SEASONS - ELUL 2016

PREPARING FOR THE UPCOMING FALL HOLY DAYS

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

God''s Fall Holy Days are coming up! 

We are in the last month of the Hebraic calendar, the month of Elul.  

It is a time to prepare.

Do you know about these Holy Days of God that happen every Fall?

The word translated "festival" in Hebrew is "hag" or "moed" and it means "set times", or "appointed times."  These are times of sacred assemblies.  In the Hebrew language the words "sacred assembly" means "rehearsal" or "recital."  During these fall days that is exactly what we are doing; we are rehearsing the things to come and celebrating God's overall plans for mankind.  It is sort of like the time leading up to a wedding when you begin to remember the important things that have happened through your life in the past, but you are also looking forward to something even more special in the future. 

Thirty days before Rosh Hashanah comes Elul, a time which helps us to remember to be prepared and get ready. 

Elul  is a time of Teshuvah, or a time to repent, examine your life, restore your relationships both toward God and your fellow man.  You need to use this time to have those long talks with your Bridegroom from Heaven because the future of eternity lies before you.  Why?  Because the Messiah is going to return!  We must be ready for the wedding feast!  He has told us to be watching and waiting and preparing. 

Teshuvah, during the days of Elul, is a reminder, almost like one of the "save the date" invitations you get long before a wedding date comes.   The shofar is blown to remind us to awaken to the season and repent and look up with anticipation.  Ezekiel 33:3 warns those who are not ready and are not paying attention. 

And he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head.  He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself.  But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life.…(Ezekiel 33:3-5)

In other words; it is up to you to get ready!  Your life in eternity depends upon what you do NOW.

We get ready in Elul by listening until we hear the sound of the shofar.  The shofar is a warning signal that reminds us to come before God and repent of our sins.  We are reminded by the shofar sounding again during Rosh Hashanah and the 10 days of Awe.  Everything leads up to Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, The Day of Atonement. 

Without atonement, there is no hope for God's people.  

It is the most important day of all the sacred days.  

By the atoning blood of Christ our God shows mercy by blotting all of our sins out of His book of remembrance.  If you repent and turn from your sins, the blood of Christ is applied and the sins are blotted out forever.  If you do not, you go into another year of life with sin on your record.  The blood was given and the holy sacrifice was made once for all, past present and future; but every year when God searches His books and lays out His plans for the upcoming year, the atonement must be applied for new sins.  

Salvation is forever.  If you are saved you will have God's Holy Spirit living within you and you will always seek forgiveness for sins.  You do this because if you are saved, God's Holy Spirit lives and works within you.  Salvation is a wonderful, perfect gift!  But, it is only the beginning of the Christian life;  not the end.  Salvation leads us down the path to holiness.  Holiness opens our hearts to seek the ways of God that are good and true and right.  

Salvation brings peace.  

Holiness brings joy.

As long as we are living in earthly bodies, even after we receive salvation, we are all still human.  We all keep sinning despite our best efforts, we all fall short.  God knew this would happen.  He provided a way for sinners who sin after the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus has been applied and made them whole and completely clean.  This way is called atonement.  The sacrifice provides salvation, the atonement brings sanctification.  Both are a gift of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

It is comparable to a traveler who has bathed and is walking along a dusty road to attend a special event.  When he arrives he does not need to bath again, for he is clean, but he has picked up the dust of the road along the way, so he must wash his feet again before entering the special event.  

So many struggle with this concept saying "once saved always saved."  I just carry that concept a little further saying, "Once saved, always in need of confession."  In the end we all DO stay saved because we are clean because of the sacrificial blood of Christ; but we must do our part to grow in God.  We must continue to allow God to transform us and we must realize that we are all still sinners in need of God's forgiveness, even after we have become believers and step into the path that leads to The Kingdom.  There is always more transformation going on until we meet God face to face.  

This is the holy process that prepares the Bride for the Groom.  

This is the path of the wise virgin who keeps oil in her lamp until she sees the groom coming.  

This is how God helps us each year in the Day of Atonement.  He saves us from our humanity and applies His grace that refines us and makes us more like Him.  

If someone reaches the state of thinking that they do not need atonement anymore, they are simply living in a sin called "self-righteousness."  

