Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People.
Speaker 2: I am Jethro, high Priest of Midian, and the father
Speaker 2: of the lovely young ladies you saved. I am in
Speaker 2: your debt, my friend. As a Midian night, I always
Speaker 2: pay my debts tenfold.
Speaker 3: I am Moses.
Speaker 2: You are welcome to remain here with us, Moses, perhaps
Speaker 2: we can show you who you are.
Speaker 1: The firelight danced in her eyes, and for a moment
Speaker 1: Moses felt his heart skip a beat. She was more
Speaker 1: than just her looks. There was a sharpness in her gaze.
Speaker 3: I'm Moses.
Speaker 4: I'm Zupporah, the daughter of the high priest Midian.
Speaker 1: As Jethro had foreseen, Moses married Zipporah. They were wed
Speaker 1: under the stars, beside the flames, just as they had
Speaker 1: danced that first night. There was a simplicity to it,
Speaker 1: purity that felt truer than all the grand ceremonies of thebes.
Speaker 1: The Lord required everything from Moses. He was about to
Speaker 1: ask the entire nation of Israel to uproot themselves, give
Speaker 1: up their lives, and follow him into the unknown. If
Speaker 1: he was going to require this sacrifice from the people,
Speaker 1: Moses had to follow suit.
Speaker 3: He requires everything. I must give up everything, return with
Speaker 3: our sons to Midian, I must continue this journey alone.
Speaker 4: After all this, you're sending us away.
Speaker 1: The crowd pressed in closer to him. Aaron, Miriam and
Speaker 1: her rushed to his side, ready for whatever madness would
Speaker 1: come next.
Speaker 3: Why do you quarrel with me as if I'm the
Speaker 3: one withholding from you?
Speaker 2: Because this is your fault.
Speaker 3: We're gonna die out here because of you. You're not
Speaker 3: in your right minds. Why Lord even further, having got
Speaker 3: provided everything you've needed.
Speaker 5: Teach them his decrees and instructions and show them the
Speaker 5: way they are to live. Shallow, my friends from here
Speaker 5: in the Holy Land, I'm ya l Extein with the
Speaker 5: International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People.
Speaker 5: Picture our ancestors. Recently freed from the bonds of slavery,
Speaker 5: they find themselves wandering, not yet settled. Moses, our leader,
Speaker 5: our shepherd, is weary from the weight of guiding our people.
Speaker 5: As the Chosen People approach the Mountain of God, Jethro,
Speaker 5: Moses's father in law, a Midyan Nite priest, comes to visit.
Speaker 5: What wisdom will he bring? What counsel can he offer
Speaker 5: to a prophet who speaks directly to God.
Speaker 1: The sun's harsh rays were quelled under the scattered shade
Speaker 1: of Jethro's tent. The nomadic people of Medium were settled
Speaker 1: in the valley not far from Sinai. Jethro, the high
Speaker 1: priest of Median and father in law of Moses, reclined
Speaker 1: with a weary traveler. Jethro considered meeting travelers one of
Speaker 1: life's simplest joys. They came with stories of far off lands, kings, warlords,
Speaker 1: and gods.
Speaker 2: So tell me, my son, now that we've shared water
Speaker 2: and bread, do you have any tales from the West.
Speaker 3: I've heard many strange stories in my travels, his stories
Speaker 3: that seem impossible to those I have told.
Speaker 2: Oh is that so? Is it a story from the
Speaker 2: nomads or from the great cities?
Speaker 3: There have been tales of great battles in the desert
Speaker 3: and a mighty exodus of an entire enslaved nation out
Speaker 3: of Egypt.
Speaker 2: The Israelites, Hey, you know them, They've escaped from the
Speaker 2: grip of Pharaoh. You don't say did they flee or
Speaker 2: a volte or were they freed simply by the goodwill
Speaker 2: of Pharaoh? That last one would be a tale from
Speaker 2: the ages, now, weren't it.
