WEBVTT - Jethro's Advice 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.320 Previously on the Chosen People. 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:07.920 I am Jethro, high Priest of Midian, and the father 0:00:08.080 --> 0:00:11.680 of the lovely young ladies you saved. I am in 0:00:11.760 --> 0:00:16.160 your debt, my friend. As a Midian night, I always 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:18.120 pay my debts tenfold. 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:19.480 I am Moses. 0:00:20.239 --> 0:00:24.040 You are welcome to remain here with us, Moses, perhaps 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:25.919 we can show you who you are. 0:00:27.960 --> 0:00:31.120 The firelight danced in her eyes, and for a moment 0:00:31.560 --> 0:00:35.240 Moses felt his heart skip a beat. She was more 0:00:35.280 --> 0:00:38.960 than just her looks. There was a sharpness in her gaze. 0:00:39.400 --> 0:00:40.160 I'm Moses. 0:00:40.760 --> 0:00:43.560 I'm Zupporah, the daughter of the high priest Midian. 0:00:45.880 --> 0:00:51.360 As Jethro had foreseen, Moses married Zipporah. They were wed 0:00:51.520 --> 0:00:55.240 under the stars, beside the flames, just as they had 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:59.400 danced that first night. There was a simplicity to it, 0:01:00.120 --> 0:01:04.640 purity that felt truer than all the grand ceremonies of thebes. 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.800 The Lord required everything from Moses. He was about to 0:01:09.880 --> 0:01:14.120 ask the entire nation of Israel to uproot themselves, give 0:01:14.240 --> 0:01:18.520 up their lives, and follow him into the unknown. If 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:21.800 he was going to require this sacrifice from the people, 0:01:22.360 --> 0:01:24.120 Moses had to follow suit. 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:31.240 He requires everything. I must give up everything, return with 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:35.440 our sons to Midian, I must continue this journey alone. 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:38.920 After all this, you're sending us away. 0:01:40.480 --> 0:01:44.319 The crowd pressed in closer to him. Aaron, Miriam and 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.840 her rushed to his side, ready for whatever madness would 0:01:47.880 --> 0:01:48.440 come next. 0:01:48.800 --> 0:01:50.800 Why do you quarrel with me as if I'm the 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:51.920 one withholding from you? 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:53.840 Because this is your fault. 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.360 We're gonna die out here because of you. You're not 0:01:57.440 --> 0:02:03.040 in your right minds. Why Lord even further, having got 0:02:03.120 --> 0:02:05.080 provided everything you've needed. 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:15.120 Teach them his decrees and instructions and show them the 0:02:15.160 --> 0:02:18.679 way they are to live. Shallow, my friends from here 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:21.160 in the Holy Land, I'm ya l Extein with the 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:25.919 International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People. 0:02:26.639 --> 0:02:30.400 Picture our ancestors. Recently freed from the bonds of slavery, 0:02:30.480 --> 0:02:35.239 they find themselves wandering, not yet settled. Moses, our leader, 0:02:35.280 --> 0:02:38.440 our shepherd, is weary from the weight of guiding our people. 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:42.680 As the Chosen People approach the Mountain of God, Jethro, 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:47.040 Moses's father in law, a Midyan Nite priest, comes to visit. 0:02:47.680 --> 0:02:51.160 What wisdom will he bring? What counsel can he offer 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:54.640 to a prophet who speaks directly to God. 0:02:58.440 --> 0:03:02.880 The sun's harsh rays were quelled under the scattered shade 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:07.320 of Jethro's tent. The nomadic people of Medium were settled 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:11.560 in the valley not far from Sinai. Jethro, the high 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:15.359 priest of Median and father in law of Moses, reclined 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:20.080 with a weary traveler. Jethro considered meeting travelers one of 0:03:20.160 --> 0:03:27.240 life's simplest joys. They came with stories of far off lands, kings, warlords, 0:03:27.560 --> 0:03:28.280 and gods. 0:03:28.680 --> 0:03:31.600 So tell me, my son, now that we've shared water 0:03:31.680 --> 0:03:34.520 and bread, do you have any tales from the West. 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:40.520 I've heard many strange stories in my travels, his stories 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:44.040 that seem impossible to those I have told. 