Exodus 18:1  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;
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.
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.
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.
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.

Good news travels. Even though the methods of getting news out were different in the days of Moses than they are today, the news still got out. Jethro, Moses’ father in law, obviously had an interest in what was happening in his son in law’s life. As we see, Moses’ wife Zipporah, had gone back to her father at some point.
Jethro understood that a family needs to stay together. He also understood that when a man and woman marry, they form a new household. They belong together. There were also two children that needed a father and a mother. Sometimes, death takes a family member out of the picture, but that was not the case here.
Moses named his sons to describe events that took place in his life. He had a constant reminder of certain events every time he mentioned their names. These events were not bad events. They were a part of Moses’ history.
Jethro took the initiative and brought his daughter and their two sons back where they belonged. Moses did not have a place that he could call home. He would spend the remainder of his life moving from place to place in a strange land. He would not enter the land of Canaan. Yet, it was right and it was important for his family to be with him. He was not too busy as the leader of the nation of Israel, to be able to be a husband and a father.
God knows our limitations and He provides what is needed for families to be together. Moses’ family needed to experience life as God intended it to be for them. Moses chose to obey the LORD. He chose to follow His calling for him. Zipporah, as a godly woman, needed to submit to her husband and follow him where God wanted them to be. The children also needed to learn that the best place for them to be was with their parents.
Jethro reminded Moses of his place. Moses showed respect for his father in law and welcomed him and his family home. They had a friendly reunion taking place. Moses could tell Jethro what had been taking place and how the LORD had led them thus far.
Jethro was not concerned that his daughter and their sons would somehow be deprived of anything important. He trusted Moses with his duties. It is important for families to build their lives on the truth. When families do that, then there is no need to be concerned that things will not work out for the good.
Moses told Jethro of all that the LORD had done for them since leaving Egypt. It is possible that Jethro had already heard of the death of Pharaoh and the destruction that the LORD had brought upon the land of Egypt. However, it was good for him to hear that now from his son in law.
We read that Jethro was pleased with what he heard. We are not told what religion Jethro had, but he obviously was not opposed to what the LORD had done in the life of the nation of Israel. He had opportunity to observe the goodness of the LORD through his time with Moses.
Jethro expressed his praise for the LORD. That is important. He knew the LORD had delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the Egyptians. He would have known of the power of that nation. However, he also learned of the power of the LORD and he saw that the LORD was much greater than the Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
Jethro also knew that the children of Israel had been oppressed by the Egyptians. He had a connection to them through Moses. The Midianites would not be favourable to the Jews later on, but Jethro had no problem with them.
God moved in amazing ways to bring about these connections. Jethro had opportunity to know the true God. Moses’ family was brought back together again and his wife and children could observe the hand of God at work. There would be important lessons for them to learn yet down the road.
Life offers many challenges. Even those who are saved will face challenges in life. It is important to know the Lord in order to face life’s challenges successfully.
Pastor Bartel