So here we go into the beautiful Fall Holy Days of God:

Leviticus 23:2 says: Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.’

God goes on in this passage to name seven feasts and/or festival days that He desires to be kept.  Four of these special times are in the spring and summer; those four are Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost.  The other three days come in the Fall.  For 2016 the Hebraic month of Elul begins on our civil calendar on the date of September 4, 2016.  Whenever we begin the Hebraic month of Elul we can be sure to note that the Fall Holy Days of God are fast approaching. 

Here are some of the scriptures that proclaim how we should keep these Fall Feast Days of God:  Keep in mind that these times are calculated by the phases of the moon, unlike the calendar commonly used today, which calculates time by the phases of the sun. The days of the Hebraic way all start at sunset and end at sunset.  Because they are calculated by the phases of the moon, they do not always fall on the same calendar day each year.  This year, 2016, the days come in September and October.

ROSH HASHANAH/FEAST OF TRUMPETS: In 2016 this festival lasts from sunset Sunday, October 2nd through sunset Tuesday, October 4th.

Leviticus 23:24:  "Say to the Israelites: 'On the first day of the seventh month (the first month if your are reading the sacred calendar) you are to have a day of Sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.

(God, in these scriptures, was laying out the pattern for celebrating Rosh Hashanah, The Feast of Trumpets.)

YOM KIPPUR/DAY OF ATONEMENT:  observed in 2016 from sunset Tuesday, October 11th to sunset Wednesday, October 12th,   This is a fast day, not a feast day:

Leviticus 23:26-28:  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month (it is the seventh month of the civil Hebraic calendar and the first month of the sacred Hebraic calendar) is the Day of Atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.  Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God.

(In these scriptures God has laid out the pattern for observing Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement.  This day isn't a feast day or a festival;  it is actually a fast day that God has commanded to be observed.  It is a day to be spent in fasting before The Lord.  It is a day for Christians to remember the most important sacrifice ever made for mankind, the life of Jesus Christ.  It is the day for repentance and remembering that his blood is offered up as atonement for our sins, a very serious and sacred day; a most holy day to be observed forever by all believers.)

SUKKOT/FEAST OF TABERNACLES: In 2016 this festival is celebrated from sunset Sunday, October 16th through sunset Sunday, October 23rd, with the Great Last Day (the eighth day) being on Monday, October 24th.  

Leviticus 23:33-37:  Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month (the seventh civil month and the first sacred month) is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD.  On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind.  For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall do no laborious work.  For seven days present food offerings to the LORD, and on the eighth day hold a sacred assembly and present a food offering to the LORD.  It is the closing special assembly; do no regular work. 

Here God is telling us to celebrate Sukkot - The Feast of Tabernacles, a joyful time of celebrating what the world will be like when Christ reins as King of Kings and Lord of Lord's forever.   Many Jewish people do not celebrate these days unless they are in Israel because they now have no temple.  Christians know that our bodies are now the dwelling for God's temple.  We can celebrate the feast anywhere, because God is always with us, unlike in ancient times before Christ brought salvation to all.

These awesome days known to many as The Fall Holy Days are a gift from God to His people.  Do you know Him? 

Is He your God?  Then you are one of His people. 

 Are you keeping your Father's traditional days?    

You do not have to be born of Jewish DNA to keep these days, they are God's days - it is a good thing for you to honor your Father; God, and keep the days He has planned for His family.

Think of your time growing up in the home of your earthly father.  Did he have special times that he would command that the family gather around the table and celebrate together?  

Do you not have fond memories of these family times that are priceless to you as you become older and look back on them?   

Perhaps your earthly father chose these days to say important things to the family while they were all together, relaxing and celebrating.  Maybe he knew that during these special gatherings you would be listening more carefully to his words and paying closer attention.  He knew you would be undistracted, because you had set aside this time just to be with him and your other family members. 

It is the same with our Heavenly Father.  

He has mapped out appointed days from the very beginning of time that He wished for His family to keep and observe together.  

He wrote them down for us in His book so we have no excuse for not noticing them or overlooking them.  He spelled it all out, yet many people chose to blindly ignore these sections of their bibles.  Or, they blame their nonobservance on the fact that these are "Old Testament" things.  Guess what?  The New Testament did not wipe out the Old Testament, it only fulfilled it.  