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:48.960 Oh is that so? Is it a story from the 0:03:49.000 --> 0:03:51.360 nomads or from the great cities? 0:03:52.560 --> 0:03:55.800 There have been tales of great battles in the desert 0:03:57.240 --> 0:04:01.920 and a mighty exodus of an entire enslaved nation out 0:04:01.960 --> 0:04:02.520 of Egypt. 0:04:02.920 --> 0:04:08.480 The Israelites, Hey, you know them, They've escaped from the 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:12.880 grip of Pharaoh. You don't say did they flee or 0:04:12.920 --> 0:04:16.160 a volte or were they freed simply by the goodwill 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:20.000 of Pharaoh? That last one would be a tale from 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:24.000 the ages, now, weren't it. 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:29.160 It's hard to say. These stories do not agree. One 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:34.560 thing is for sure. Pharaoh didn't want them gone. He 0:04:34.720 --> 0:04:40.040 pursued the Israelites but over six hundred chariots, but they 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:43.640 successfully evaded him. 0:04:44.080 --> 0:04:49.120 They escaped Pharaoh's army and chariots. That's what the stories say. 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:53.760 You mean to tell me a largely unarmed mass of 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:58.240 slaves outwitted the Egyptians. Some say it was. 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:04.080 Between the God of Israel and the gods of Egypt. 0:05:05.360 --> 0:05:06.200 What do you mean. 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:12.440 The Egyptians were afflicted with terrible plagues, the denial turned 0:05:12.440 --> 0:05:17.600 to blood, all manner of pests, came boils in sickness, 0:05:18.080 --> 0:05:21.359 hail from the sky, and famine in the land, and 0:05:21.480 --> 0:05:28.960 even death. But the Israelite slaves were spared. That's why 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.920 people say it must have been their god. 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:37.000 Jethro pondered what he was hearing the timing of moses 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:42.640 departure and this mass exodus seemed too coincidental. Her curiosity 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.160 overcame him. 0:05:43.800 --> 0:05:47.920 And who led these Israelites. Surely there was someone at 0:05:47.960 --> 0:05:51.919 the helm to shepherd them, one of their own. 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:56.039 They say he is a mighty prophet and speaks to 0:05:56.120 --> 0:06:00.839 the God of Israel himself and his name. The man's 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:02.720 name is Moses. 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:07.680 A sly smile curled on the edges of Jethro's face. 0:06:08.360 --> 0:06:12.880 He stroked his beard and chuckled. Moses, his son in law, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:17.800 is a liberator of an entire enslaved nation. It would 0:06:17.800 --> 0:06:21.240 appear he was embraced at last by his native people. 0:06:22.240 --> 0:06:26.200 He let the man continue to weave his tail. That night, 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:30.080 Jethro invited the others to hear him talk about Moses, 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:34.240 the god slayer and liberator of Israel. Sitting by the 0:06:34.279 --> 0:06:39.200 fire listening to the man waxing tales of Moses was Zipporah, 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:45.160 Gersham and Eliezza. Jethro glanced at his daughter and grandsons 0:06:45.279 --> 0:06:49.479 several seats away. He would need to question Zipporah later. 0:06:50.320 --> 0:06:52.960 She had been sent back with her sons before her 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:56.680 husband entered Egypt, and rarely spoke of what occurred on 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:02.040 that mysterious brief sojourn. The last time Jethro saw Moses, 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:06.360 he had asked permission to go see his relatives. Moses 0:07:06.440 --> 0:07:10.400 had long struggled with his identity. It was rarely something 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:14.720 he spoke aloud. But Jethro was an astute man. He 0:07:14.840 --> 0:07:17.320 knew his son in law had grown up apart from 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:20.960 his native people in the house of his enemy. But 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:24.200 they were an enemy who raised him, and, what was more, 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:28.680 raised him as one of them. He knew. The disparity 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:32.120 of his privileged upbringing contrasted with the plight of his 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:36.600 people was a silent torment, he felt. But it sounded 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:40.160 as though Moses found his identity at last to be 