Thru the Bible

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Oh, what a firm foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent word.

Steve Schwetz: Do you rely on the wisdom of the world? Or do you look to God to guide you with His wisdom from above? That's the important question that our teacher, Dr. J. Vernon McGee, asks as we travel through Exodus 18 and discover just how easy it is to accept the wisdom of the world instead of seeking God's direction.

Welcome to Through the Bible. I'm Steve Schwetz, your host on this adventure through all 66 books of the Bible. And I'm so glad that you're here as we pick up the story of Moses when he receives a piece of very interesting and well-intended bit of advice from his father-in-law. But as we'll see, even seemingly good advice can go wrong when it's from the wrong source. Speaking of looking to the wrong source, we often receive letters from those who aren't Christians. This is especially true in other countries where listeners are drawn to this Bible teaching because it has the ring of truth that they're looking for. Here's an example. Dr. McGee read this letter some years ago from a man who left a mainstream church that is built on false teaching, but is like many that we still receive.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: I have a letter here that comes from Visalia, California. And will you hear this? There are so many voices out in the world today who claim to know the truth. Whenever I hear your voice over the radio, something seems to tell me that here is a man who is genuine and who speaks forth the word of God. I want to encourage you today and say that I love you, even though I've never met you.

And I found a good Bible-teaching church now with a pastor who understands the word and who understands his duties and responsibilities and carries them out.

Steve Schwetz: And here's a letter that we received recently from a listener of our Amharic study in Ethiopia. He writes, "My name is Amaniel. I follow your program and I also encourage people in my area to listen to your teaching. Your message is restoring the souls of many people and helping their daily lives as well. Thank you very much for your message of hope. In our area, there are many idols that people worship and their lives are deeply attached to them. Your teaching is very important here because it brings the message of the gospel to people who are living in darkness. I thank God he has given us the opportunity to hear about salvation through your work. Thank you very much for all you are doing."

What an encouraging letter. Remember, this is from an Amharic listener in Ethiopia. Praise God for that report. Now, our last letter comes from a listener, this one in Bengali in the Bengali language, I should say, in India. She writes, "A few years ago, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. Still, I used to go to the temple with my neighbors to worship idols. After listening to the word of God at a home group, I came to know that it is not right to worship idols. Since then, I have completely stopped. Hearing and knowing God's word has changed my life, and it's a wonderful blessing for me."

You know, that's exactly why Through the Bible's mission is about taking the whole word to the whole world. And you know, right now we're heard in more than 250 languages, and we're growing. Is the Lord leading you to reach out in His name as well? Why don't you find out more about how you can partner with us in prayer or financially to provide a tank of gas for the Bible bus as it goes around the world? You can support us right in our app or when you visit TTB.org or you can always give us a call, 1-800-65-Bibles is the number. And when you reach out, also ask for a free pack of Bible bus passes. I've always got a couple in my wallet. They are simple and fun way to invite friends and neighbors and co-workers or anyone you meet along the way to hop aboard the Bible bus and journey through God's word with us. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we would ask that many more will hear your truth and turn to you. We thank you, Lord, for your word that guides and instructs us. Would you help us learn from the example of Moses and then look to you for wisdom? In Jesus' name. Amen.

Here now is Dr. J. Vernon McGee with our study of Exodus 18 on Through the Bible.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, we've come to the last experience of the seven experiences the children of Israel had between Egypt and Mount Sinai. And each one of them, as we've seen, illustrates Christian experience today. And we have seen in these six that they find a parallel and a corollary with the Christian today, and that, of course, is true of this last one.

And we have here the visit of Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he happened to be the father-in-law of Moses, and he comes now to visit him. Now, I want us to notice this, and we'll begin reading at verse one.

"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, Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he'd sent her back, 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: 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: 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. And he said unto Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her. 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. 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 had delivered them. 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. 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. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein thou dealt proudly he was above them. And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices to God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God."

Now, the thing that interests me here, and I wonder if you noticed it as we read this extended section, is that the father-in-law of Moses brought his wife to him. And apparently there was a marvelous relationship between Moses and his father-in-law. In fact, they seem to be buddies as we would use the term. They seem to be very close together. Moses tells him all that God has done for him, how God had led the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Jethro's interested in it. In fact, he shows a great interest in it, and he enters into this in a very marvelous way. He is interested in Moses and reveals that.