The days with their fulfilled meaning are even more precious than the days before they were fulfilled and completed by Jesus Christ.  These days mark our time with our Father and our time to be a family in the House of God.

Trumpets still represents a coming time that has not yet been fulfilled.  We should be observing and anticipating!  

Yom Kippur, or Atonement represents a time that has been fulfilled by the blood of Jesus, yet also a future time that will come when we will know even more about how wonderful the love (hesed) and kindness and grace of our heavenly Father can be.  It will be a day when we will see Him face to face and stand before him covered with His blood, atoned and holy before Him.  It is something to anticipate and take seriously in the present.   

This will all culminate in a future Feast of Tabernacles and we can read of it in the scriptures where it speaks of a date in the future:

Zechariah 14:16:  Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.

Our present day celebrations are only a shadow of the things to come.  

These scriptures are our invitation from our heavenly Father to come and gather around His family table and celebrate that we are His family.  God chooses these times to speak specifically to His family about things that He considers very important.  God has called these times His "appointed" days.  Have you been keeping your appointments with your heavenly Father, or has the world led you aside and kept you busy with other things?  

The scriptures say these are God's days, not the designated days for the Jews or the Christians, or any other group.  They belong to God.  If you love God and serve Him and consider Him your Father, they also belong to you.  

The Israelites were honored and chosen to be the first to live out these patterns that God set for our special family celebrations.  They were also given the honor of being the people whose heritage would produce an offspring from God who would fulfill the meaning of all of the appointed times.  Jesus Christ was born of the tribe of Judah, a perfect man who was also The Son of God.  He fulfilled these days.   God used them as shadows to tell of His coming, His life and His leaving and returning to earth in the future. 

If you are a Christian you know these stories well, but your life can be enriched beyond belief when you know these stories as well as the stories of the Hebrews who so long ago began to celebrate these days with God.  The Jewish people have preserved these days for themselves and us, and the Christian people have proclaimed the end of the story through the preaching of the truth of the gospel and proclaiming the life of Jesus Christ for both themselves and the Jews.  It is true that they are a blessing for everyone and as Jesus so wisely put it "whosoever will; may come."

I get excited every Fall as we begin to approach these very holy times!

God always shows me something new, or teaches me something vital to living out life in His Kingdom. 

It all begins with the Hebraic month of Elul, that 30 day period of time leading up to these holy days.  The month of Elul is known as a time to be preparing, meditating, praying, pondering the last year of your life and asking forgiveness of God and anyone you have sinned against over the last year.  The whole idea is to use the month of Elul to sort out your sins, confess, repent, try to make amends and prepare to appear before God on Yom Kippur a holy and clean servant before a merciful God.  Elul is all about getting ready.

Are you ready? 

Rosh Hashanah (The Feast of Trumpets) is about realizing that time is short and soon we must all stand before God.  The trumpet blows out the warning signal to awaken the people from their sins and shouts out a warning to return to God. 

Yom Kippur is about judgment and atonement.  We are all guilty, but if we seek out the love of our merciful God, He will grant us the perfect atonement of the blood of Jesus.

Sukkot, or The Feast of Tabernacles is a time for proclaiming the reign of Christ, for knowing that He will return again and marry His Bride; (those who have The Holy Spirit dwelling inside of them.)  It is a wedding rehearsal every year for The Marriage Supper of The Lamb.  It is a time of joyous celebration for what God has done for his people.  It is a time of cheerful anticipation of the world that is coming because we have been given salvation and atonement that will last throughout eternity when we will forever be with God.

So join with me if you will in this time of  Elul, the beginning of the Fall Holy Day Season, in a time of careful consideration, faithful preparation and also anticipation of the day that we are fully clean and we will see The Face of God and live.    We are right in this very minute, living in the days of Elul on our calendars.  What will you do about it? 

How will you speak to God of your own life?  What things do you need to consider and restore?

Right now - today - is your opportunity to do so.

Consider the roots of your heritage

and return to your first love.

OH THE PLACES WE SHOULD GO - BLUE RIDGE, GEORGIA IN THE FALL

                                                 
TAKING A TRAIN RIDE THROUGH BLUE RIDGE IN THE FALL
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

If you want a whole weekend full of train-riding fun, pack up your jeans and head for

Blue Ridge, Georgia.