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:45.880 Israel's leader and savior. It was truly remarkable. As a 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:49.080 priest of Median, Jethro wondered at the god who had 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:53.240 rallied around Moses and the Israelites. What had the Israelites 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:57.280 done to gain such favor? Their God must have truly 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:01.840 been mighty to vanquish the gods of Egypt, Jethro smiled 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:05.320 to himself. Perhaps his son in law had followed in 0:08:05.400 --> 0:08:09.080 his footsteps and become a priest himself. The God of 0:08:09.120 --> 0:08:15.720 his people had certainly accepted him as such. After the 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:20.080 group meal concluded and everyone began to disperse for their tents, 0:08:20.680 --> 0:08:23.880 Jethro caught his daughter and held her back for a 0:08:23.920 --> 0:08:25.760 long overdue conversation. 0:08:26.280 --> 0:08:29.560 My daughter, I am curious to hear what you make 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:31.480 of this news out of Egypt. 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.640 I am as surprised as you, father, although maybe I 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:38.000 shouldn't be. Moses gave me hints about what his God 0:08:38.040 --> 0:08:40.920 had called him to do. He sent us back long 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:42.559 before he crossed into their lands. 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:45.840 I did not press you when you came back from 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:49.520 Gersham and Eliezer. I could tell the journey was very 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:52.439 hard on you, and you did not wish to disclose 0:08:52.480 --> 0:08:56.360 what happened. Will you tell me what happened? What was 0:08:56.440 --> 0:08:59.920 Moses's true purpose in going to the land of his upbringing? 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:05.240 His true purpose? I'm not sure I could tell you that, 0:09:05.840 --> 0:09:08.920 but I know my husband had a profound encounter with 0:09:09.000 --> 0:09:14.559 his God. It changed him. I've never seen anything like it. 0:09:15.800 --> 0:09:17.840 I have seen you and the other priests of our 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:22.440 people intercede and preside all my life. But this, this 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:28.640 was nothing like that. This God didn't speak through omens 0:09:28.720 --> 0:09:33.199 or constellations. It was as if he was speaking directly 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:35.360 to Moses, as one would with a friend. 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:40.080 Your husband seems to have become a great prophet and 0:09:40.200 --> 0:09:44.720 leader overnight. But tell me, dear support, what happened out 0:09:44.720 --> 0:09:47.360 there in the desert. Why did he send you back 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:47.640 to me? 0:09:48.520 --> 0:09:53.240 His God became angry with me. He was upset that 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:57.200 our son was not circumcised like the firstborn. I can't 0:09:57.360 --> 0:10:00.280 explain how I knew what his God wanted eat, but 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:04.400 I knew it was the only way to save Moses. 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:08.960 I remembered what he told me of the significance of 0:10:09.000 --> 0:10:14.200 the right for his people. I completed the task, and 0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:21.120 miraculously Moses was healed. I've never seen anything like it, 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:26.240 but I was terrified. I thought I was going to 0:10:26.280 --> 0:10:29.559 lose him. 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:33.720 Perhaps this was an act of obedience his God needed 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:36.880 to see before he was prepared enough to enter Egypt. 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:46.400 It was barbaric. I had to cut my son. But 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:49.800 I suppose this God had a mission and a vision 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:50.520 in mind. 0:10:51.320 --> 0:10:53.840 But now that Moses has done what he sought out 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:57.800 to do, perhaps it is time I return you to him, 0:10:57.880 --> 0:10:59.880 and I would like to hear more of his encounter 0:11:00.040 --> 0:11:03.120 with God from him directly. Perhaps I can help him 0:11:03.120 --> 0:11:06.160 so he doesn't find himself in the same precarious situation 0:11:06.520 --> 0:11:09.440 he found himself out in the desert. He is very 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:13.360 fortunate his God guided you to assist him. We should 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:16.040 not deny Moses the support he needs as a prophet 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:16.640 and leader. 