Above: Jethro’s Visit, by Gerard Jollain
Image in the Public Domain
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The Collect:
Eternal God, you draw near to us in Christ, and you make yourself our guest.
Amid the cares of our lives, make us attentive to your presence,
that we may treasure your word above all else,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 43
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 18:1-12
Psalm 119:97-104
Colossians 1:27-2:7
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From your precepts I learn wisdom,
so I hate all deceptive ways.
–Psalm 119:104, The New Jerusalem Bible (1985)
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The liberation of the Israelites from Egypt had occurred in Exodus 14. (The departure of Abram and Sarai from Egypt in Genesis 12 had foreshadowed that event.) In Exodus 18 Moses reunited with his father-in-law (Jethro), and his wife (Zipporah), his two sons (Gershom and Eliezer), who left Midian to meet him. Jethro acknowledged the superiority of YHWH to other deities. He did not, however, become a monotheist.
This was not unusual. As the notes in The Jewish Study Bible–Second Edition (2014) inform me,
The Torah does not expect Gentiles to become monotheists (see Deut. 4.19), only to recognize the LORD’s superiority when he asserts it, as in the case of Egypt. The idea of universal monotheism first appears in the later classical prophets (Jer. 16.19-20; Zech. 14.9). Neither the prophets nor Jewish tradition call for Gentiles, even monotheistic ones, to convert to Judaism, though later Jewish tradition–characteristically reading the Bible through the prism of the prophets–believed that Jethro did abandon idolatry (Exod. Rab. 1.32) and, going even further, became a Jew (Tg. Ps.-J. Exod. 18.6, 27; Tanh. Buber Yitro, 5).
–Page 135
St. Paul the Apostle, himself a Jew, expected that Gentile converts to Christianity (A) need not become Jews first, and (B) renounce any allegiances to deities other than God (YHWH). He recognized no compatibility of Christianity (then a small and young Jewish sect) and idolatry.
Psalm 119 speaks of the Law of Moses, something which did not exist at the time of Exodus 18. (The Law of Moses began Chapter 20.) Nevertheless, the timeless principles of the Law of Moses existed prior to that code. Among these principles was acknowledging the greatness of YHWH then acting accordingly, that is, humbly before God. That is possible via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 16, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ADALBALD OF OSTEVANT, RICTRUDIS OF MARCHIENNES, AND THEIR RELATIONS
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ABRAHAM KIDUNAIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT, AND MARY OF EDESSA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS
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Adapted from this post:
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This is post #1500 of BLOGA THEOLOGICA.
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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