Jethro’s confession “know I know” in Exodus 18:11 is standard Exodus language (see 6:7; 7:5; 8:10; 9:29). Although neither the Egyptians nor the Amalekites get it, Jethro, the Midianite, has learned the lesson of the Exodus: “The LORD is greater than all other gods.” –Peter Enns

And so, Lord, may we and scores of our neighbors—for your glory.

Exodus contains the history of Israel’s escape from Egypt. It moves from
slavery under Pharaoh to the wanderings of the wilderness, the giving of
God’s law, and the building of his holy tabernacle. The exodus is also the
story of the Christian life. There is a spiritual connection between the salvation
of Israel and salvation in Jesus Christ. After a long bondage to sin, God
has brought us through the deep waters of death. We have been saved by
grace through faith in the greater exodus: the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.

That was only the beginning of our spiritual pilgrimage, however. Now
we are traveling through the wilderness, learning many of the same lessons
that Israel learned. We are learning to sing praise to God, just as Israel sang
the Song of Moses by the sea. Like Israel, we are trusting God to provide
bread from Heaven and the water of life. Like Moses, we are lifting our hands
up to God’s throne, waging war against Satan through prayer.
The next spiritual lesson comes in the reunion of Moses and Jethro.

Whereas the end of chapter 17 was about the necessity of prayer, the beginning
of chapter 18 is about the duty of evangelism. We are called to bear
witness to God’s saving power.

–Phil Ryken

This Lord’s Day we’re scheduled to look into the first twelve verses of chapter 18. Pat Blews will be reading God’s holy word to us. Alec Motyer writes, “Exodus 18 consists of two balanced statements involving Moses and Jethro. The first has Moses speaking to Jethro as its centerpiece. The second has Jethro speaking to Moses as its centerpiece. The whole chapter is bracketed by the arrival and departure of Jethro.”