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.760 How will we find them? 0:11:19.760 --> 0:11:23.080 Millions of former slaves are following a god who seems 0:11:23.120 --> 0:11:26.080 to speak through pillars of fire and falling food from 0:11:26.080 --> 0:11:29.520 the sky. Do you really think it will be that 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:34.960 hard to find them? 0:11:35.000 --> 0:11:38.440 Lord Moses, with all due respect, how can you possibly 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:41.400 rule against me? I have been nothing but honest, and 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.920 everyone here knows the same thing cannot be said of 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:46.040 the tribe of God. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:50.080 Moses side. As the crowd gathered to watch his judgment 0:11:50.160 --> 0:11:54.320 that day erupted into shouts of assent or dissent, he 0:11:54.360 --> 0:11:57.880 honestly couldn't tell at this point. What was clear, however, 0:11:58.280 --> 0:12:02.640 was their disappointment in him. These recent months in the desert, 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:07.200 ruling the Israelites, deciding their squabbles and sorting through their 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:12.200 political intrigue had only given him a great appreciation, ironically enough, 0:12:12.520 --> 0:12:16.280 for the rulers in Egypt. He remembered the long hours 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:20.440 he would spend watching his grandfather Setti training Rameses in 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:24.199 the ways of politics when they were both boys. Moses 0:12:24.360 --> 0:12:28.920 found himself constantly lost in which tribe had feuds with which, 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:32.720 and what oaths were made to whom. The tribes of 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:37.000 Israel were interconnected by heritage, yet distinct in their own ways. 0:12:37.679 --> 0:12:42.840 Moses didn't have the capacity to understand every nuanced tradition, treaty, 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:46.000 and family line. It made his work as a judge 0:12:46.040 --> 0:12:50.400 and ruler over them sloppy. Moses was lost in himself, 0:12:50.800 --> 0:12:55.120 growing more flustered by the moment. Aaron was seated beside him, 0:12:55.320 --> 0:12:59.280 clearing his throat to get Moses attention. The crowd's arguing 0:12:59.400 --> 0:12:59.959 was getting them. 0:13:00.960 --> 0:13:03.480 Perhaps we should leave this here for the day. I 0:13:03.559 --> 0:13:07.920 don't think we settled these meadows today. 0:13:08.240 --> 0:13:13.920 You're right, so be it, tribe of Basher, tribe of 0:13:14.000 --> 0:13:20.600 Gad silence. I should hear your arguments tomorrow. We're done 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:21.520 here for today. 0:13:22.160 --> 0:13:26.120 Moses proclamation was met with even more grumbling, but the 0:13:26.200 --> 0:13:31.240 crowd reluctantly departed. Moses decided to walk around the camp 0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:34.360 to clear his head and stretch his legs. After many 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:38.880 hours of sitting and hearing his people's complaints, their constant 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:42.640 grumbling sucked the life out of him. He felt spread 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:47.080 thin and weary. He wandered to the outskirts of camp 0:13:47.120 --> 0:13:51.079 and looked out at the desert. The sun's descending rays 0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:55.319 curled over the hills, casting long, dark shadows against the 0:13:55.440 --> 0:14:01.240 dusty expanse. Moses sighed, sat on a solid stone and 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:02.439 rubbed his temples. 0:14:03.160 --> 0:14:10.360 Oh oh, oh, my lord, how can I lead these people? 0:14:11.559 --> 0:14:14.600 I wasn't even raised among them. Ah, I don't know 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:15.320 what I'm doing. 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.960 That's when he saw a few figures approaching. He thought 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:23.360 nothing of them at first, until their faces began to 0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:27.880 take shape in the light. Moses' eyes widened with amazement. 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:31.320 He stood to his feet and inched forward. 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:32.520 It can't be. 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.880 Moses looked at his wife and children with a quivering 0:14:37.040 --> 0:14:42.120 jaw and watery eyes. His legs felt heavy. He wasn't 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:45.960 sure how to approach them, but when he saw Zipporah's 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:50.200 bright smile glisten in the sunlight, Moses knew he could 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:51.080 run to them. 0:14:51.360 --> 0:14:54.120 Zibro Moses. 