Jethro Meets With Moses

By Mary Vee

Exodus 18:1-11

As told by Jethro, the Midian priest.

I've waited for this day for so long. My daughter, Zipporah will finally see her husband, Moses, again.  He must have great news to tell. To think, God used him to free the Israelite people from Pharaoh.

We've traveled several days to meet up with Moses.  Zipporah struggled to get her two boys to sleep last night; they're so excited to see their father and hear his stories.This morning  I sent a message to Moses letting him know we arrived. 

"Excuse me, Father, but Moses is here!" Zipporah danced into my tent and smiled like the day of her wedding.

I didn't get a chance to say anything more to her. She flew out of the tent quicker than I could stand. "Hurry, Father."

Moses bowed to me.  We gave each other a hug. "Moses how are you?"

"I am well. And you, Father?"

"Wonderful, wonderful.  Come, let's talk in my tent."  Moses followed me inside. I saw right away he'd changed for the good.

The day I first met him, he wore torn clothes, hadn't eaten for days, and didn't have a place to live. I invited him to live with us and to marry my daughter, Zipporah.  He worked hard and learned how to shepherd. One day he told us God wanted him to go to Egypt to free his people. I must admit, I had my doubts. Moses seemed quiet and enjoyed being alone with the sheep. Yet, here he is today, ready to tell me his adventures in Egypt.

"Tell me, Moses, what happened in Egypt?"

Moses chuckled and glanced up as though he looked at God. "God did it.  He set my people free!"  Moses set his rod on the floor, pushed his sleeves up, and smiled. "Ten times I went to Pharaoh asking him to let us go to sacrifice to God in the wilderness. Each time he answered no God sent a plague. First,God turned the water into blood, the whole city smelled awful and the people grew thirsty. Second, He sent frogs. They Egyptians found frogs in their ovens, on their tables, everywhere they walked, even in their beds. Then God sent, lice; fourth, flies; fifth a disease struck the livestock; sixth, boils on the people's skin; seventh, hail, huge hail; eighth, locust--"

"Wait, Moses. There must not have been anything left for the Egyptians to eat. The crops and animals suffered from the plagues."

He leaned forward and nodded. "That's the point God wanted to make. He wanted Pharaoh to know Egypt's food and water came from Him not their own hands--or slave hands. The Egyptians needed to obey God, but they wouldn't."

"What happened next?"

"Well, God sent a plague of darkness the Egyptians could feel. No one could see. They stayed in their homes until the plague ended. The last plague, though, caused Pharaoh to set us free. God sent the death angel to kill the first born, man or beast, in any household that did not have blood from a perfect lamb painted on the doorposts.  Pharaoh screamed at us to leave. The next morning we left."

We talked the rest of the day. Actually, I did the listening, Moses did the talking. He told me all that God had done including parting the Red Sea waters and raining manna for food.  He laughed, cried, and sighed while telling his stories. 

I had not realized the power of God before this day. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods. In the very things the Egyptians behaved proudly, God showed He was above them.

***************


1. Jethro was not an Israelite. Where was he from?
2. What all did Moses tell Jethro?
3. What did God want to show Pharaoh?
4. What did Jethro learn?
5. What did you learn?