us together. You've given us every good gift that we have. We thank you for your greatest gift, Father. The gift of your son, the Lord Jesus.

We thank you for your salvation. We thank you that you sent him to accomplish what we could never accomplish alone. Our salvation. He lived and died and rose again so that we could be forgiven.

So that we could be reconciled with you. So that the world could come to know you. Father, we pray that the world would know these truths. We pray that you would help the world to come to hear and to believe.

That they would know just how great you are. That they would know that you alone are God. So, Father, we pray that you would provide us with providential opportunities.

Send people our way, Lord, that are questioning, that are searching, that are looking. And, Father, I pray that you would give us the wisdom, the boldness, that when those providential opportunities present themselves, we would seize them.

God, help us to seize them. Not by talking about ourselves. Not by talking about how great life is now that we're a Christian. Not by talking about all the wonderful things that you're going to do for us, Father.

But help us to talk. Help us to tell all that you have already done for us in Jesus. Lord, it is in Jesus that we have all that we need. We pray that you would be glorified in us now as we sing.

In Jesus we pray. Amen.