Speaker 3: It's hard to say. These stories do not agree. One
Speaker 3: thing is for sure. Pharaoh didn't want them gone. He
Speaker 3: pursued the Israelites but over six hundred chariots, but they
Speaker 3: successfully evaded him.
Speaker 2: They escaped Pharaoh's army and chariots. That's what the stories say.
Speaker 2: You mean to tell me a largely unarmed mass of
Speaker 2: slaves outwitted the Egyptians. Some say it was.
Speaker 3: Between the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt.
Speaker 2: What do you mean.
Speaker 3: The Egyptians were afflicted with terrible plagues, the denial turned
Speaker 3: to blood, all manner of pests, came boils in sickness,
Speaker 3: hail from the sky, and famine in the land, and
Speaker 3: even death. But the Israelite slaves were spared. That's why
Speaker 3: people say it must have been their god.
Speaker 1: Jethro pondered what he was hearing the timing of moses
Speaker 1: departure and this mass exodus seemed too coincidental. Her curiosity
Speaker 1: overcame him.
Speaker 2: And who led these Israelites. Surely there was someone at
Speaker 2: the helm to shepherd them, one of their own.
Speaker 3: They say he is a mighty prophet and speaks to
Speaker 3: the God of Israel himself and his name. The man's
Speaker 3: name is Moses.
Speaker 1: A sly smile curled on the edges of Jethro's face.
Speaker 1: He stroked his beard and chuckled. Moses, his son in law,
Speaker 1: is a liberator of an entire enslaved nation. It would
Speaker 1: appear he was embraced at last by his native people.
Speaker 1: He let the man continue to weave his tail. That night,
Speaker 1: Jethro invited the others to hear him talk about Moses,
Speaker 1: the god slayer and liberator of Israel. Sitting by the
Speaker 1: fire listening to the man waxing tales of Moses was Zipporah,
Speaker 1: Gersham and Eliezza. Jethro glanced at his daughter and grandsons
Speaker 1: several seats away. He would need to question Zipporah later.
Speaker 1: She had been sent back with her sons before her
Speaker 1: husband entered Egypt, and rarely spoke of what occurred on
Speaker 1: that mysterious brief sojourn. The last time Jethro saw Moses,
Speaker 1: he had asked permission to go see his relatives. Moses
Speaker 1: had long struggled with his identity. It was rarely something
Speaker 1: he spoke aloud. But Jethro was an astute man. He
Speaker 1: knew his son in law had grown up apart from
Speaker 1: his native people in the house of his enemy. But
Speaker 1: they were an enemy who raised him, and, what was more,
Speaker 1: raised him as one of them. He knew. The disparity
Speaker 1: of his privileged upbringing contrasted with the plight of his
Speaker 1: people was a silent torment, he felt. But it sounded
Speaker 1: as though Moses found his identity at last to be
Speaker 1: Israel's leader and savior. It was truly remarkable. As a
Speaker 1: priest of Median, Jethro wondered at the god who had
Speaker 1: rallied around Moses and the Israelites. What had the Israelites
Speaker 1: done to gain such favor? Their God must have truly
Speaker 1: been mighty to vanquish the gods of Egypt, Jethro smiled
Speaker 1: to himself. Perhaps his son in law had followed in
Speaker 1: his footsteps and become a priest himself. The God of
Speaker 1: his people had certainly accepted him as such. After the
Speaker 1: group meal concluded and everyone began to disperse for their tents,
Speaker 1: Jethro caught his daughter and held her back for a
Speaker 1: long overdue conversation.
Speaker 2: My daughter, I am curious to hear what you make
Speaker 2: of this news out of Egypt.
Speaker 4: I am as surprised as you, father, although maybe I
Speaker 4: shouldn't be. Moses gave me hints about what his God
Speaker 4: had called him to do. He sent us back long
Speaker 4: before he crossed into their lands.
Speaker 2: I did not press you when you came back from
Speaker 2: Gersham and Eliezer. I could tell the journey was very
Speaker 2: hard on you, and you did not wish to disclose
Speaker 2: what happened. Will you tell me what happened? What was
Speaker 2: Moses's true purpose in going to the land of his upbringing?
