וישׁמע יתרו – ‘’Yitro listened….’’ Yitro
became an example for all non-Jewish people to listen(shemah) to the ancient
paths and scriptures of Israel. There is again a small remnant of both Jew and non-Jew
who are ‘’listening’’ - Jer 6:16 Thus said יהוה,
“Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is,
and walk in it; and find rest for yourselves. But they said, ‘We do not walk in
it.’ Jer 6:17 “And I raised up watchmen over you, and said,
‘Listen to a voice of a shophar!’ But they said, ‘We do not listen.’ Jer
6:18 “Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is upon
them! Jer 6:19 “Hear, O earth! See, I am bringing evil upon this
people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened to My
words, nor My Torah – and they rejected it.
Exo 18:1 And Yithro, the priest of
Miḏyan, Mosheh’s father-in-law, heard of all that Elohim had done for Mosheh
and for Yisra’ĕl His people, that יהוה had brought Yisra’ĕl out of Mitsrayim.
It remains a great source of amazement to the ancient and modern Jewish
scholars how the most important Torah portion in the Torah –‘’Yitro’’ – This
parashah – “The giving of the Torah” would be named after the gentile – ‘’Yithro.’’
This Torah portion reminds us once again that righteous Torah seeking non-Jews
would again play a critical role to cause the Torah to flourish again among
Jews and non- Jews in the last days –
may it be His will in our time for this to happen – Deu 32:21
“They made Me jealous by what is not Ěl, They provoked Me with their worthless matters.
But I make them jealous by those who are no people, I provoke them with a
foolish nation. (Rom 11:14)
The name Yithro comes from a root word “yeter” (S3499) which can also
mean “remnant.” Will there be a Torah observant “ex-gentile” remnant in the
last days that together with a revived Jewish remnant, usher in the Messianic
reign and bring “tikkun” restoration to all the earth?
Listen carefully to the following prophetic word given to us from the
Torah:
It is said of Yithro in Bamidbar 10:29-31 reads, “And Moshe said … We are
journeying to the place about which YHVH said, I will give it you; come with
us, and we will do you good … And he [Yitro] said to him, I will not go;
but I will depart to my own land, and to my kindred. And he [Moshe] said,
Leave us not, I pray you; for you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, והיית
לנו לעינים and you may be to us instead of eyes.”
(Bamidbar Numbers10:31) reads, “You
will be our guide … Another explanation: [the passuk is in] the future tense—If anything
should be hidden from our eyes, you shall enlighten us. – Rashi.
It is well documented that Yitro was a Kenite. Kenites were descendants
of Cain. They were willing to associate and help the children of Yisrael. Sadly,
their history is seldom spoken of. Some interesting research has been done in
this regard. Below is a quote from a book written by a scholar who believes
there was a believing remnant from the descendants of Cain that remained true
to the One Elohim of Yisrael. This remnant can be traced to the Rechabites that
still exist in places today – Jer 35
“The Kenite
Hypothesis, states that the ancient Hebrews did not know Elohim by the name
Yahveh until the time of the Exodus. This name is often translated as "the
LORD" in Bibles. In the Kenite Hypothesis, it was the Kenites who first
worshiped YHVH. Moses sojourned among the Kenites and among them he received
the revelation that the Elohim of the Kenites, YHVH, was the same Elohim
worshiped by his forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by a different name,
that of El Shadday, meaning "Elohim Almighty." – Shemot/Ex 6:3 –“ Va
yera””
http://aramaicherald.blogspot.co.za/2011/10/secret-of-jabezthe-mystery-of-kenite.html
https://hebrewnations.com/articles/gis/midian.html
Here in
lies a profound message: there has always been a faithful remnant who have
walked in the Abrahamic covenant that come from outside the nation of Yisrael.
These have been willingly grafted into the Hebrew roots of the faith and have
become citizens of the commonwealth of Yisrael - Eph 2:18 Because through Him we both
have access to the Father by one Spirit. Eph 2:19 So then you are no
longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens of the set-apart ones and
members of the household of Elohim,[e] Footnote:
eSee Rom_11:17-24, Isa_14:1.
Exo 18:2 And Yithro, Mosheh’s father-in-law, took
Tsipporah, the wife of Mosheh – after he had sent her back,
Commentary: N Lawrence - 18:2–3, There is indication here that Moses divorced
his wife after their altercation over the circumcision of their sons in
4:24–26. The phrase sent away/back in verse two is shilluach/ (shin-lamed-lamed-vav-chet,
shil-loo’-akh), which according to Strong’s and Gesenius can
refer to divorce. Shilluach is from shalakh/ (shin-lamed-chet),
a basic verb meaning “to send” (note passive participle ie an action which was
done to her ie she received her marching orders) where in Isaiah 50:1 and
Jeremiah 3:1 the prophets use it referring to YHVH’s divorce from the House of
Israel/Ephraim. Though rabbinical commentators Rashi and Hirsch fail to note
the possibility of Moses’ divorce (Jewish Torah commentators tend to gloss over
the faults of their great heroes), Baal HaTurim notes this possibility in his
commentary. Yet in Exodus18:2, YHVH still views Zipporah as Moses’ wife. What’s
going on here? Zipporah seems to have evidenced reluctance at obeying YHVH’s
command to circumcise their sons (4:25), so did Moses put her away (divorce
her), as a result? Was Moses, the human “savior” of Israel from Egypt and an
antetype (prophetic forerunner) of Yeshua the Messianic Savior (Deut 18:15–19),
having to deal with a rebellious wife even as Yeshua had to deal with his rebellious bride?
