The Priest of Midian, What did He do?

 

The Priest of Midian, what did He do?

 

18 When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt;

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

To utterly understand the purpose of this story, one must be acquainted with the answers, to the following questions.  Who was Jethro?  What is the function of a priest?  What were the religious beliefs of Midian?  What were the religious beliefs of Jethro, as a priest of Midian?

 

As the text clearly states, Jethro was a “priest of Midian”.  As a priest, he served as a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and a deity.  If we search the pages of history, we find evidence that the Midianites were polytheists, although some did worship Yahweh, there is a plethora of evidence that the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth were the predominant religions.

 

To discover what beliefs Jethro held, we must continue reading the chapter. 

 

² Then Jethro, Moses' father in law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,

 

³ And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:

 

 

⁴ And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:

 

⁵ And Jethro, Moses' father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:

 

 

⁶ And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.

 

 

⁷ And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Obeisance - A movement of the body made in token of respect or submission, a bow.  Acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance.

 

Moses goes out to meet his father-in-law and he bows in a manner to show submission to him.  Therefore, a known man of God is bowing to a “priest of Midian”.  If Jethro is a priest of God, this may not have any significance, but, if Jethro is a priest of another god, this could be placing the God of Israel, symbolically under a pagan god.

 

⁸ And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Here Moses shares with Jethro the marvelous works of Jehovah.  Here the conversation is Jehovah-centered.  Moses tells Jethro how God had conquered Pharaoh and the pagan gods of Egypt.  He also explained the torment that the people had experienced and how God had overcome this for them.  He shares with Jethro the Omnipotent nature of Yahweh. 

 

⁹ And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Jethro is joyful for all the blessing which God had given Israel, again, he recognizes that Jehovah is powerful.  Again, the conversation is God-centered. 

 

¹⁰ And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Here Jethro recognizes the power of God in His ability to overcome the most powerful ruler, of the most powerful nation, on the earth.  The conversation is still Jehovah-centered. 

 

¹¹ Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Jethro states that, now, or finally, he understands that God is more powerful than all other gods since Jehovah was able to overcome the gods of Egypt, including the man god Pharaoh. This statement infers Jethro’s belief system, he is or was polytheistic.  Therefore, he is most likely a pagan priest. 

 

Jethro does not recognize God as the only God, but rather as the most powerful God, and therefore, the one to be most revered.  This is the same situation we find with Constantine, when he allegedly converted to Christianity, but did so without giving up his other pagan deities, and therefore was not a true Christian. 

 

Jesus Christ is King of kings, and Lord of lords, but He is not the God of gods, for there, is but one God.  The Schema in Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

 

¹² And Jethro, Moses' father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father in law before God.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth –

Here, the “priest of Midian” takes sacrifices and offerings to God.  If Jethro was a pagan priest, he had no right to conduct this service before God.  As a matter of fact, if Jethro had done this after the Levitical System was created, he would have been stoned to death. 

 

By doing this act, Jethro usurped the rightful place of Moses, as the one to offer sacrifice to God.  Jehovah never bestowed this duty to Jethro, particularly to do such a task before the children of Israel.  Here a pagan priest offers up the sacrifice to the God of the Hebrews, a God that was not one which Jethro served, and Moses, and the people of Israel allow this sacrilege. 

 

Exodus 17:15 - And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

 

If Jethro had a change of heart and recognized Yahweh as the only God, then there would still be conflict in his actions since he was not ordained by God to do so.   What was the significance of eating before God that Moses and the Israelites did?

 

Deuteronomy 12:5 - 7 

⁵ But unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

⁶ And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

⁷ And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

 

As we can see, to “eat before God” is a form of worship and a manner of giving thanks to Him.  Therefore, if a pagan priest was conducting the sacrifices and offerings, then the people were worshiping in a pagan manner.  This is why so many deceived Catholic people, are entertaining pagan sacrifices to what they falsely believe to be the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

 

¹³ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

For us to understand the significance of this text, we must first acknowledge who gave Moses the task of judging the people? 