Speaker 4: His true purpose? I'm not sure I could tell you that,
Speaker 4: but I know my husband had a profound encounter with
Speaker 4: his God. It changed him. I've never seen anything like it.
Speaker 4: I have seen you and the other priests of our
Speaker 4: people intercede and preside all my life. But this, this
Speaker 4: was nothing like that. This God didn't speak through omens
Speaker 4: or constellations. It was as if he was speaking directly
Speaker 4: to Moses, as one would with a friend.
Speaker 2: Your husband seems to have become a great prophet and
Speaker 2: leader overnight. But tell me, dear support, what happened out
Speaker 2: there in the desert. Why did he send you back
Speaker 2: to me?
Speaker 4: His God became angry with me. He was upset that
Speaker 4: our son was not circumcised like the firstborn. I can't
Speaker 4: explain how I knew what his God wanted eat, but
Speaker 4: I knew it was the only way to save Moses.
Speaker 4: I remembered what he told me of the significance of
Speaker 4: the right for his people. I completed the task, and
Speaker 4: miraculously Moses was healed. I've never seen anything like it,
Speaker 4: but I was terrified. I thought I was going to
Speaker 4: lose him.
Speaker 2: Perhaps this was an act of obedience his God needed
Speaker 2: to see before he was prepared enough to enter Egypt.
Speaker 4: It was barbaric. I had to cut my son. But
Speaker 4: I suppose this God had a mission and a vision
Speaker 4: in mind.
Speaker 2: But now that Moses has done what he sought out
Speaker 2: to do, perhaps it is time I return you to him,
Speaker 2: and I would like to hear more of his encounter
Speaker 2: with God from him directly. Perhaps I can help him
Speaker 2: so he doesn't find himself in the same precarious situation
Speaker 2: he found himself out in the desert. He is very
Speaker 2: fortunate his God guided you to assist him. We should
Speaker 2: not deny Moses the support he needs as a prophet
Speaker 2: and leader.
Speaker 4: How will we find them?
Speaker 2: Millions of former slaves are following a god who seems
Speaker 2: to speak through pillars of fire and falling food from
Speaker 2: the sky. Do you really think it will be that
Speaker 2: hard to find them?
Speaker 3: Lord Moses, with all due respect, how can you possibly
Speaker 3: rule against me? I have been nothing but honest, and
Speaker 3: everyone here knows the same thing cannot be said of
Speaker 3: the tribe of God.
Speaker 1: Moses side. As the crowd gathered to watch his judgment
Speaker 1: that day erupted into shouts of assent or dissent, he
Speaker 1: honestly couldn't tell at this point. What was clear, however,
Speaker 1: was their disappointment in him. These recent months in the desert,
Speaker 1: ruling the Israelites, deciding their squabbles and sorting through their
Speaker 1: political intrigue had only given him a great appreciation, ironically enough,
Speaker 1: for the rulers in Egypt. He remembered the long hours
Speaker 1: he would spend watching his grandfather Setti training Rameses in
Speaker 1: the ways of politics when they were both boys. Moses
Speaker 1: found himself constantly lost in which tribe had feuds with which,
Speaker 1: and what oaths were made to whom. The tribes of
Speaker 1: Israel were interconnected by heritage, yet distinct in their own ways.
Speaker 1: Moses didn't have the capacity to understand every nuanced tradition, treaty,
Speaker 1: and family line. It made his work as a judge
Speaker 1: and ruler over them sloppy. Moses was lost in himself,
Speaker 1: growing more flustered by the moment. Aaron was seated beside him,
Speaker 1: clearing his throat to get Moses attention. The crowd's arguing
Speaker 1: was getting them.
Speaker 6: Perhaps we should leave this here for the day. I
Speaker 6: don't think we settled these meadows today.
Speaker 3: You're right, so be it, tribe of Basher, tribe of
Speaker 3: Gad silence. I should hear your arguments tomorrow. We're done
Speaker 3: here for today.