And you notice that when Moses went out to meet them, his father-in-law and his wife, why, we're told here that Moses kissed his father-in-law, but nothing about kissing his wife or the two sons. Somebody says, "Well, Moses wrote this." Yes, that's right. And I wonder again, now we've talked about Moses' family life before, and I'm not going into it again, other than just call your attention to this, that it confirms the thing that we said that the family relationship was probably not as it should have been. But because of the way God has led the children of Israel, and I think that probably Moses' father-in-law was rather skeptical when Moses announced he was going back to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage.

I'm sure that he told the neighbors, "I don't know what's come over my son-in-law. He's got some pretty big notions. He thinks God's called him to deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt." And I just don't believe that the God he serves can do that. Well, God did do it, and apparently, this has brought now Jethro to a saving knowledge of God. And this is very important to see. And we see he offers a burnt offering here. Now, we find that the father-in-law decides to stay for a little while. Verse 13, "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. 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? And Moses said unto his father-in-law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: 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. And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 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. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to Godward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. 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: 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. 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. So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said. 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."

Now, somebody is apt to say, "Well, what in the world is wrong with this? You seem to think that there's something wrong here." Well, may I say to you that on the surface, everything looks fine. Moses' father-in-law, obviously, loved him, had great respect for him, and was enthusiastic about him. And he's come out now, and he's brought Moses' wife to him, and so he hangs around for a few days for a visit. And then he sees how busy Moses is judging the people. So he comes up with a suggestion to lighten the load of Moses. Now somebody is apt to say, "Well, what in the world is wrong with that? It doesn't seem to me to be anything radically wrong there at all."

Well, there are two kinds of wisdom in this world. Someone has said, the poet has, when ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. Now, actually, this passage here teaches when it's foolish to be wise. And the thing that Moses' father-in-law was suggesting was the wisdom of the world. That was not God's wisdom. And it was not the thing God wanted done. This incident reveals how easy it is to accept the wisdom of the world and to follow the pattern of the world and not look to God.

I personally believe that today the reason that most of our churches are in trouble is because men have been brought into the church and put on a board or given a place of prominence, a high position, because they are men who have been successful in business, and out in the business world, they've made a go of it. But they have no spiritual discernment whatsoever. And therefore the church has attempted to put in the methods of the world, the program of the world, and that just simply doesn't work.

I am perfectly willing to say that the suggestions and the recommendations that Moses' father-in-law made were good ones. It would take the load off of Moses, it would expedite matters, it would be orderly, it would conserve time, and it has all of that that makes it look like a very attractive package. And his suggestion was a sincere one. He meant well. He was prompted by a concern for the health of Moses. And you can't help but love him for this. He was anxious about Moses. And we also need to know, this was not God's will, but God permitted it. Here you have the permissive will of God. If God would only stop us when we're wrong, it'd sure be helpful by the way, but he permits it. He permits us sometime when we go on headstrong with adopting methods that are contrary to what he wants done.

Now let's make a careful examination of this. I read all of this purposely to you today. And I think it'll take a careful examination to discover the subtle and sinister character of this man's advice. Notice, first of all, God had given no such instructions to Moses. It actually questioned the wisdom, the judgment, and the love of God. In other words, God wasn't doing the best that he could about Moses. Now if God really loved Moses and cared for him, God would have made this suggestion a long time ago.

And friends, I can hear the hiss of the serpent that was back in the Garden of Eden here because you remember that was his suggestion to Eve, "Oh, if you could only eat of that tree, you'd be wise." And God just hadn't permitted you to do that. In other words, God's not doing the best that he could by you. Now, if this had been best, God would have made this arrangement before. But it wasn't best. Now that's something to note.

There's a second thing here. God was dealing with Moses directly. He was equipping him for the great task of delivering this people. And God did not want a third party brought in. He didn't want the introduction of a party which would dissipate or insulate the power of God coming directly to Moses. You remember God spoke face to face with Moses. And there is the tendency to want things and persons come between us and God. There are a great many people do not like to do business directly with God. They like to go through a man or a church or a ceremony or through something or even a book or go to a conference. All of these have their place, but friends, we need to go directly to God. And God was dealing with Moses directly, and he didn't want this crowd in there.