 

In this book of Exodus, we see that Moses was fulfilling the task that Yahweh had given him, the responsibility of governing the people for God.  Moses was the Lord’s regent, and it was his responsibility to share the instructions given to him from Jehovah.  As we see here, it was not Moses’ function to sit and share with the individual person who came to him to inquire of the Lord, the text clearly states the children of Israel all stood by Moses from morning unto the evening.  As they stood by him, they all heard, each and every inquiry about the will of God.  Therefore, as Moses explained to one, he explained to all.  This is called Common Law, everyone understood the same law, and its intentions. 

 

This duty, which God gave (gift) to Moses, was an honor, and Moses recognized it as a delight, just as Adam was given the duty (gift), of tending the Garden of Eden, and found it to be a delight.

 

Psalms 1:1-2 – 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

² But his delight is in the law (will) of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

 

¹⁴ And when Moses' father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

When Jethro saw all Moses did for the people (gift), he saw it as a burden (job) for his son-in-law.  He then asks Moses just why he was doing such a chore by himself.  Moses found advising and sharing the will of God with the people, from morning to evening, to be a privilege.

 

Is it possible that Jethro saw Moses as a King, to be served, rather than a minister who serves? 

 

Remember, Moses was content doing the will of God and even rejoiced at doing it. He loved to serve God and the children of Israel. 

 

¹⁵ And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God:

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Moses answers his father-in-law’s question, just what was he doing?  Moses told Jethro that it was his duty and honor to share with the people, the character of God.

 

But what Jethro was asking was, why are you doing all this by yourself?  Why are you, the most important man in Israel, dealing with such trivial matters?   Again, I ask the question, did Jethro see his son-in-law as a king, rather than a servant?  Could Jethro’s pride have been the reason he asked Moses this question?  Could Jethro be playing the role of Judas?

 

¹⁶ When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Moses then explained to Jethro that he had the honor of teaching the people the statutes and laws (Commandments) of God, as well as judging between them. 

 

Moses was truly blessed and honored by God, and this gave Moses joy. 

 

¹⁷ And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Jethro, believing these tasks to be a burden and believing the Moses was greater than those he judged, informed Moses that what he was doing was not good, even though his duty was a gift from God, and it gave Moses honor and joy. 

 

Jethro was looking at Moses’ duty as work or burden, and not as a gift or blessing.  This is exactly what the Pharisees did to the Sabbath, they changed what was a delight, into a burden.  For this reason, it is a sin for anyone to make the Sabbath a burden, doing so changes to the purpose of this Holy Day, from gift to work, and God’s character is smeared, from a loving God to a taskmaster, just like Pharaoh.  God is falsely perceived as being like the pagan deities, and confusion sets in.

 

¹⁸ Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Here, Jethro places a seed of doubt into the mind of Moses.  Moses never complained that he was tired.  When God gives us, a task does, he not only gives us the strength, but also the courage, and ability to accomplish it? 

 

Prior to this conversation, Moses saw his duty as a delight, not a burden.  Now, a seed of confusion was growing in Moses’ mind, and this seed grew into a new way of thinking, and he began to see the duty as a job, not a privilege. 

 

Moses no longer sees his function thru the eyes of faith, but rather thru the eyes of human reasoning or logic.  Of course, a human will tire out, but not if God is providing their strength.  This transformation of thought, from faith to reason, is exactly what Rome is calling for in its ecumenical movement.  The very suggestion separates man, from his Creator, by causing confusion, or creating an abomination.

Anything that alters the perception of God’s character, by altering what He has created, is an abomination. 

 

¹⁹ Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Jethro tells Moses to listen to him, he states this from a place of authority, and Moses does not challenge this self-proclaimed authority.  It seems that Moses is so fixated on pleasing his father-in-law, that he forgets just who his true Master is.  Jethro goes on to state to Moses, if you hear my counsel, God will be with thee, as if God is obligated to follow the suggestions of Jethro, or as if Jethro were so sure that his plan was an improvement to what God had ordained.  This is what Rome believes about the role of its priest, that God must do what the priest ordains. 