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:58.880 The two ran to each other and embraced Their bodies 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:02.520 folded into each other, and each refused to let go 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:06.560 for a long while. Buried in each other's shoulders, they 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.360 said what they had been feeling all this time. 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:10.520 I missed you. 0:15:11.840 --> 0:15:13.480 I thought about you every day. 0:15:14.120 --> 0:15:18.760 Zipporah wiped tears away from moses eyes and smiled. She 0:15:18.840 --> 0:15:22.880 pressed her palms against his cheeks and leaned in earnestly. 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:30.040 I didn't understand before, but hearing what your God has 0:15:30.120 --> 0:15:35.120 done in seeing all these people, I understand. 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:42.960 Moses brought Zipporah in close. His boys joined in to him. 0:15:43.520 --> 0:15:47.240 They were home. They were a security and a comfort 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.280 he had been forced to leave behind when he took 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:54.080 up this new mantle. He then turned to Jethro, his 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:57.280 father in law, a man who was the only true 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:01.600 father he had ever known, and bowed for him. When 0:16:01.680 --> 0:16:06.360 Jethrow finally made him rise, Moses then kissed him a 0:16:06.360 --> 0:16:10.680 sign of friendship and familiarity, but paired with a bow. 0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:15.680 This was the ultimate sign of reverence and respect. When 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:18.720 he leaned back, he took in the astonishment on his 0:16:18.760 --> 0:16:22.880 father in law's face. Though Moses was now regarded as 0:16:22.920 --> 0:16:26.960 a pseudo king among his people, he still held Jethro 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.760 in the highest esteem. He greeted him as one with 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.400 a much higher social standing than his own. 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:38.480 You honor me, my son, Lord Moses, or should I 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:43.600 call you Priest Moses or King Moses or the great 0:16:44.080 --> 0:16:45.720 Sarah Slayer Moses. 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:55.120 To you, Jethrow, I am your son. I've missed you dearly. 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:59.160 Thank you for bringing my family to me and for 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:00.720 caring for them my absence. 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:04.720 Gersham is a good lad. He's been a very good 0:17:04.800 --> 0:17:08.600 help to me and your boy Eliezer. He's growing into 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:11.359 a fine man when he chooses to listen, that is. 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:18.440 But enough of this, I would like to learn more 0:17:18.480 --> 0:17:22.960 about your absence from you. I've heard many tales, but 0:17:23.040 --> 0:17:25.960 I would like to hear it directly from the camel's mouth. 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:30.199 And you should hear them. Please come come with me. 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.200 I'll have you watered and fed and well rested while 0:17:33.240 --> 0:17:34.159 you're under my tents. 0:17:35.080 --> 0:17:38.600 Moses gestured for his family to follow him within the tent. 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:42.240 When Zipporah and the boys were a few steps ahead, 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.280 Jethro held out a hand to slow Moses and asked 0:17:46.359 --> 0:17:48.040 him in a hushed voice. 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:52.080 But first, my son, tell me, really, how are you. 0:17:52.560 --> 0:17:57.800 There's no simple answer to that question. Father, the things 0:17:57.840 --> 0:18:02.840 I've seen, what I've been been asked to become, I 0:18:04.359 --> 0:18:08.480 hardly know where to start. I hardly know who I am. 0:18:11.040 --> 0:18:14.320 I seemed to recall you in a similar spiral of 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:17.840 uncertainty when I first met you. Come, let's see if 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:21.600 we can once again cure your existential dread and wondering. 0:18:22.080 --> 0:18:24.439 But first, I would very much like to rest his 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:25.159 old knees. 