Jethro — What a Pagan Priest Teaches Us About Leadership, Wisdom, and Receiving Truth

Moses' Family — and a Pagan Priest at the Center of Sinai

Before God gave the Torah on Mount Sinai, a remarkable thing happened. Jethro, the priest of Midian — not an Israelite, not a Jew — is the only personage in the Bible that has several names: Jethro, Hobab, Reuel, and the Druze call him Nabi Shueib. This same man was the father of Zipporah, the Midianite wife of Moses. And all the time that Moses was in Egypt dealing with Pharaoh and demanding the release of the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, Moses was not with his family. He had deposited his wife and children with his father-in-law Jethro, a priest of Midian.

When Jethro hears what God had done, he brings Zipporah and Moses' two sons back to him in the wilderness:

It shows that Moses who had a personal encounter with the almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the creator of the Universe, didn't feel enmity or religious zealotry toward Jethro his father-in-law.

Jethro Brought a Burnt Offering — and Aaron Ate With Him

Before giving his famous administrative advice, Jethro does something remarkable:

A Midianite priest offering sacrifices to the God of Israel, and Aaron himself sitting down to eat with him before God. This moment is not accidental. The Holy Spirit specifically stresses the words "father-in-law" throughout this entire chapter — you will understand that the Holy Spirit specifically stresses this fact so that we all know that a good father-in-law can give you good advice that is worth learning.

The Wisdom Jethro Gave — and What It Costs to Receive It

What do I learn about myself from the Torah Portion of Yitro? A person can be a great teacher, a Bible scholar, even a good father, but he might not be a great and an efficient administrator.

Jethro is a leader among his people. He knows some of the modern rules of executive leadership that today would be considered as fundamental, but Moses didn't know them. Moses who was a friend of God:

...this same Moses needed a Midianite pagan priest to teach him the ABCs of managing people. There is a statement in the Mishnah, Avot, that I love because it is so important for us to remember it:

Moses listens to his father-in-law Jethro, and emulates the wisdom that Jethro shared with him. This is just one example of why God says about Moses that he was humble:

As Israelites, we are good in many things, but organization is not one of these areas that we are very strong. Moses took Jethro's advice and this was a great help, but at the same time later it was one of the causes of the Korahite rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Too much organization and too much of a pyramid structure can also be unbeneficial.

Four Lessons for the Church — and for All of Us

Here is what I would like to see from the leadership of the Christian Churches and movements. First, no enmity against leaders of other religious groups even if they differ drastically from your own faith. Second, respect and honor for the leaders and the members of other religious convictions and always a civil attitude, even if there is sharp criticism and disagreements. Yeshua is a big critic of the Pharisees, but at the same time Yeshua gives them mega credit:

Third, when you receive good advice take it and implement it. Fourth, every time that I read this portion of the Torah, I feel guilty that it took me so long to learn to delegate authority and share my burdens in the Lord's work with the younger leaders of Netivyah. I ask all of you, to not miss delegating authority and sharing your burdens with trustworthy people.

Righteous Gentiles — Then and Now

This is not the only story in which non-Jews in the Bible are praised and given the credit for their faith and faithfulness. We have Rahab the prostitute from Jericho, we have Yael from the tribe of the Kenites, that came out of Egypt with the Israelites. There is the widow woman from Tyre who fed Elijah the prophet for three years from food that God multiplied in her bowl daily. Yeshua uses this case of the widow to teach the Jewish people of his day that there are righteous gentiles that deserve every honor and praise that even Israelites themselves didn't deserve.

There has to be on our part, on the part of the Jewish people, a double appreciation for every non-Jew that stands with us and with the nation of Israel. For us as Jews nothing can be excused that has racial hatred and discrimination against non-Jews. We can simply not afford as Jews nor as disciples of Yeshua the Messiah, to discriminate and have racial prejudice for our dear and precious non-Jewish brothers!

Reading the Torah portion of Yitro is a great reminder how important it is for all of us to receive and practice the famous Rabbinical saying:

We are to examine the facts and the truth and not automatically reject it because someone strange or unseemly said it. If we can do this, it would be such a great step of reconciliation and establishment of healthy relationships that will bring fruit to all of Israel and also to our non-Jewish neighbors and friends.

May we all continue to study the Bible, to learn and implement these practical lessons that can bring so many blessings to our lives and help us avoid many unnecessary hardships.