 

Lastly, Jethro causes a role reversal of Moses’ duty.  Moses, instead of bringing the will of God to the people, now brings the peoples’ causes unto God, as if God did not already know what they needed.  This negates God’s Omniscient power in the eyes of Israel. 

 

Jethro has suggested that Moses become the Vicar of God, rather than his minister.

 

God-ward – reference to God, or toward God. 

 

²⁰ And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

The bible teaches that Moses was a humble man.  When Moses spoke of his duties, he stated that the people came to him to inquire about the Lord, this is a sentiment between a parent and child.  Moses’ function was to bring the ideals of the Lord to the people, or perfection, to imperfection.   Jethro, on the other hand, uses words like teach, shew, and must.  These are words of authority, creating a distinction between the teacher and pupil, or master and servant.  Here Jethro creates a hierarchy in the Hebrew religion, where before none existed.  A hierarchy much like we find in the Roman Catholic Church, between the clergy and laity.   Jethro, most likely inadvertently, changes the peoples’ understanding of their relationship with God, from a loving parent to a child, and makes it a master and servant relationship.

 

Lastly, Jethro, when speaking to Moses uses the word shalt.  He is no longer suggesting to Moses, he is commanding him to do so.

 

 

²¹ Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

As we can clearly see, Jethro’s tone has gone from suggesting to Moses, to commanding him.  Perhaps this is because as a priest of Midian, he was in a place of authority since pagan priests held tremendous power in the realm. 

 

Now Jethro creates the structure for Moses to be a ruler, rather than a minister, a king, rather than a servant.  God is no longer in the conversation.  The conversation has changed from God-centered, to man-centered.  This ideal is the same ecumenical propaganda of Rome, to become a man-centered religion or the Kings of Pergamum.   

 

²² And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Now Jethro is commanding the actions of the Judges, is this not what Rome does with its priests?  He then tempts Moses with the idea of leisure by stating that his burden, duty, would be shared.  Prior to this Moses did not consider his duty to be a burden, but rather an honor. 

 

²³ If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

In this text, we find Jethro giving Moses, a conditional statement.  In order for a condition to be set, the one offering said condition must be or perceive themselves to be, in a place of authority.  Jethro informs Moses, that “if” he, Moses, follows his counsel, “then” he, Moses, would be able to endure.  This infers that if Moses failed to follow the counsel of Jethro, he would not be able to endure.  Jethro is seeing Moses’ position thru the eyes of man, and not through the power of God, for with God all things are possible. 

 

Luke 1:37 - For with God nothing shall be impossible.

 

Now Jethro does add a byline, to validate his statement, “and God command thee so”, again placing the conversation back to being God-centered, unfortunately, we do not find that Moses listened to this recommendation.  The bible does not state that Moses inquired of the Lord. 

 

It seems that by the time the conversation returned to being God centered, the damage was already done, and Satan, usurping the intentions of Jethro was able to create a seed of doubt in Moses’ mind. 

 

It appears that Moses was so concerned about honoring his father-in-law, that he set aside his duty of honoring or obeying Yahweh.  This was the small crack in Moses’ armor, that allowed Satan the opportunity to create havoc in Moses’ mind. 

 

²⁴ So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

How do we know the above to be true?  Here, the bible clearly states that Moses not only listened to Jethro, but he did everything that he commanded.  This text does not give a tone of suggestion, but rather a sense of command. 

 

Moses’ mind never left its state of Obeisance, when dealing with his father-in-law, a state of mind that should have been reserved for God alone.  Because of this mindset, Moses allowed Jethro, and not God, to dictate Israel’s political and religious structure.  Moses allowed the ways of Midian, which were remarkably like the ways of Egypt, to become the mores of Israel.