This is such a quaint, lovely little Appalachian town located in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains.  You have never seen anything as pretty as the fall foliage in this area!  The colors are always totally amazing, and it is even more fun when you can take a seat on the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway and ride through the valleys and hills to gaze at it all.  The colors are so beautiful here that it has been designated one of the top five places to visit in the south to enjoy the fall foliage. 

The train ride follows the route of the Toccoa River and makes a stop in McCaysville before returning to Blue Ridge.  McCaysville, Georgia is an authentic mountain town where a blue line on the street separates it from Copperhill, Tennessee.  In this spot you can stand with a foot in two states at once.  These two little towns are known for being in the Copper Basin and have a rich mining history to tell.  There is a museum in nearby Ducktown, Tennessee that does a good job of explaining all this mining history.  We didn’t mine for copper, but found McCaysville to be a great place to visit antique and junk stores.  There are treasures hiding in those hills. 

The railway runs from Friday through Monday during September and daily in October.  Special trips include the annual Rotary Dinner Train and the Pumpkin Pickin Special.  See the details for these excursions by calling 877-413-TRAIN or visit the website at www.brscenic.com. 

One of my fondest memories is a trip to Blue Ridge with my parents on Halloween Weekend.  The town blocks off its streets and the merchants dress up in costumes.  Every doorway has free candy to give away, both to the younger and the older kids alike.  Hot apple cider and hot cocoa are offered at almost every shop.  The shops here are very novel and fun.   There is something unique for everyone on your list.  There are wonderful little restaurants sprinkled among the shops here and there.   
  

There are 106,000 beautiful acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest to explore in this county.  It is a fantastic place to take long hikes and the woods are loaded with gorgeous waterfalls.  There is rafting on the Ocoee River, or if you like calmer waters, there is Lake Blue Ridge and Morganton Point.  You will find lots of good fishing.  Fannin County is the trout Capital of Georgia.  Plenty of zipline adventures, established trails and horseback riding are available. 

We like to stay at The Blue Ridge Lodge by Comfort Inn and Suites.  It is pretty with a nice welcoming fireplace in the lobby, great continental breakfasts in the mornings, game rooms for the kiddies and nicely decorated clean and comfortable rooms for a reasonable price.  I promise you though, you won’t be spending much time at the hotel.  There is too much to do otherwise.

One of the most astounding things about this town, aside from the most important train and depot, is the local artist and craftsmen who live here.  There are a surprising number of very nice art museums and the town has a local theater community that performs on the weekends.  Don’t miss the Fall Arts in the Park event usually held in October.  There is also a national juried photography exhibit held at the local Art Center.  Visit www.blueridgearts.net for more information. There are numerous opportunities to hear live music by great artist, especially blue grass.  Festivals abound.  There is a fun Blues and BBQ Festival in September if you like to hear the blues. 

I’ve only given you a glimpse. 

When you arrive in Blue Ridge to ride the train all sorts of other fall adventures will jump out at you. 

What are you waiting for? 

COME AS A CHILD LESSON 137 MOSES HAS A FAMILY REUNION

MOSES HAS A FAMILY REUNION

(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)

Remember that Moses had a father-in-law still living the life of a pagan priest back in Midian? His name was Jethro.  Moses had entrusted his wife and children to Jethro's keeping while he tended to the things that God had commanded him to do.  

Word of mouth travels fast and Jethro heard of how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.   He marveled at all the things that had happened to Moses since leaving Midian. 

Do you remember the details of the Midianites?  The Midianites (Jethro’s people) were descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah.  They were descendants from her son named Midian.  Remember how Abraham was good to all of these sons by Keturah?  He raised them, but he did not force them to accept his culture.  After they were all grown he sent them off with their portion of the inheritance.  Some suppose this was to protect them from trying to claim any of the intended inheritance of Isaac.  If you need to refresh your memory about the marriage of Abraham to Keturah just follow this link:  ABRAHAM AND KE`TURAH.

