The Lord is Greater

Introduction

You never know when a simple moment of obedience can greatly impact another person’s life. The small moments can have the greatest impacts. Today we will see a moment of obedience greatly impact a family.

Exodus 18:1–5 “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, Eliezer (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.”

The placement of this story at this point in the book makes good sense in light of the fact that the Midianites and Amalekites were closely related; the defeat of the Amalekites (17:8–16), followed by the conversion of a Midianite (high?) priest (18:1–12) both demonstrate Yahweh’s truth and power and his superiority over false gods and their adherents.

The geographical placement of the Israelites also makes the narrative placement of this story logical: Jethro certainly knew where Mount Sinai was since in his employment under Jethro’s authority Moses had driven his sheep there (3:1). Mount Sinai/Horeb may have been about the farthest reach of territory that Midianites had personal familiarity with, but since they did have knowledge of it, for Jethro to travel to it once the Israelites had reached it made perfect sense.

Today we will see Israel’s obedience on the battle field greatly affect Jethro’s decision for Christ. There is so much that people see when we obey. There is also much for people to see when we disobey. Today’s Life Lesson in Exodus is double sided and goes hand in hand

Israel - their obedience affected another’s belief.

Jethro - his observation of a godly nation led him to the TRUTH

As we study this passage, let’s discover three life changing parts to

Exodus 18:5–12 Exodus 18:5–12 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.

He Knew the Lord (10-11)

Midian’s response helps us understand the power house Egypt was for the area. They were mighty people! The news Israel’s escape of the Egypt traveled to the surrounding nations. Jethro had heard about this amazing story and to him it’s more than just a story. This was a heroic moment of his son-in-law. It was personal to him. This personal moment led to an ultimate statement: “Now I know the Lord is greater than all gods.

In reading the text, what changed Jethro’s mind and proved Christ’s existence? **Helpful note - repeated statements in the Bible are a sign of importance. ANSWER: His words in v. 11, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians,” repeat the phrase “from the hands of the Egyptians” twice because that was what really counted for Jethro.

The defeat of a superpower and its gods, including the great Pharaoh of Egypt, was simply too great and inexplicable a victory other than by the involvement of a powerful supernatural being, the God Yahweh who had told Moses in advance that he would do just that. As a result, Yahweh became for Jethro at that moment the supreme God, “greater than all other gods.”

Jethro had not yet come to believe in the one and only true God who provides the one and only true way of salvation. He was like many people today who think that all religions are more or less equal. They followed this movie quote “Worship any way you like, as long as you mean it. God won’t mind.”

The trouble is that God does mind. He sent his one and only Son into the world to be the one and only Savior. The name of God’s Son is Jesus Christ. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

God cares in how we worship Him. We see that with Jethro. He did not worship GOD in his pagan practices. He praised GOD according to the Lord’s setup of sacrifices. SECOND POINT

He Praised the Lord (12a)

Jethro brought a burnt offering and sacrifice to God. Does anyone have an idea for why the Bible writes ‘burnt offering’ and ‘sacrifice’? Is it to say the same thing a different way? ----- I originally assumed that they were equal, but each have a separate purpose. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO LEARN SIMPLE BIBLE KNOWLEDGE: A “burnt offering” was understood to atone for past sins and to appeal for forgiveness and acceptance. “Other sacrifices” were offered by Jethro to be sure to cover for any inadequacies in approaching such a powerful and, indeed, omnipotent God as Yahweh was, to ensure that Jethro would be accepted in genuine fellowship with God himself.

Moses’ praise of GOD led Jethro to personal worship then community fellowship. When we surrender to Christ we will experience the same thing.

The salvation of this man shows how God was working out his plan for the salvation of the world. This may be the most important lesson to learn from Jethro’s conversion. This episode is much more than the story of the salvation of one man, or even of one family. The Bible tells this story because it reveals God’s plan for the whole world. Salvation was never just for the Jews. From the very beginning, God intended to save people from all nations. This was even part of his plan for the exodus. God said to Pharaoh that he was bringing his people out of Egypt so “that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth” (Exod. 9:16). A priest from Midian was virtually the first fulfillment of that promise, as Moses proclaimed salvation to Jethro.

Closing

The prophet struck the right balance between two things that are essential for effective evangelism: love and truth. In his witness to Jethro, Moses lovingly and truthfully testified to God’s saving work in history.

Do you have the kind of faith that Jethro had? Can you say, “Now I know that Jesus Christ is greater than all other gods”? To be a Christian is to know God’s name, specifically the name of Jesus Christ. It is also to declare that Jesus is Lord, that he is the supreme God above all other gods. Jesus is superior in every way. He is superior in mercy: He grants forgiveness to sinners. He is superior in love: He gave his own life for our sins. He is superior in grace: He offers eternal life as a free gift. He is superior in power, because by his resurrection he has triumphed over death. And he is superior in glory, reigning supreme over Heaven and earth.