0:18:27.000 --> 0:18:30.879 Moses family was cared for and fed, and he told 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:33.520 them all that had happened from the time he entered 0:18:33.560 --> 0:18:37.639 Egypt to where they found him now, all the hardships, 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:41.720 all the signs and wonders. He spoke about, the reunion 0:18:41.800 --> 0:18:45.880 with his brother and sister, and even the mysterious encounter 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:50.000 with his God that began it all. After hours of speaking, 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:53.160 and long after his wife and sons had gone to sleep, 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.840 he found he finally arrived at the end of his tales, 0:18:57.520 --> 0:19:00.800 sharing all his God had done to deliver his people 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.879 from the hands of Pharaoh and how they were now 0:19:03.880 --> 0:19:05.440 to enter the promised land. 0:19:05.760 --> 0:19:08.479 Baru Kasham, that's how you would say it in your 0:19:08.560 --> 0:19:10.040 native Hebrew tongue. Correct. 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:14.240 Blessed be the name of my God. Yes, yes, that's 0:19:14.280 --> 0:19:15.000 exactly right. 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:19.600 Blessed be your God, who rescued you from the power 0:19:19.880 --> 0:19:23.880 of Egypt and from the power of Pharaoh. He has 0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.399 rescued the people from under the power of Egypt. And 0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:31.440 now know that your God is greater than all gods. 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:37.160 It is undeniable, is wonder? Shut up those pompous Egyptians. 0:19:38.280 --> 0:19:40.800 In all my years as a priest of the gods 0:19:40.800 --> 0:19:44.639 of Midian, I have never heard such miraculous signs of 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:46.560 true power and authority. 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:50.520 He would accept worship even from a Midianite. 0:19:49.880 --> 0:19:55.399 Priest, and that settles it. Tomorrow, at first light, I 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:59.879 would offer up a burnt offering and sacrifice to your God. 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:04.400 Moses beamed at his father in law and at his words. 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:09.840 The next morning, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, and the other 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:13.800 elders in their ranks gathered together and feasted after they 0:20:13.880 --> 0:20:20.080 worshiped their God. The euphoria and joy of Moses reuniting 0:20:20.119 --> 0:20:23.960 with his family was short lived. Eventually he had to 0:20:24.000 --> 0:20:27.919 return to his duties as judge. He sat before the 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:32.760 tribes of God and Asher, presiding over their dispute. Moses 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:35.200 head throbbed from annoyance and fatigue. 0:20:35.600 --> 0:20:40.200 As I told you yesterday, son of Asher, I will 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:43.359 stand by my ruling in favor of the tribe of God. 0:20:44.800 --> 0:20:49.600 You have presented your side twice now, but I remain unchanged. 0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:55.760 Our leader, Moses has spoken, go now in peace, my brothers. 0:20:55.880 --> 0:21:00.159 Aaron, are there any more today? Or was that the 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:01.480 last one? 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.240 That was the last of them? Thank you Erin. 0:21:05.760 --> 0:21:09.200 Moses rubbed his temples with both hands, but then turned 0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:12.640 to his father in law. Jethro had asked to attend 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:16.240 that day they had been hearing the people's complaints from 0:21:16.280 --> 0:21:20.760 morning to evening. Moses's stomach was growling and his headache 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:23.560 was pounding, but a relief to be finished for the 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:25.000 day flooded his body. 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:28.439 Well there you have it. It's a lot of the 0:21:28.440 --> 0:21:32.440 same story over and over again. Property lines being crossed, 0:21:32.560 --> 0:21:40.400 tensions between tribes, loans being extended, and such. Nothing too dramatic, thankfully. Indeed, 0:21:41.440 --> 0:21:44.639 we'll continue our feast in celebration of your arrival this evening. 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:45.920 Ah. 0:21:46.040 --> 0:21:48.920 Yes, it's not every day we have meat for feasts. 0:21:49.440 --> 0:21:52.679 I can smell the aroma from here. I will go 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:56.120 and see that final preparations are underway and meet you soon. 0:21:56.840 --> 0:21:58.199 That sounds fine. 0:21:58.640 --> 0:22:02.119 Aaron hurried off to do what he said, but Moses 0:22:02.280 --> 0:22:04.920 lingered until it was just he and his father in 0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:07.760 law in the clearing where Moses judged the people. 