Midian was one of these sons  that Abraham “sent off” with his inheritance when he became a man.  After he left Abraham’s home, he settled somewhere near Mount Horeb.  This is the place where his descendants eventually lived and it was Jethro’s homeland.   Midian, being a son of Abraham’s concubine/wife, would have been exposed to the knowledge of Abraham’s God, but he was also friends with Ishmael, who would have influenced him to do things that were contrary to the ways of God.  Ishmael’s influence seems to have won out because the people living in Midian had some very pagan ways. 

The fact that Jethro was a pagan Midian priest probably meant that he would have worshiped Baal Peor and Asherah.  This would not have mattered much to Moses when he first came to Midian; because at that time Moses had not yet experienced the burning bush and encountered The True God.  Moses knew very little of God’s ways when he first came to Midian.  On the contrary; the pagan ways of the Egyptians that Moses had grown up with might have influenced Moses so much that the ways of Jethro, as a Midian priest, would not have seemed so strange. 

The things we know of this fake god called Baal Peor are really disgusting.  I see no good reason to go into great detail here; except to say I definitely understand why God would have been very angry with any worship of such a horrible fake deity.  The practices of the Baal religion were abominable.  Many of the rituals involved perversions and sexual acts before the gods.  The fake goddess, Asherah, was known as the female counterpart to this gross pagan god named Baal.  Her practices were just as disgusting as his; and everything they both did (or were deemed to do - since they were not real) was terribly abominable.  Asherah was said to have worshiped Baal Peor mostly for perverted sexual reasons.  She was known as the fertility goddess of the land.  The practices of the people who worshiped these false gods were sickening and awful to imagine; yet, Jethro, was a pagan priest of Midian; hence it is most likely that he was participating in such things, even though he was described as an honorable and glorious man and in his position as the Priest of Midian; he was well respected.  Strange; but true. 

In those days, just as in the present days in which we live; there were cultures that had no moral compass; and with their religious practices it seemed that “anything goes” was the main mode of worship.  They thought nothing of things godly people of today would find terribly wrong and uncivilized.  Midian was like this; but at the same time it was friendly and welcoming and peaceful; it became the place of refuge for Moses as he ran from Egypt after he murdered the Egyptian.  If you could overlook or not become involved with their religious rites; Midian was probably a peaceful and happy place in which to live.  You could say the same thing about Sodom and Gomorrah too.  Often the most wicked places are hidden among the most peaceful and hospitable places.  That is where we need God's Holy Spirit to give us discernment and guidance.  Moses did not have that luxury when he first came to live in Midian.  

It is even possible that Moses could have participated in the Midian religious practices from time to time.  We do not know for sure.  We do know that the Egyptian culture Moses grew up in was very pagan; so these things of Midian might not have seemed so strange to him at the time.  More than likely, Zipporah, the woman Jethro offered to Moses for a wife, also had pagan ways. 

   
We are told so very little about this Midian wife of Moses.  

I tend to believe that Zipporah came to know God through the stories that Moses brought home to her after his encounter with the burning bush.  None of this is spelled out in the scripture exactly; but the few things that are mentioned about Zipporah suggest that she had become a child of God in spite of her pagan upbringing.  If you need to refresh your memory on some of Zipporah's godly actions; reread the lesson we covered about how she circumcised the first born son of Moses:  HOW ZIPPORAH CAME TO CIRCUMCISE HER FIRST BORN SON,  

Zipporah was definitely a help to Moses following God and not a hindrance, as a few scholars have suggested.  Her obedience at one point actually saved Moses' life.  On that day she had much more spiritual discernment than Moses.  I believe it happened that way because she had converted to the ways of Israel in her heart and had begun to follow God whenever Moses did.  This is merely speculation on my part from the little pieces of the story that are given.  

It is probably shocking for anyone who has grown up hearing all of the wonderful stories of the life of Moses to think of him ever living in this pagan lifestyle of the Midians.   Yet; before Moses met God in the burning bush; he was basically a pagan too.  His blood was Hebrew; but his training was not.  Perhaps the time he was looked after by his own mother disguised as just another Hebrew nurse would have had an effect on Moses; and perhaps that is why he became sympathetic to the plot of his natural family when he learned the truth of his heritage; but, many, many years had passed and all those years were years Moses had lived in pagan cultures.  He basically lived a pagan life for at least 80 years before he met God and began to be taught the proper way to live directly by God.  This fact alone should give hope to many living in our broken world today! 