Now, there's a third thing to note here when you look at it in depth. It created an organization out of which came the seventy, later on. And the seventy were the Sanhedrin, and one night, oh, about 1,500 years after this, that Sanhedrin met and plotted the death of the Son of God. My friend, Moses didn't need this organization. God gave Moses power for the task and these arduous duties. These seventy men were not any more efficient for God than one. After all, it's the spirit that quickeneth.

And I want to say something at this particular juncture. There are people today in the church that feel like that what we need is the right method. We need to adopt the right method. And right now we've got a bunch of preachers that are acting rather foolish and I think rather silly. They're trying to identify themselves with this now generation, and they say they want to communicate. We have a seminary in Southern California that majors in this type of thing of being able to identify and communicate. And do you know that I never hear of them really reaching down and touching human life in Southern California? They just don't do it, friends.

You see, today, God doesn't have to have a method or an organization or numbers or a system or some to come between or a ritual of good works. You see, the wisdom of God sweeps all of this aside, and there's nothing between our soul and God, and there's no broken reed to lean upon. The wisdom of God and the wisdom of man are contradictory. So much so that if one is wisdom, the other is foolishness, and God says the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God, and the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of the world. Oh, if I could only get this over today to our seminaries, even so-called good seminaries training our young men, that today they need to have the intellectual approach. They need to be clever and that type of thing. God has said, "It's not with enticing words of man's wisdom." And it's not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth. And the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, and the wisdom that's from above is the wisdom we need today. And therefore, the thing that's important here, and it's a tremendous lesson for us today, we need the power of God, not more methods or different methods or new methods.

That brings us now to the 19th chapter of the book of Exodus, and we've come now to another major division, the fourth one in the book of Exodus, and we're going to consider the law now. The law is condemnation, and from chapter 19 through 24. And here in 19, we have the arrival at Mount Sinai and the agreement to accept the law. Now, this is very important also, and we're moving slowly and cautiously and carefully through this section because it's been misunderstood and has not been understood. This section is not studied very often. We want to pay particular attention to it. Now, notice, and I'm going to begin reading now in chapter 19 of Exodus. "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. And they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount." Now they've arrived at the place where the law is going to be given.

Now, God's going to deal with these people very graciously and give them the opportunity of deciding whether they want to go on as he's been bringing them out of Egypt, or do they want to accept and receive the law? Well, let's take a look at this because this is a very important section right here that's before us. I've said that, I think, about every chapter so far in Exodus, and I mean it of each one. I want to read now verse three. "And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; First, Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." Now, that's traveling by grace. That's traveling by jet, the new jets. And verse five, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine." And then God asks them, will they receive the words that he commands them? And they foolishly agree to accept them instead of saying they've enjoyed the trip on Eagles' wings. "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings."

You see, the eagle is a bird of prey. We read in Job 9:26, as the eagle that hasteth to the prey. And the Lord Jesus himself said, and wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. And yet the eagle is used as a symbol in scripture of Deity, of God. And you find in Ezekiel, that was the face of an eagle. Deity. And the same thing in the fourth chapter of Revelation, the flying eagle. It represents Deity. And it's admired for its wings, its ability to fly, to soar to the heights. Jeremiah in the fourth chapter, verse 13 says, "His horses are swifter than eagles." And when David was giving a eulogy to Saul and Jonathan, he used the eagle as a panegyric of praise. In other words, the eagle is the jet plane of the bird family. And next time we're going to see that the wings of the eagle are definitely a symbol of Deity. God says, "You have seen how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself." That's God's marvelous, infinite, wonderful grace. Now, that's the way he brought them out of Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai. This is a great section and it's a place where a great decision will be made. So, until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Steve Schwetz: In our next study, we're going to hear more about how God brought Israel out of Egypt on Eagles' Wings. So, read ahead through the rest of Exodus 19, and then hop aboard again as the Bible bus rolls along through God's Word. Until then, to be in touch or maybe to find out more about the many resources we carry to help you deepen your personal study of God's Word, give us a call at 1-800-65-Bibles. The number, you can do it anytime. You can email us, of course, anytime, at Biblebus@ttb.org, or again, anytime, you can visit ttb.org. And you can always write to Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. I'm Steve Schwetz, praying that God's grace, peace, and mercy will be with you as you walk with him today.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Sin had left the crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

Steve Schwetz: Our story on the Bible bus today is just one step in a five-year journey through the entire word of God. Come along for the ride and you'll study both the Old Testament and New Testament, discovering God's great redemption story. Is this your story too?