Jethro pays his son-in-law, Moses, a visit to offer fatherly advice. He brings along Moses’ wife and two sons. The boys have very interesting names, they must have been ridiculed by their peers. How do you name your son ‘I have been a sojourner in a foreign land‘ and ‘the god of my father was my help and delivered me from the sword of pharaoh‘. While we are still here, is the father in law also son of Israel?
Moses narrates to the father in law the destruction and plunder they have done in Egypt and the two of them come to the conclusion their god is more powerful than other gods. This means, they were aware there were other gods and also they and their god were lacking in compassion and morals. How do you celebrate killing and plunder?
Father in law wants to have the burden on his son reduced, he fears he [Moses] will burn out if he continues to work the way he has been doing. What passes me is how does father in law know he is over burdened, he just came to visit? He asks him to appoint judges over the people so he [Moses] remains an arbitrator in major disputes only to which he agrees and able men who fear god are appointed among the people to thousands, hundreds and tens. At this point only a few statutes if any have been issues, what statutes did father in law have in mind when he said Moses to teach the judges the matters of law.
Moses, father in law, his wife and two sons.
Random thoughts 