Keeping all of these things in mind; Moses probably didn’t give much thought to Jethro’s strange religious practices until he encountered The One True God.

After God revealed himself to Moses though; things in his life changed drastically.  Jethro must have been totally confused with the new Moses that evolved from that day forward.  Perhaps the conversion of Zipporah also confused and disappointed Jethro.  What father wants his daughter to change from the way he has raised her?   Who knows how many family relationships were strained after Moses began to learn of the holiness of God and a better way to live.  

These are not really such odd circumstances.  The same such situations are actually happening all the time every where on earth.  People are converted to God and they have a change of heart that produces a change in lifestyle.  They are invited to bloom where they are planted.  If they were converted in an evil and wicked culture; it will not go away just because God choses to bring them to a new understanding.  They must continue to live and function in the old world, though their spirit has been renewed.  Hence; we often find good and evil coexisting simultaneously together; not even being bothered with each other, and carrying on their own private business in their own private ways all the time.  

Even in the Christian cultures of today, there are people quietly living among us who are practicing these same disgusting, abominable religious rites and rituals which give homage to pagan gods and idols just as the Midians did.  We simply never know about these people or even notice them as being different because we are not exposed to that part of their lives.  They see what we believe and they do not share this with us.  On the surface, these people appear to be just like the people who have chosen to follow God.  They appear to be good, honest and humble.  We only see their daily interactions in the world and those interactions seem just the same; good, honorable and noble.  No one sees the hidden pagan practices except those who are actually participating in the rituals.  That is the type of picture I first got of Jethro.  He appeared to be loved and respected by all the people in every way, despite his strange pagan practices.

So we note that except for his weird religious practices; which the culture in Midian had totally accepted as normal; Jethro was considered to be a very sound citizen, one who was charming and wise and loved by all of the people.  He exuded humility and grace in every other way.  He was studious and often joyful and kind and loving toward his neighbors.  He seemed to be a loving and caring father. He had been very good to Moses at a time when Moses needed a friend.

Jethro had treated Moses as a beloved son; thinking he was an Egyptian who would be a good match for his daughter.   Moses had a love and respect for this man; no matter his odd religious practices.  Like so many times when someone converts to Christianity; those who were former friends and relatives are STILL their friends and relatives.  You do not change your relationships when you become a Christian; you simply change your ways and actions within those relationships to something that is more pleasing to God.  You hope your changed actions speak of your love and devotion for God to those who notice the change.  You strive to live in harmony and peace with all people; especially those who have been good to you in the past.  

This seemed to be the case with Moses and Jethro.  Moses did not wish to harm or upset Jethro; yet; I’m sure as time went on Moses was becoming more and more uncomfortable with the way of life in Midian, and the fact that he had married into a family ruled over by a Midian priest.  Moses seemed to be an expert in finding difficult situations in which to live his life!

Obviously, Moses eventually felt that God wanted him to leave Midian, and that had now proved out.  Zipporah’s feelings are not really explained here; but I’m sure she had mixed emotions if she had grown up in the culture of her father and had no other influences toward the ways of God. Her conversion had to be deep in order for her to blindly follow Moses from her home and the ways of her father.  She must have known that she would not be able to bring up her sons in the Midian culture and still live a godly life with Moses.  This was a very sharp turn in the road for her.   We understand how faithful she had become when she circumcises her first born son after Moses neglected this godly act.  It was this very thing that had actually caused Moses to send her and the two boys back home temporarily as he went to Egypt to deliver the people for God.  

Zipporah's faith in God and her love for Moses had to be very strong and it appears that maybe she was tested by being sent back all alone into the culture that her heart had left.  Perhaps God wished to see if she would remain true under all circumstances.   She had the good sense to hold on to the hope of returning to Moses and becoming an Israelite herself.  She remained faithful and choose to take her two sons into this new life with her.  Finally the day had come.  Her father was taking them to meet Moses and she must have been very grateful to God.    