Speaker 1: Moses proclamation was met with even more grumbling, but the
Speaker 1: crowd reluctantly departed. Moses decided to walk around the camp
Speaker 1: to clear his head and stretch his legs. After many
Speaker 1: hours of sitting and hearing his people's complaints, their constant
Speaker 1: grumbling sucked the life out of him. He felt spread
Speaker 1: thin and weary. He wandered to the outskirts of camp
Speaker 1: and looked out at the desert. The sun's descending rays
Speaker 1: curled over the hills, casting long, dark shadows against the
Speaker 1: dusty expanse. Moses sighed, sat on a solid stone and
Speaker 1: rubbed his temples.
Speaker 3: Oh oh, oh, my lord, how can I lead these people?
Speaker 3: I wasn't even raised among them. Ah, I don't know
Speaker 3: what I'm doing.
Speaker 1: That's when he saw a few figures approaching. He thought
Speaker 1: nothing of them at first, until their faces began to
Speaker 1: take shape in the light. Moses' eyes widened with amazement.
Speaker 1: He stood to his feet and inched forward.
Speaker 2: It can't be.
Speaker 1: Moses looked at his wife and children with a quivering
Speaker 1: jaw and watery eyes. His legs felt heavy. He wasn't
Speaker 1: sure how to approach them, but when he saw Zipporah's
Speaker 1: bright smile glisten in the sunlight, Moses knew he could
Speaker 1: run to them.
Speaker 3: Zibro Moses.
Speaker 1: The two ran to each other and embraced Their bodies
Speaker 1: folded into each other, and each refused to let go
Speaker 1: for a long while. Buried in each other's shoulders, they
Speaker 1: said what they had been feeling all this time.
Speaker 2: I missed you.
Speaker 3: I thought about you every day.
Speaker 1: Zipporah wiped tears away from moses eyes and smiled. She
Speaker 1: pressed her palms against his cheeks and leaned in earnestly.
Speaker 4: I didn't understand before, but hearing what your God has
Speaker 4: done in seeing all these people, I understand.
Speaker 1: Moses brought Zipporah in close. His boys joined in to him.
Speaker 1: They were home. They were a security and a comfort
Speaker 1: he had been forced to leave behind when he took
Speaker 1: up this new mantle. He then turned to Jethro, his
Speaker 1: father in law, a man who was the only true
Speaker 1: father he had ever known, and bowed for him. When
Speaker 1: Jethrow finally made him rise, Moses then kissed him a
Speaker 1: sign of friendship and familiarity, but paired with a bow.
Speaker 1: This was the ultimate sign of reverence and respect. When
Speaker 1: he leaned back, he took in the astonishment on his
Speaker 1: father in law's face. Though Moses was now regarded as
Speaker 1: a pseudo king among his people, he still held Jethro
Speaker 1: in the highest esteem. He greeted him as one with
Speaker 1: a much higher social standing than his own.
Speaker 2: You honor me, my son, Lord Moses, or should I
Speaker 2: call you Priest Moses or King Moses or the great
Speaker 2: Sarah Slayer Moses.
Speaker 3: To you, Jethrow, I am your son. I've missed you dearly.
Speaker 3: Thank you for bringing my family to me and for
Speaker 3: caring for them my absence.
Speaker 2: Gersham is a good lad. He's been a very good
Speaker 2: help to me and your boy Eliezer. He's growing into
Speaker 2: a fine man when he chooses to listen, that is.
Speaker 2: But enough of this, I would like to learn more
Speaker 2: about your absence from you. I've heard many tales, but
Speaker 2: I would like to hear it directly from the camel's mouth.
Speaker 3: And you should hear them. Please come come with me.
Speaker 3: I'll have you watered and fed and well rested while
Speaker 3: you're under my tents.
Speaker 1: Moses gestured for his family to follow him within the tent.
Speaker 1: When Zipporah and the boys were a few steps ahead,
Speaker 1: Jethro held out a hand to slow Moses and asked
Speaker 1: him in a hushed voice.
