Changed

     This Sabbath's reading portion is titled Yitro, referring to Jethro, Moses' father-in-law. Jethro/Yitro/yeter in Hebrew means "his abundance, his excellence, tent cords that tie tent curtains to the tent pegs in the ground, exceed the measure, remnant, remainder/remnant". If we visualize the meaning of Jethro's name as "a tent cord", it is the connection between the tent peg, or nail (Christ attached to the cross) attached to the earth, and the tent curtain, or (heavenly) tabernacle. Maybe we can think of this as "the Jethro effect" for the purposes of this study, as we will see. This "Jethro effect" should also be working in all of us who are believers in Messiah/Christ Jesus. 

     This Sabbath portion from the Torah includes Exodus Chapters 18 through 20. As we begin the reading, Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, "has heard of all that God had done for Moses and for (aleph-tav/ "Alpha and Omega" in Greek, referring to Jesus: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13) Israel His people - that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt." (Ex. 18:1). Having heard this news, Jethro took his daughter, Moses' wife, (aleph-tav) Zipporah with her two sons to Moses in the wilderness, then encamped at the mountain of God. (v. 2-5).  

     When Jethro met with Moses upon his arrival, Moses bowed down and kissed him: "And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them." (v. 8). 

     At this point, Jethro's life is changed. Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done for Israel. Jethro blessed the LORD and said: "Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them." (v. 11). Then Jethro took a burnt offering and other sacrifices to offer to God." All of the elders of Israel and Arron, Moses' brother, came to eat bread with Jethro before God (v. 12). Jethro had not been there when the LORD had done these miraculous works for the Israelites, but he was changed just by hearing about them. As evidence of the change in Jethro's life, he advised Moses with a word of wisdom that would change how Moses taught, governed and judged the children of Israel in the wilderness (v. 13-27). Jethro had told Moses: "Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you..." (v. 19). Jethro's changed life had great impact on Moses and the people of God. As we read last week, a future generation of Jethro would also aid in the deliverance of the Israelites from the enemy general, Sisera. This is the far-reaching purpose of "the Jethro effect".

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, the prophet Isaiah experiences the Lord in a miraculous way: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) temple...And one (seraph [fiery] angel) cried to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!" (Isa. 6:1-3).

     Isaiah's life was changed as a result of what he saw. He cried: "Woe is me, for I am undone (dama - cause to cease, perish, destroy, be cut off at the sight of the theophany [a visible manifestation of God to humankind])! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) King, the LORD of hosts." (v. 5). At this cry of Isaiah, one of the seraphim angels brought a live coal (rispa,resep - hot, glowing stone or coal, spark, flame, fire bolt, hot thunderbolt) from the heavenly altar in the temple, and touched it to Isaiah's lips, saying: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is purged." (v. 6-7).

     A question was then asked in heaven: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" To this, Isaiah answered: "Here am I! Send me." (v. 8). Isaiah was then given a prophetic word to be brought to the people of God: "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return/convert (sub - turn back (to God), turn back (from evil), repent, be restored) and be healed." (v. 9-10, see also 2 Chron. 7:14). This spiritual blindness and deafness would continue until a time of waste and desolation in the land with the exception of a remnant, or tree stump, having the holy seed (v. 11-12, see also Rom. 11:16-18). Some may think that this prophetic word was fulfilled by the period of Babylonian Captivity, but Jesus, and later His apostles, were still preaching this prophecy given to Isaiah centuries after the return from the Captivity (see Mt. 13:13-16, Mt. 18:1-5, Acts 28:24-27). We may be able to say that this "Jethro effect" on Isaiah's life would institute a powerful prophecy that would set the stage for the Gospel being not only for the Jewish people, but because of the presence of this temporary spiritual blindness, to the Gentiles also (see Rom. 1:16-17, Rom. 11:7-8 Rom. 11:25-27,). It is, in part, because of this prophecy of Isaiah that salvation was allowed to come to every nation, tribe, kindred and tongue.