Perhaps we see in this weeks and next week’s Torah portion how Moshe takes her
back. We also read in Numbers 12:1 how Moshe took another wife (Kushite woman)”
In next
week’s Torah portion –“ Mishphatim” – We see an allowance is made for a man to
take a second wife - Exo 21:10
“If he takes another wife, her food, her covering, and her
marriage rights are not to be diminished.
Maybe there is a prophetic reference here to the gentile part of the
Bride of Messiah. If one part of his bride is not pleasing to him, he may take
another bride without diminishing the rights of the first one.
This may explain why so many non-Torah observant Christians are blessed
today, but in reality many may not want to part of a Torah observant bride and
subsequently will not be included as the part of the first bride(wife) of
Messiah.
Exo
18:3 and her two sons, of whom the name
of one was Gĕreshom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land,” (Heb
11:13)
With the name Gershom Moshe indicated that he had always been a sojourner
in this world – even before his flight from Egypt – because a tzaddik’s
(righteous man) true world is not from this world.
The verb “garish” is also associated with the name “Gershom.” This verb
means to divorce oneself from something, in the case of a “ger” it is one who
has divorced himself from his culture and religion and has taken on the faith
and culture of Avraham Yitzchak and Yakov revealed in the Torah of Moshe.
Exo
18:4 and the name of the other was
Eliʽezer, for he said, “The Elohim of my father was my help, and delivered me
from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Eliezer
comes from two Hebrew words “El” which can mean “Elohim” and it can also mean
“strength or mighty.” “Ezer” “means aid or helper.”“Eliezer can either mean
Elohim is my help or my help or aid is mighty”
Exo
18:5 Yithro, Mosheh’s father-in-law,
came with his sons and his wife to Mosheh in the wilderness, where he was
encamped at the mountain of Elohim. Exo 18:6
And he had said to Mosheh, “I, your father-in-law Yithro, am coming to
you with your wife and her two sons with her.”
Note in vs 2,5 &6 The Torah repeats that Yitro brought back Moshe’s
family. The Torah wants to draw our attention to this fact because it is
repeated three times. From this we may deduce that Moshe’s family will all come
together again at the future appointed time.
Exo
18:7 And Mosheh went out to meet his
father-in-law, and bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about
their welfare, and they went into the tent. (Yitro was not a pagan priest)
Exo
18:8 And Mosheh told his father-in-law
all that יהוה had
done to Pharaoh and to the Mitsrites for Yisra’ĕl’s sake, all the hardship that
had come upon them on the way, and how יהוה
had delivered them.
Exo
18:9 And Yithro rejoiced for all the
good which יהוה had
done for Yisra’ĕl, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Mitsrites. Exo
18:10 And Yithro said, “Blessed be יהוה, who has delivered you out of
the hand of the Mitsrites and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered
the people from under the hand of the Mitsrites. Exo 18:11 “Now I know that יהוה is greater than all the mighty ones, indeed in the matter in
which they acted proudly, above them.” Exo
18:12 Then Yithro, the father-in-law of
Mosheh, brought a burnt offering and other slaughterings unto Elohim. And
Aharon came with all the elders of Yisra’ĕl to eat bread with the father-in-law
of Mosheh before Elohim.
For Yithro to present such an offering he could not have been a pagan
priest – eating bread together was a covenant affirmation with the Elohim of
Yisrael.
Exo 18:13 And it came to be, on the next day, that
Mosheh sat to rightly rule the people. And the people stood before Mosheh from
morning until evening. Exo 18:14 And
when the father-in-law of Mosheh saw all that he did for the people, he said,
“What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit by yourself,
and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” Exo 18:15 And Mosheh said to his father-in-law,
“Because the people come to me to seek Elohim. Exo 18:16 “When they have a matter, they come to me,
and I rightly rule between one and another, and make known the laws of Elohim
and His Torot.” Exo 18:17 And the
father-in-law of Mosheh said to him, “What you are doing is not good. Exo
18:18 “Both you and these people with
you shall certainly wear yourselves out. For the matter is too heavy for you.
You are not able to do it by yourself. Exo 18:19 “Now listen to my voice. Let me counsel you
and Elohim be with you: Stand before Elohim for the people, and you shall bring
the matters to Elohim. Exo 18:20 “And
you shall enlighten them concerning the laws and the Torot, and show
them the way in which they should walk and the work which they do.
Exo 18:21 “But you yourself, seek out from all the people able men, who fear Elohim, men of truth, hating unfair gain. And place these over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. Exo 18:22 “And they shall rightly rule the people at all times. And it shall be that they bring every great matter to you, but they themselves rightly rule every small matter. So, make it lighter for yourself, for they shall bear with you. Exo 18:23 “If you do this word, and Elohim shall command you, then you shall be able to stand and all this people also go to their place in peace.”