Speaker 2: But first, my son, tell me, really, how are you.
Speaker 3: There's no simple answer to that question. Father, the things
Speaker 3: I've seen, what I've been been asked to become, I
Speaker 3: hardly know where to start. I hardly know who I am.
Speaker 2: I seemed to recall you in a similar spiral of
Speaker 2: uncertainty when I first met you. Come, let's see if
Speaker 2: we can once again cure your existential dread and wondering.
Speaker 2: But first, I would very much like to rest his
Speaker 2: old knees.
Speaker 1: Moses family was cared for and fed, and he told
Speaker 1: them all that had happened from the time he entered
Speaker 1: Egypt to where they found him now, all the hardships,
Speaker 1: all the signs and wonders. He spoke about, the reunion
Speaker 1: with his brother and sister, and even the mysterious encounter
Speaker 1: with his God that began it all. After hours of speaking,
Speaker 1: and long after his wife and sons had gone to sleep,
Speaker 1: he found he finally arrived at the end of his tales,
Speaker 1: sharing all his God had done to deliver his people
Speaker 1: from the hands of Pharaoh and how they were now
Speaker 1: to enter the promised land.
Speaker 2: Baru Kasham, that's how you would say it in your
Speaker 2: native Hebrew tongue. Correct.
Speaker 3: Blessed be the name of my God. Yes, yes, that's
Speaker 3: exactly right.
Speaker 2: Blessed be your God, who rescued you from the power
Speaker 2: of Egypt and from the power of Pharaoh. He has
Speaker 2: rescued the people from under the power of Egypt. And
Speaker 2: now know that your God is greater than all gods.
Speaker 2: It is undeniable, is wonder? Shut up those pompous Egyptians.
Speaker 2: In all my years as a priest of the gods
Speaker 2: of Midian, I have never heard such miraculous signs of
Speaker 2: true power and authority.
Speaker 3: He would accept worship even from a Midianite.
Speaker 2: Priest, and that settles it. Tomorrow, at first light, I
Speaker 2: would offer up a burnt offering and sacrifice to your God.
Speaker 1: Moses beamed at his father in law and at his words.
Speaker 1: The next morning, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and the other
Speaker 1: elders in their ranks gathered together and feasted after they
Speaker 1: worshiped their God. The euphoria and joy of Moses reuniting
Speaker 1: with his family was short lived. Eventually he had to
Speaker 1: return to his duties as judge. He sat before the
Speaker 1: tribes of God and Asher, presiding over their dispute. Moses
Speaker 1: head throbbed from annoyance and fatigue.
Speaker 3: As I told you yesterday, son of Asher, I will
Speaker 3: stand by my ruling in favor of the tribe of God.
Speaker 3: You have presented your side twice now, but I remain unchanged.
Speaker 2: Our leader, Moses has spoken, go now in peace, my brothers.
Speaker 3: Aaron, are there any more today? Or was that the
Speaker 3: last one?
Speaker 2: That was the last of them? Thank you Erin.
Speaker 1: Moses rubbed his temples with both hands, but then turned
Speaker 1: to his father in law. Jethro had asked to attend
Speaker 1: that day they had been hearing the people's complaints from
Speaker 1: morning to evening. Moses's stomach was growling and his headache
Speaker 1: was pounding, but a relief to be finished for the
Speaker 1: day flooded his body.
Speaker 3: Well there you have it. It's a lot of the
Speaker 3: same story over and over again. Property lines being crossed,
Speaker 3: tensions between tribes, loans being extended, and such. Nothing too dramatic, thankfully. Indeed,
Speaker 3: we'll continue our feast in celebration of your arrival this evening.
Speaker 2: Ah.
Speaker 6: Yes, it's not every day we have meat for feasts.
Speaker 6: I can smell the aroma from here. I will go
Speaker 6: and see that final preparations are underway and meet you soon.
Speaker 2: That sounds fine.
