How very fortunate it was that Jethro loved and cared for his family. And because he did, he came to have great respect for his son-in law, Moses
and all the work Moses had to do.
It was because he saw how taxing it was for Moses to judge every situation for the Israelites that he devised a plan that became the judicial system for that nation during Moses’ lifetime.
Moses, in return, must have had great respect for his Midianite father-in-law, because that was the system he adapted to govern all his people.
The judicial system was set up with heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. It was set up in military style and worked so well that it freed up Moses’ time. Then Jethro went home to his own land, and his own job.
On the third new moon after leaving Egypt, the Israelites entered the wilderness of Sinai. They made their encampment in front of Mount Sinai, God’s Mountain.
And Moses went up to God. God called from the mountain and said: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptian, how I bore you on Eagles wings.
Well, it’s easy to recall the death of all the Egyptians armies, but when he says he bore the Israelites
on Eagles wings, it takes a little more explanation.
It is very rare for God to do but He is using poetic language to explain what he did for the Jews.
This is where we get a lesson on birds. God is comparing Himself to the Eagle that carries its young on its wings. Other birds put their young between their feet.
It seems the birds fear the birds that fly higher than they do that would snatch the birds off their backs.
But eagles fly the highest so they protect their babies on their wings.
Using that example God is expressing His protective love for His people. In this verse God is expressing
His love for His people by destroying their enemies
and his care for His people by carrying them on His wing.
God then said, “If you will obey Me faithfully, and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possessions.”
God just said He will be their God and they shall be His people “IF” they will obey His Headship in their lives. And we all know who it was that fell down on the job! But they are not without hope as
the prophet Hosea said later that God is ready and willing to take them back when they acknowledge they must follow Him. God made it clear that all the earth is His, and He had a chosen people.
After listening to God and knowing what God’s desire was, Moses was to go to the people
and tell them what God expected.
He did and all the people said, All that the Lord has spoken we will do. After telling the people God’s desires Moses returned to God.
God instructed him to tell the people that they must stay pure today and they were to wash their cloths.
Then on the third day the Lord will come down,
in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai.
The people were warned to not go up the mountain
and to not touch the mountain and if they do they will be put to death.
A ram’s horn was used in a long blast to let the people know when it is safe to return to the mountain. Then they may climb the mountain
because without God then it is no longer a holy place.
On the third day, as morning dawned, and they had cleansed themselves, and washed their cloths,
as morning dawned there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud upon the mountain
and a very loud blast of the horn and all the people in the camp trembled.
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