God Speaks
17 At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.
“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”
3 But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. 6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.
7 Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”
8 While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. 9 Moses commanded Joshua, “Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. 11 As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. 12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. 13 As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle.
14 After the victory, the Lord instructed Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a permanent reminder, and read it aloud to Joshua: I will erase the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 Moses built an altar there and named it Yahweh-Nissi (which means “the Lord is my banner”). 16 He said, “They have raised their fist against the Lord’s throne, so now the Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation.”
18 Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt.
2 Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in. 3 (Moses’ first son was named Gershom, for Moses had said when the boy was born, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” 4 His second son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my ancestors was my helper; he rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.”) 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses’ wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God. 6 Jethro had sent a message to Moses, saying, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and your two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. He bowed low and kissed him. They asked about each other’s welfare and then went into Moses’ tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Egypt on behalf of Israel. He also told about all the hardships they had experienced along the way and how the Lord had rescued his people from all their troubles. 9 Jethro was delighted when he heard about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel as he rescued them from the hand of the Egyptians.
10 “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”
12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came out and joined him in a sacrificial meal in God’s presence.
13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening.
14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?”
15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. 16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.”
17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. 19 Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. 20 Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. 21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. 23 If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.”
24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. 25 He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 26 These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves.
27 Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Exodus 17: The people grumbled against Moses and God when they were short on water. (vv 1-4) The LORD instructed Moses in how to obtain water from the Rock. (vv. 4-7) When the Amalekites came to attack the Israelites, Joshua led the troops while Moses lifted his hands in prayer supported by Aaron and Hur. (vv. 8-13) At the LORD’s direction, Moses recorded the event and built a memorial altar to worship and thank Him. (vv. 14-16)
Exodus 18: Verses 1-6 relate who Jethro was and why he visited Moses. Verses 7-12 tell what Moses and Jethro discussed when they met and what occurred because of that meeting. Verses 13-23 show what Jethro observed and highlight the very wise advice he gave Moses. Verses 24-27 communicate how Moses responded to this advice and what resulted.
Prayer: Dear Father God, You are so gracious, and, Jesus, You are the Rock of Living Water. Please do whatever You need to heal our bitterness and quarreling. Although You disapprove of our testing You, You can stand up to any test people might bring You. O God, strengthen and empower Your people who turn to You in prayer. We trust You to enable us to contend with our enemies. Let us always turn to You in our joys and successes as well as our problems and needs. May we keep records of how You, LORD, have helped us in the past and present so that we will be grateful and trust You in the future. LORD, please give Your people good relationships with their extended family members, whether they trust in You or not. May we be kind to strangers and foreigners. May we experience what it is like to be an outsider and turn that into truly helping others, not just talking about it. May we experience You as our helper and rescuer and then help others to experience that as well. Open us up to telling others all that You have done for us. May it result in our hearers praising and worshiping the true and living God as it did with Jethro. I know that You, LORD, know who can be trusted to lead 10, 50, 100, or 1,000 people (or 10,000, 100,000, 1,000,000 10,000,000 50,000,000 or 330,000,000). May we strive to trust and obey You (and be good people) starting from the bottom up, instead of seeking to manipulate and control from the top down. Please make clear who is capable, behaves honestly, respects God, and hates bribes. Help us to be and seek out such people and put them in positions of leadership and authority in every aspect of life and culture. Then we will live in peace with You and with each other and be able to go on with our lives. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will look to and give credit to the LORD God for the miracles (big or small) I experience, not to human beings as wonderful and helpful as they may be.
- I will ask others to join me and hold up my arms in prayer, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses. We must fight the forces of evil together as God directs and enables.
- I will seek out advice and/or criticism from someone I know will give me an honest and helpful critique.
- I will take a moment in prayer, monitor my response, and “consider the source” the next time I receive unsolicited advice or criticism.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.