Speaker 1: Aaron hurried off to do what he said, but Moses
Speaker 1: lingered until it was just he and his father in
Speaker 1: law in the clearing where Moses judged the people.
Speaker 3: Father, do you have more you'd share? It's not like
Speaker 3: you to have so little to say, my.
Speaker 2: Son, what is this thing you are doing for these people?
Speaker 3: What do you mean I'm judging the people?
Speaker 2: Yes, but why do you sit alone?
Speaker 3: What do you mean? Aaron stands beside me, and so
Speaker 3: do Miriam and the other leaders.
Speaker 2: But they are just standing around you from morning until evening.
Speaker 2: Are they not wise or are they not capable leaders? Oh?
Speaker 2: They are.
Speaker 3: But I judge the people because they come to me
Speaker 3: to inquire about the will of our God. I teach
Speaker 3: them our God's statutes and laws.
Speaker 2: And you're inner circle of elders. Do they not know
Speaker 2: your God's laws?
Speaker 3: They do, But they did not hear from our God
Speaker 3: as I do. This is the way it's been since
Speaker 3: I entered Egypt, as my God instructed me to do.
Speaker 2: And when those two women came to you disputing over
Speaker 2: who got to keep their mother's clay pots, did the
Speaker 2: Lord speak to you about that? Did he shout to
Speaker 2: you from the heavens? And say osus, it is the
Speaker 2: oldest sister who gets the pots lost, says the Lord.
Speaker 3: No. No, the more trivial matters I leave to common sense.
Speaker 2: Ah, I see, you're the only man here who knows
Speaker 2: the law of the Lord, and, as it so happens,
Speaker 2: the only man with any common sense.
Speaker 3: Oh that's not true at all. There are plenty of
Speaker 3: wise and godly men under me.
Speaker 2: Then use them.
Speaker 3: What do you mean.
Speaker 2: What you're doing is not good? You will certainly wear
Speaker 2: out both yourself and the people who are with you,
Speaker 2: because the task is too heavy for you cannot do
Speaker 2: it alone.
Speaker 1: Moses was struck by his father in law's words delegating
Speaker 1: his responsibilities had not crossed his mind. His God had
Speaker 1: appeared to him and given him the task of leading
Speaker 1: his people. Sure, he had given him Aaron and Miriam
Speaker 1: to assist him, and he leaned on them when he could,
Speaker 1: But the bulk of leadership fell on his shoulders, as
Speaker 1: was right, So he thought, my.
Speaker 2: Boy, you are tired. I can see it in your
Speaker 2: eyes and hear it in your voice, and the people
Speaker 2: who notice reflect on the state of your soul. You
Speaker 2: should not be overseeing these trivial matters. You have been
Speaker 2: appointed to a great mantle, but you cheapen the honor
Speaker 2: of the position when you burn yourself out, as you've
Speaker 2: been doing. Not long this at the courts of the Egyptians,
Speaker 2: did you not sit in court and see the pharaoh
Speaker 2: and regent rulers administer their laws and justice.
Speaker 3: Pharaoh had judges and ascribal class to verify the laws
Speaker 3: of the court. I thought that I was not to
Speaker 3: mimic the ways of aigan cord. I see now how
Speaker 3: oppressive the Egyptians were. The Israelites are called to be different, circumcised,
Speaker 3: set apart. We are ruled by the one True God.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, my son, it's true. What you say has merrit.
Speaker 2: But let me ask you this. Cannot two things be
Speaker 2: true at once? Could it not be? Your God's laws
Speaker 2: are holy, and at the same time you are but
Speaker 2: one man with just two hands and one head. Listen, listen,
Speaker 2: I would give you a little advice free of charge.
Speaker 2: Mind you, I know I am an old man, but
Speaker 2: I know a few things. You must be the one
Speaker 2: to represent the people before God, just as you've been doing.
Speaker 2: Bring their cases to him, argue for them, cry out
Speaker 2: for them. Yes, that much must stay. It is your
Speaker 2: job you're calling. You know your thing, and teach demoses.
