Basic HTML Version
Israel’s Journeyings
105
their enemies would prevail over them. Then “Joshua discomfited
Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a
book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out
the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built
an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: for he said, Because
the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from
generation to generation.” If the children of Israel had not murmured
against the Lord, He would not have suffered their enemies to make
war with them.
Jethro’s Visit
Before Moses left Egypt he had sent back his wife and children to
his father-in-law. And after Jethro heard of the wonderful deliverance
of the Israelites from Egypt, he visited Moses in the wilderness, and
brought his wife and children to him. “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 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 Egyp-
tians. 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,
[135]
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 they dealt proudly He was above them. And Jethro, Moses’
father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron
came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in
law before God.”
Jethro’s discerning eye soon saw that the burdens upon Moses
were very great, as the people brought all their matters of difficulty
to him, and he instructed them in regard to the statutes and law of
God. He said to Moses, “Hearken now unto my voice, I will give
thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to
God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: and thou