Good Morning.
And Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel His people—that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.… and 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. (Exodus 18:1,5)
News travels fast, even in the ancient world. When Jethro heard about the plagues, the splitting of the sea and, perhaps, the war with Amalek, he was prompted to reunite Moses with his family at Horeb. Let us take note of the the distinction between Jethro and Amalek in this fashion. Both heard of the events surrounding Israel’s departure from Egypt but each of them arrived at different conclusions. Jethro decided to join himself to Israel but Amalek decided to come against Israel.
How can people, hearing of the same thing, have two different views so far apart? In this case it would seem, heart conditions have a lot to do with it. Those who acknowledge the sovereignty of the Almighty and those who do not. One sees the hand of God in events and others try to resign it to nothing more than coincidence or natural causes. As we see with Amalek, those who refuse to acknowledge God in these circumstances interpret them to suit their own purpose. In the case of Amalek, they mistakenly interpreted these events as justification to go against Israel. That was a tragic mistake. On the flip side of things, Jethro was wise and perceptive enough to realize that something phenomenal was occurring. His response was to reunite the family and to learn more about the God of Israel.
In todays’ world, we see the same thing. As God moves there are those who recognize His hand in things and see the need for repentance and the wisdom in drawing closer to Him. Others pass things off as nothing — merely the cycles of history — or they seek to exploit the situation to advance their own agenda. We should not make that mistake. May it be that all of God’s people see what is happening in this world as the impetus to fulfill HIs will in in us and through us. As He shakes heaven and earth, let us see that we are being called to reunite the family, as it were, and to invite others to join themselves to the God of Israel.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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