Speaker 2: Teach them the laws, the statutes, the ways to live,
Speaker 2: and the things they must do. But why not share
Speaker 2: a little bit of the work. Is it such a
Speaker 2: crime to get a little help. Here's the idea. Choose
Speaker 2: some men, not just any men, but God fearing men,
Speaker 2: men who cannot be bribed with a sack of coins
Speaker 2: or a good meal, you understand. Appoint them moses, just
Speaker 2: like you would officers in your army over groups of
Speaker 2: thousands and hundreds and fifties and even the tens. Make
Speaker 2: them the judge for the smaller things. You know, the
Speaker 2: neighbors gotate my turnips, or the boundary line between my
Speaker 2: field and his barn. You know, the usual complaints. Let
Speaker 2: them handle these things so you're not up all night
Speaker 2: hearing about chickens and fences. Moses. The big cases, the
Speaker 2: real big ones, they can still be brought to you.
Speaker 2: Let those come to you. But the little things, Moses,
Speaker 2: let them sort it out. We sway, my boy. You
Speaker 2: lighten the load, and they carry it with you. After all,
Speaker 2: you're not a donkey. And if God agrees with this plan,
Speaker 2: and you know better than I how he feels about
Speaker 2: these things, you'll live to see another day. You'll have
Speaker 2: strength for the long haul. And these people, these people
Speaker 2: will go home satisfy. Moses. Imagine that happy people, not
Speaker 2: bad day, Moses, not bad.
Speaker 1: Relief flooded Moses' body as he took in the wisdom
Speaker 1: of his father in law's words. He knew them to
Speaker 1: be true and wise. Moses had taken on too much,
Speaker 1: not honoring the position his God had called him to.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Father, I will take your advice and appoint
Speaker 3: judges as you've said.
Speaker 1: Jethrow beamed at Moses and clapped him on the shoulder,
Speaker 1: drawing him to his side in a paternal embrace.
Speaker 2: My son, you have done well and have been obedient
Speaker 2: to what your God has asked of you. You will
Speaker 2: find your way through this and lead your people for
Speaker 2: many years to come. I am sure of it. Now.
Speaker 2: I smell some goat stew let's eat.
Speaker 5: Listening to the story of Moses and Jethro, I am
Speaker 5: struck by the profound simplicity of wisdom shared in the wilderness.
Speaker 5: Jethro's insight in outsiders perspective remind me that God's guidance
Speaker 5: can come from unexpected places. It fills me with awe
Speaker 5: to see how Moses, the Great Prophet humbled him to
Speaker 5: his father in law to listen and to learn, and
Speaker 5: we find Moses worn and weary, but receptive to counsel.
Speaker 5: This is both humbling and inspiring to see Moses the
Speaker 5: Great Prophet humbling himself to listen and to learn.
Speaker 3: This story really.
Speaker 5: Challenges me to seek balance and wisdom, no matter what
Speaker 5: the sources, and this Bible story is more than in
Speaker 5: ancient account. It's a timeless lesson in humility and leadership
Speaker 5: and the unexpected ways in which God speaks to us
Speaker 5: even today. I want to share with you a common
Speaker 5: Jewish expression, one that weaves itself into the fabric of
Speaker 5: our daily lives. When we greet each other, we say shalom.
Speaker 5: It's a word that means peace. It's a word that
Speaker 5: you might recognize a gentle reminder of our shared humanity.
Speaker 5: But it doesn't stop there after shalom, which means hello
Speaker 5: and goodbye and peace. It has all three of those meanings.
Speaker 5: But after we greet someone with shalom, we always inquire
Speaker 5: and teach other's well being, and the response, regardless of circumstance,
Speaker 5: is always the same. When someone says shalom to us,
Speaker 5: we answer with barrow hushn and bar rashm means bless
Speaker 5: the Lord. When we talk about God, we don't want
Speaker 5: to use his name in vain. We only want to
Speaker 5: use his real name in prayer. So when we say
Speaker 5: thank God, we say barro Rushem, which means blessed is
Speaker 5: his name. When we answer the greeting of shalom with
Speaker 5: barrow Rushem, we're saying that no matter what happens in
Speaker 5: our lives. The first priority is to bless and to
Speaker 5: honor God's name. It's a declaration of faith and remind
Speaker 5: her that our lives are meant to reflect God's glory.