Yithro is introducing Yahshua’s pattern of making disciples and
establishing a righteous leadership over His people. The Torah was always meant
to be lived out in a community of people who are in a dynamic relationship with
one another and with the leaders who have paid a price to lead and train
disciples or ‘’talmadim’’ in the truth of Torah. This was and will always be the
way YHVH establishes His rule and reign on earth. This kind of Messianic people
will not only rule themselves effectively but also the nations. This has tragically
never yet happened, however, before Yahshua returns there will be a restoration
of all these matters – Acts 3:21
According to some scholars the ‘’so called’’ five fold ministry was not a ‘’church’’ invention but an ancient
Jewish practice in the larger synagogues for centuries.
Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some as emissaries, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers Eph 4:12 for the perfecting of the set-apart ones, to the work of service to a building up of the body of the Messiah, Eph 4:13 until we all come to the unity of the belief and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the completeness of Messiah, Eph 4:14 so that we should no longer be children, tossed and borne about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men, in cleverness, unto the craftiness of leading astray,1 Footnote: 15:6, also 2 Cor. 10:5, 2 Cor. 11:3-14, Gal. 1:6-9, 2 Tim. 3:1-8, 2 Tim. 4:2-4, 2 Peter 2:2-22, Jud. vv. 10-19. Eph 4:15 but, maintaining the truth in love, we grow up in all respects into Him who is the head, Messiah, Eph 4:16 from whom the entire body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the working by which each part does its share, causes growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Eph 4:17 So this I say, and witness in the Master, that you should no longer walk as the gentiles walk,1 in the futility of their mind, Footnote: 11 Cor. 12:2, and Jer. 10:2. Eph 4:18 having been darkened in their understanding, having been estranged from the life of Elohim, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart,
Have we ever seen such a sustained movement, governing, directing, and bringing believers into unity and maturity in this world? Sadly, the answer is no!
Exo 18:24 And Mosheh listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he said. Exo 18:25 And Mosheh chose able men out of all Yisra’ĕl, and made them heads over the people: rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. Exo 18:26 And they rightly ruled the people at all times – the hard matters they brought to Mosheh, but they rightly ruled every small matter themselves.
History shows that even this wise counsel failed because the people then and now refuse to obey YHVH’s counsel regarding His form of government in His kingdom.
Exo 18:27 And Mosheh sent off his father-in-law, and he went away to his own land. (And so did the non Jews go to their own land to do their own thing)
Exo 19:1 In the third month after the children of Yisra’ĕl had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, on this day they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. (Reference to Shavuot)Exo 19:2 For they set out from Rephiḏim, and had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So Yisra’ĕl camped there before the mountain.
Exo 19:3 And Mosheh went up to Elohim, and יהוה called to him from the
mountain, saying, “This is what you are to say to the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, and
declare to the children of Yisra’ĕl:
Exo
19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the
Mitsrites, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to
Myself. Exo 19:5 ‘And now, if you diligently obey My voice, and shall guard My covenant, then you shall be My treasured possession above all the peoples – for all the earth is Mine – Exo 19:6 ‘and you shall be to Me a reign of priests and a set-apart nation.’ Those are the words which you are to speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl.”
A special people or “am segulah” this was a very special treasure above
all other treasures a king would possess. Then it says in the Hebrew that you
shall become to Me a “Mamlechet Kohanim” or kingdom of priests and a “goy
kodesh” or nation of set apart ones to YHVH. Note the use of the future tense
verbs and the use of the conditional preposition ‘’if’’
1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a set-apart nation, a people for a possession, that you should
proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous
light,
The reality is that
the world is becoming darker and darker where then are we to find this royal
priesthood? The answer – YHVH will always have a ‘’Yitro’’ a remnant led by the
Messiah who understand who He is and understand who we are called to be.
Eventually this remnant blessed by YHVH and taught the Torah by Yahshua will
increase to fill the earth with the esteem of YHVH.
Luk 4:16 And He came to Natsareth,
where He had been brought up. And according to His practice, He went into the congregation
on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. Luk 4:17 And the scroll of
the prophet Yeshayahu was handed to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He
found the place where it was written: Luk 4:18 “The Spirit of יהוה is upon Me,[c]
because He has anointed Me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent
Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery
of sight to the blind, to send away crushed ones with a release, Footnote:
cSee Isa_61:1-3
Isa
61:1 The
Spirit of the Master יהוה is
upon Me, because יהוה has
anointed Me to bring good news to the meek. He has sent Me to bind up the
broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound, Isa 61:2 to proclaim the acceptable
year of יהוה,
and the day of vengeance of our Elohim, to comfort all who mourn, Isa
61:3 to appoint unto those who mourn in Tsiyon: to give them
embellishment for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for
the spirit of heaviness. And they shall be called trees of righteousness, a
planting of יהוה, to
be adorned. וישׁמע יתרו
Blessed are you YHVH,
our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have given us your Torah of truth, and
have planted everlasting life within our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of
the Torah – Amein.