Tag: gershom

42.q. “Wilderness” – 5. Jethro heard and is now coming

 

Exodus 18:1  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. 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,”

Do you ever wonder how Jethro heard of all that God had done? Without mail, email, phones, texting, social media, internet, TV, radio, news media, etc…. he heard of the work God had done.  How is this possible? People spoke of it. People who were amazed at how God provided an exodus out of Egypt for the Israelites. I imagine a traveler stole of it and it went something like this; “ I have just Come through Egypt.  The Israelite slaves are all gone. There are none to be found. Pharaoh and all of his chariots and men were drowned in the Red Sea. Prior to this all of the firstborn of all of the Egyptians died, and all of their livestock firstborn died too. Prior to this, there were many plagues of such wonder that only God could have done it. Now it is said that the Israelites are wandering around in the wilderness.  They say their God is with them and it is displayed by a cloud by day and fire by night. We have even heard that when they were attacked by Amalekites the Amalekites were amazingly defeated by them.”

More than one report surely came to Jethro and most assuredly he inquired of any passing through.  Let us be mindful of sharing what we have seen God do in people’s lives. How He has changed them. How He has blessed them. How He has protected them. How He has given them peace, rest, and joy. How He has healed them. How He has delivered them from addiction. We never know how God will use it but He will for His good. Some will reject what you say. However, the next time they hear something from another person it might just be the softening of their heart that leads them to repentance and eternal life.

40.o. “But Moses stood up and saved them”

 

 

Exodus 2:16  Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

Moses flees for his life and comes to a place where there happens to be an injustice being inflicted upon the daughters of the Midian priest.  He intercedes and corrects the injustice, is invited to the home of the priest, is given a daughter in marriage, and has a son.  We can surely see the hand of God in this, but the question of the sovereignty, plans, and purposes of God and the free will acts of man raises its head. I start down this path only to find myself at a crossroads that either gives too much credit to free will, and thereby limiting God, or places everything being done as the total work of God and thereby limiting man’s free will. 

God has given mankind the free will to choose to honor and glorify Him or to go after their own way and dishonor and reject and deny Him.  Mankind chooses to do good or bad, right or wrong, godly or ungodly things.  God has given mankind a “free will” choice to trust in, cling to, rely on, follow, and obey Jesus Christ for their salvation and forgiveness of their sin.  Eternal life is promised to all who repent, believe, and trust in the redemptive work on the cross through Jesus Christ.  Eternal torment is promised to all who don’t. In these promises, there is God’s all-knowing “past, present, and future” purposes and plans, and mankind’s free will. God reaches out to the hearts of mankind and offers salvation, at the same time He knows who will repent, trust, and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This mystery of God’s sovereignty and mankind’s free will is far above my understanding.  

I do know this; repentance, trust, belief, obedience, and reliance on Jesus Christ changes a person. You are changed immediately and being changed continually for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.  Old things are past away and all things are new. You are a new creation, born again, and a light that shines for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. Into this person will come to the Holy Spirit to guide, lead, and direct them in thought, words, and actions that honor and glorify Jesus Christ.  To these, there is given a peace that passes all understanding though the world around them is in trials and troubles.

Commit this day to live in such a way that in all you think, say, and do will honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

39.w. “I wait for Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

 

 

Genesis 49:16   “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

 Judges 18:22-31    When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.  And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?”  And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”  And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.”  Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.  But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.  And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.  And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first.  And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.  So they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

 Psalms 14:7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

 Psalms 40:1   I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

 Psalms 62:1  For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

 Psalms 119:41  Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;

 Psalms 119:166   I hope for your salvation, O LORD

 Psalms 130:5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

 Isaiah 8:17    I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

 Isaiah 25:9     It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

 Lamentations 3:25   The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

 Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

 Galatians 5:5    For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

 1 Thessalonians 1:10     and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. There is an elegant paronomasia, or an allusion to the name of Dan in those words, which signifies to judge, and the sense of them is, there should be heads, rulers, and judges of it. (GILL)

“Dan will procure his people justice as one of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan become a serpent by the way, a horned adder in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels, so that its rider falls back.” Although only the son of a maid-servant, Dan would not be behind the other tribes of Israel, but act according to his name (ידין דּן), and as much as any other of the tribes procure justice to his people (i.e., to the people of Israel; not to his own tribe, as Diestel supposes). There is no allusion in these words to the office of judge which was held by Samson; they merely describe the character of the tribe, although this character came out in the expedition of a portion of the Danites to Laish in the north of Canaan, a description of which is given in Judges 18, as well as in the “romantic chivalry of the brave, gigantic Samson, when the cunning of the serpent he overthrew the mightiest foes” (KEIL & DELITZSCH)

Jacob, almost spent, and ready to faint, relieves himself with those words, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord! The salvation he waited for was Christ, the promised Seed; now that he was going to be gathered to his people, he breathes after Him to whom the gathering of the people shall be. He declared plainly that he sought heaven, the better country, Heb 11:13,14. Now he is going to enjoy the salvation, he comforts himself that he had waited for the salvation. Christ, as our way to heaven, is to be waited on; and heaven, as our rest in Christ, is to be waited for. It is the comfort of a dying saint thus to have waited for the salvation of the Lord; for then he shall have what he has been waiting for. (HENRY)