 

²⁵ And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

 

²⁶ And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

 

²⁷ And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.

 

So, Jethro, returns to Midian, as the priest of Midian, not as a Hebrew.  He does not realize what he had done to the people of Israel.  In Jethro’s mind, he was offering Moses a better way, based upon what he understood, the ways of the world.  He clearly did not understand the ways of Israel, this is evidenced in his statement, “now I know that God is greater than all gods”. 

 

Conclusion:

Who was Jethro?  Jethro was the pagan priest who changed the religious and political structure of Israel. 

 

What evidence do we have for this?  After Moses was on Mt. Sinai for forty days, Israel returned to pagan worship. 

 

How was this accomplished?  Jethro changed the system that God had ordained, particularly in the duties that Moses was to perform.  Moses was supposed to share the character of God, and His will, with the people.  Jethro inverted the system’s structure, and now the cares of the people would be brought to God.  No longer was this relationship between God and the people one of parent and child, it was one of master and servant.  God was seen as a god who demanded appeasement, rather than the God desires to give love.  No longer did the people perceive God as being the all-knowing, or Omniscient, to their needs, but rather a god who needed to be told what was required.  It made the God, a god, in Israel’s mind.  It created paganism.

 

Additionally, by creating a hierarchy in the Church, Jethro denied access to Jehovah for everyone but Moses.  This was exactly what Jethro’s role was, as a priest of Midian.  It is exactly what Rome teaches today.

 

So, what was the consequence of these changes?  As we saw above, it caused Israel to return to its pagan Egyptian ways.  More importantly, when the children of Israel were based at Mt. Sinai, and they saw the essence of God, come in the form of a cloud, and fire, they should not have been afraid, for they saw this every single day, and night.  Unfortunately, when they saw the mountain on fire, and the earth trembling, they became afraid, for they no longer understood the character of Jesus Christ to be Omniscient, and of Love.  This misunderstanding led Israel to be afraid of God, rather than fearing Him.  This irrational phobia, initiated by Satan, led to a rejection of Jesus Christ sanctifying them when the trumpet sounded long.

 

For this reason, the first covenant at Mt. Sinai was bound for failure since the people were led thru fear of God, rather than faith, and fear in God. 

 

The ultimate consequence of Jethro’s actions was the Levitical Priesthood, rather than the Melchizedekian Priesthood.  It caused Christ to be placed in a small box, known as the Holy of Holies, rather than experiencing His children by placing His laws (gift) into their minds, and writing them in their hearts.

 

Therefore, there was only one covenant with the Children of Israel.  The original Covenant was rejected by them, and therefore it never bound them to Christ.  Christ bound Himself to them. 

 

Jeremiah 31:31-34 –

³¹ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

³² Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:

³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Jesus Christ creates a new covenant with the house of Israel, and the house of Judah, in other words, His people.  It is a new covenant because the original covenant was rejected when the people requested to speak with Moses, and not with Jehovah, because of their fear of God.  In doing so, they created a vicar for God and priesthood like that of Midian.  When Moses heard this, he finally realized his mistake and begged the people not to reject Christ, but rather to keep Him before their face, so that they would not sin.  Unfortunately, it was too late, and the second that the covenant was rejected, the offer was dead.  Never again could this covenant make the Children of Israel a nation of priests.  Now, for hundreds of years, they would have a man between them and God, rather the privilege of having God before them. 

 

It was not until Jesus our Savior, came to this planet, to show man the true nature and character of God, by returning to mankind the gift that was His character, his law.  In other words, Christ did not come to change the law (gift), but that thru Him, it might be fulfilled.   

 

So, what is the Covenant that Christ made with the Children of Israel when He brought them out of the land of Egypt, not at Mt. Sinai?  It was the Passover.  Israel rejected the true nature of the Passover by rejecting Christ at Mt. Sinai.  This was the first attempt by God to fulfill Genesis 3:15, but it was rejected.