     In another reading portion from this Yitro Sabbath, we read about "the Jethro effect" occurring on a special occasion in Israel in Nehemiah 7:73 and Ch. 8: "When the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their cities." (Neh. 7:73). The "seventh month" is the month of Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. A portion of Israel, 42,360 (Neh. 7:66), had returned from their captivity in Babylon, and had been very focused on re-building the wall and their ruined cities. However, on the first day of the seventh month, all of the people had been gathered together "as one man" in Jerusalem in front of the Water Gate, which was used to bring living water into the temple, especially on the Feast of Tabernacles (see Jn. 7:37-40). Once assembled, Ezra the scribe brought the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Book of the Law (the Torah) before the assembly: "Then he read from it in the open square (rehob/rahab - open place, plaza/to be or grow wide or large, be enlarged, make room, broad pasture, the borders or extent of a kingdom) that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Law." (Neh. 8:1-3). We can understand that this was a holy root or stump spoken of in Isaiah's prophecy, a small remnant (yitro/Jethro) of Israel, meeting in a place that symbolized, by the meaning of the Hebrew word, an enlargement or widening pasture for many more people to come. These congregated people were not the blind, deaf, and unperceiving people of the Isaiah prophecy. Ezra made sure to have teachers stationed among the congregation who would explain the Law to the people as it was read so that they would understand (v. 7-8). When the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) words of the law were heard, the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) people wept (v. 9). A people who had been busy in each of their respective cities experienced "the Jethro effect" from the hearing of the words of the Law. Because it was the first day of the seventh month, a day of celebration, Ezra and Nehemiah encouraged the people not to weep, for "This day is holy to the LORD your God." (v. 9). However, later in the month, on the twenty-fourth day, those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from the foreigners in their midst, fasted and confessed their sins, and worshipped the LORD their God (Neh. 9:1-2). "The Jethro effect" set up a prophetic picture of all who would later come into the Kingdom of God, all who would become sheep in that enlarged pasture of the Lord.

     We can't leave this topic before looking at one more event. In Ex. chapters 19 through 20 from this week's Yitro/Jethro reading portion, the LORD put on a display of His power and presence never before seen in scripture. The LORD came down to the top of Mt. Sinai (meaning "thorny", one of the three principal summits in the Sinai range) to give His law to His people. This event came exactly three months to the day (Ex. 19:1-2) after His people witnessed the terrible night of the death of the first born in Egypt, and the miracle deliverance from this death by the blood of the Passover Lamb. After that event, they then experienced the miracle crossing through the Dead Sea as the waters of the Sea were heaped up into huge walls so they could pass through, that then closed up again to drown Pharaoh's pursuing army. Now, three months later, they were encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the mountain of the LORD. The people began to witness a powerful display.  The LORD wanted Moses to deliver the Word of the LORD to His people: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought (bo - to come in, enter, go in, to be brought in, to attain, enter into [one's body], of a bride: to enter into the house of a husband, of a man: to enter unto a woman) you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:4-6, see also 1 Pet. 2:9-10). Many view this as a formal marriage covenant between God and His people, and the meaning of the Hebrew word, bo, used above, supports this view. Moses delivered this message to the people, and the people answered together in agreement (v. 7-8). "Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and a sound of a trumpet was very loud, so that all the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people who were in the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long, and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. (v. 16-19).

     Although this moment at the foot of the mountain of God was frightening in its intensity, if I had witnessed it, it would have brought this question to my mind: "Is anything impossible for this God? NO!"  This should have brought forth "the Jethro effect" in the people of God, but sadly, this was not the case. At witnessing this amazing sight, God's people said to Moses: "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." (Ex. 20:18-19). Moses assured them not to be afraid, but the people from that day forward, challenged Moses and Aaron, and tested and rebelled against God on many occasions. They even worshipped a calf made from their gold jewelry that they had demanded be created. They demanded to go back to Egypt. They doubted God and His prophet Moses at every challenge that was set before them. The opportunity for "the Jethro effect" was missed by the people.

     The LORD reveals Himself to us on so many occasions throughout our lives, almost daily in what He calls "our daily bread", looking for "the Jethro effect" to take place in us, to change us. When God's people are willing to be changed by "the Jethro effect", it is an earth-shaking, and earth-changing event, as we have seen in this Sabbath reading. It is a terrible shame upon us when we disregard the blessed daily visitations of God to each of us and therefore refuse to be changed by them. We become like those who are blind, deaf, and unperceiving, of which Isaiah prophesied. Life should not go on as it normally does after these miraculous encounters with our Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Lord is looking for "the Jethro effect" in our lives. Second Cor. 3:18 says: "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed (metamorphoo - to change into another form, to transform, transfigure) into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

     If you would like to know more about how God looks for change in each of us, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, in Your mercy, grace, and love, You visit me daily in some way. I ask You to give me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand how these visitations are to change me. Your Word says that I am changed from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. I pray that I would never miss any opportunity to display "the Jethro effect" in my life. I ask this in the name of Jesus. AMEN."