Speaker 5: This practice has ancient roots right here in the Bible
Speaker 5: story that we're studying. The first person to utter barr Rushem,
Speaker 5: blessed is the Lord was not an Israelite. It wasn't
Speaker 5: even one of the Chosen people. It was actually a
Speaker 5: Midyan Nite. It was Jethro, Moses's father in law. After
Speaker 5: hearing about the Exodus. Jethro exclaims, bless the Lord, recognizing
Speaker 5: God's mighty acts on behalf of Israel. Although many English versions,
Speaker 5: Although many English versions of the Bible translate bahruch as
Speaker 5: praise in Hebrew, it actually means bless and just as
Speaker 5: in verse ten, when we say Bahu Rashem, bless the Lord,
Speaker 5: we are proclaiming that God's name should grow in recognition
Speaker 5: and reverence among all people in all situations, no matter
Speaker 5: how you're doing. When someone says how are you, you
Speaker 5: could answer Barhushem, blessed is God. How fitting that Jethro
Speaker 5: the first non Jew to acknowledge God's love for Israel
Speaker 5: was the first to declare these words. Borrow Hushem, bless
Speaker 5: the Lord, Blessed be his name, a timeless call for
Speaker 5: God's name to be magnified in every corner of the world.
Speaker 5: I want to end this story at the beginning, as
Speaker 5: we've learned. Exodus eighteen begins by telling us that Jethro,
Speaker 5: Moses's father in law, had heard all about the miracles
Speaker 5: that God had done for the Chosen People. But how
Speaker 5: did Jethro hear about it? Jewish tradition says that Jethro
Speaker 5: specifically heard about the miracle of the splitting of the
Speaker 5: Red Sea and the Israelites victory over the tribe of Amalik,
Speaker 5: who attacked them without reason or provocation. But we still
Speaker 5: have to wonder where and how did he hear about it.
Speaker 5: If the Bible is specifically telling us that he heard
Speaker 5: about it, we have to inquire more. Will the sages
Speaker 5: take note of the two different reactions shown by Jethro
Speaker 5: and Amalik. Amalik, despite the miracles God did for the
Speaker 5: Chosen People, was filled with baseless hatred for the Israelites,
Speaker 5: and they remained committed to destroying the Israelites. But Jethro,
Speaker 5: on the other hand, heard about the miracles and was
Speaker 5: deeply moved and inspired. Jethro wanted very much to become
Speaker 5: part of the Chosen People, to be close to God.
Speaker 5: I look at this story and it's so similar to
Speaker 5: what's happening in our world today. There are so many
Speaker 5: people around the world who look at what's happening with
Speaker 5: the Jewish people and with Israel, and their reaction is
Speaker 5: commitment to destruction, wanting to just wipe out the Jewish people,
Speaker 5: to destroy Israel. But then there are so many people
Speaker 5: like Jethro, are millions of Christian friends around the world
Speaker 5: who love Israel, who pray for Israel, who stand with Israel,
Speaker 5: and they continue to see God's hand in the story
Speaker 5: of Israel even today. As you know and Genesis twelve three,
Speaker 5: God made a promise. He promised to bless those who
Speaker 5: bless Israel. And just as in the last episode we
Speaker 5: saw God's promised wipe about Amelik, this is a promise
Speaker 5: that we believe God will keep forever. Ultimately, the good
Speaker 5: will rise and the evil will be destroyed. Everyone makes
Speaker 5: a choice, but the right choice, and the godly choice,
Speaker 5: is to be on the right side of biblical history
Speaker 5: and to be blessed forever. Just as Genesis twelve three promises.
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with the Isle
Speaker 1: Eckstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey
Speaker 1: dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only
Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabaga and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: our bir Erto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
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