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:13.639 Father, do you have more you'd share? It's not like 0:22:13.720 --> 0:22:16.280 you to have so little to say, my. 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:20.159 Son, what is this thing you are doing for these people? 0:22:21.040 --> 0:22:23.919 What do you mean I'm judging the people? 0:22:24.440 --> 0:22:26.639 Yes, but why do you sit alone? 0:22:27.520 --> 0:22:30.919 What do you mean? Aaron stands beside me, and so 0:22:31.040 --> 0:22:32.479 do Miriam and the other leaders. 0:22:32.960 --> 0:22:37.640 But they are just standing around you from morning until evening. 0:22:38.160 --> 0:22:42.800 Are they not wise or are they not capable leaders? Oh? 0:22:42.840 --> 0:22:43.240 They are. 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:47.480 But I judge the people because they come to me 0:22:47.680 --> 0:22:51.160 to inquire about the will of our God. I teach 0:22:51.200 --> 0:22:53.199 them our God's statutes and laws. 0:22:53.760 --> 0:22:56.959 And you're inner circle of elders. Do they not know 0:22:57.080 --> 0:22:58.160 your God's laws? 0:22:59.080 --> 0:23:02.160 They do, But they did not hear from our God 0:23:02.760 --> 0:23:05.840 as I do. This is the way it's been since 0:23:05.880 --> 0:23:09.000 I entered Egypt, as my God instructed me to do. 0:23:09.760 --> 0:23:13.120 And when those two women came to you disputing over 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:16.359 who got to keep their mother's clay pots, did the 0:23:16.440 --> 0:23:19.840 Lord speak to you about that? Did he shout to 0:23:19.920 --> 0:23:23.640 you from the heavens? And say osus, it is the 0:23:23.680 --> 0:23:28.560 oldest sister who gets the pots lost, says the Lord. 0:23:34.720 --> 0:23:40.439 No. No, the more trivial matters I leave to common sense. 0:23:41.080 --> 0:23:44.440 Ah, I see, you're the only man here who knows 0:23:44.520 --> 0:23:47.200 the law of the Lord, and, as it so happens, 0:23:47.520 --> 0:23:49.919 the only man with any common sense. 0:23:50.760 --> 0:23:53.520 Oh that's not true at all. There are plenty of 0:23:53.840 --> 0:23:55.600 wise and godly men under me. 0:23:56.080 --> 0:23:57.560 Then use them. 0:23:58.240 --> 0:23:59.320 What do you mean. 0:24:00.600 --> 0:24:03.920 What you're doing is not good? You will certainly wear 0:24:04.000 --> 0:24:06.840 out both yourself and the people who are with you, 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:10.639 because the task is too heavy for you cannot do 0:24:10.720 --> 0:24:11.320 it alone. 0:24:12.040 --> 0:24:16.640 Moses was struck by his father in law's words delegating 0:24:16.680 --> 0:24:20.840 his responsibilities had not crossed his mind. His God had 0:24:20.880 --> 0:24:23.879 appeared to him and given him the task of leading 0:24:23.920 --> 0:24:27.800 his people. Sure, he had given him Aaron and Miriam 0:24:27.840 --> 0:24:30.680 to assist him, and he leaned on them when he could, 0:24:31.320 --> 0:24:35.200 But the bulk of leadership fell on his shoulders, as 0:24:35.359 --> 0:24:37.480 was right, So he thought, my. 0:24:37.640 --> 0:24:40.720 Boy, you are tired. I can see it in your 0:24:40.760 --> 0:24:43.800 eyes and hear it in your voice, and the people 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:48.159 who notice reflect on the state of your soul. You 0:24:48.240 --> 0:24:52.000 should not be overseeing these trivial matters. You have been 0:24:52.040 --> 0:24:55.840 appointed to a great mantle, but you cheapen the honor 0:24:55.880 --> 0:24:58.720 of the position when you burn yourself out, as you've 0:24:58.760 --> 0:25:02.320 been doing. Not long this at the courts of the Egyptians, 0:25:02.760 --> 0:25:05.320 did you not sit in court and see the pharaoh 0:25:05.359 --> 0:25:08.359 and regent rulers administer their laws and justice. 0:25:10.520 --> 0:25:14.200 Pharaoh had judges and ascribal class to verify the laws 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:17.080 of the court. I thought that I was not to 0:25:17.119 --> 0:25:21.120 mimic the ways of aigan cord. I see now how 0:25:21.160 --> 0:25:27.240 oppressive the Egyptians were. The Israelites are called to be different, circumcised, 0:25:27.359 --> 0:25:31.040 set apart. We are ruled by the one True God. 0:25:32.320 --> 0:25:36.520 Yes, yes, my son, it's true. What you say has merrit. 0:25:36.560 --> 0:25:40.359 But let me ask you this. Cannot two things be 0:25:40.520 --> 0:25:44.360 true at once? Could it not be? Your God's laws 0:25:44.400 --> 0:25:46.960 are holy, and at the same time you are but 0:25:47.200 --> 0:25:51.399 one man with just two hands and one head. Listen, listen, 0:25:51.400 --> 0:25:54.439 I would give you a little advice free of charge. 0:25:54.520 --> 0:25:57.040 Mind you, I know I am an old man, but 0:25:57.160 --> 0:26:01.400 I know a few things. You must be the one 0:26:01.520 --> 0:26:04.879 to represent the people before God, just as you've been doing. 0:26:05.359 --> 0:26:09.080