The next thing we hear from the scriptures is the fact that they came to him when Moses was camped near The Mountain of God (Mount Horeb.)  Jethro came to see Moses by traveling through the wilderness bringing Zipporah and Moses' two sons Gershom and Eliezer.  Jethro had sent word ahead that he was coming, and Moses went out to meet them.   This must have been quite a reunion for the little family.  Jethro must have had many emotions running through his heart and his head that day.  He must have realized he might never see his daughter, her husband, or his grandsons after this visit was over.  It seems that in spite of all his pagan ways; Jethro was a compassionate man, putting the concern for others over his own desires.  

When Moses saw his father-in-law coming to greet him with his family in tow; he bowed down before him and kissed him.  This was a customary greeting for family in those days, probably an honorable way for a son-in-law to act to his father-in-law.  At any rate it appeared the two men were very glad to see each other.  

Soon the whole family was gathered into Moses’ tent for a happy reunion.  Can’t you just imagine the dinner conversations between these two men?  Moses must have vividly described the details of all that happened with Pharaoh and how God had delivered them from an impossible situation.  Jethro must have taken it all in with wide-eyed astonishment.  

Moses also must have shared with Jethro the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had sustained them through these troubles every time.  So Jethro would have heard the stories about the Red Sea crossing, the beauty of Elim, the water that was turned from bitter to sweet at Marah, and the water from the rock at Mirabah.  He would have heard how the Israelites defeated the Amalekites through the power of God.  Jethro must have heard the stories of how the Israelites began to receive food called manna from heaven, and how they had learned to keep the Sabbath because of the way God had miraculously given them their daily bread.  He heard of how the quail had been provided when the people complained of having no meat, and he heard of how the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  Jethro must have taken all of this in with amazement.  Surely none of his pagan gods had shown such wonder and might and care for his people! 

I can just imagine Zipporah coming and going with food and water as the two old friends sat at the table and talked just as they had done in days gone by, when Moses was a Shepherd of Midian.  

Zipporah must have been so relieved to be with her husband again, and to have her whole little family in one place under the shelter of his tent.  She must have cherished seeing her husband and her father in deep conversations again.  I wonder how many times Zipporah got caught in the middle of their theological disagreements?  

I can visualize the two young sons of Moses playing nearby, quietly listening to the older men talk of the amazing things that God had done for all of the people of Israel.  They must have missed having their father with them as much as they loved and respected their grandfather.  Perhaps this was the first realization for these young sons that their father and grandfather were very different in their religious beliefs.  Who do you think would carry more weight with them and their thinking as they grew older?  Role models are so important in the formative years of young children.  
  

Jethro was delighted with all of this amazing news that Moses was sharing!  As a priest who related to many gods, (a whole pantheon of them), his first reaction was to give praise to The Lord!  This was certainly a new development!  Jethro KNEW how to worship Moses' God with the same holy actions of Moses; and now Jethro seemed to understand who he should worship and thank for these miracles. His very words were “Praise be to the LORD, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians!"

Moses must have loved hearing such words of praise to God coming from his father-in-law.  

That would not have been so strange for Jethro to do; considering the fact that the Midians believed in plural gods ruling the land.  Perhaps he was simply adding God to his long list of other gods.  This would not work though; God is a jealous God and He does not tolerate His people acknowledging other gods.  

The next thing that Jethro said must have given Moses great hope.  Jethro said “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”  For the first time in a long time; Moses and Jethro could agree on something religious.  It was a start!

I’m sure it pleased Moses to know that Jethro was finally recognizing how great the True God is.  The end of the sentence speaks for itself though; that part where Jethro says that the LORD is greater than all the OTHER GODS pretty much makes it clear that Jethro still believed in MANY gods; not just the One True God.  That part may have made Moses’ heart skip a beat after being so hopeful.  

I’m sure Moses longed for his father-in-law to come to the saving knowledge of The One True God.  Do you not have people in your life that you love very much that are too blind to see who God really is?  Do you not wish with all of your heart that they would come to know the truth?  We all can identify with this!  We all long for our loved ones to come to know The One True God.

I'm sure that Moses and Zipporah must have prayed often for Jethro's eyes to be opened.  Progress seemed to be happening with Jethro; but the task didn’t yet seem to be complete.  Moses was a humble and a patient man.  He simply waited on God to do His work.  

Some of the old Jewish sages seem to think that Jethro had a total change of heart, that he was so moved by this new realization of God's power that he believed ONLY in God and asked to be circumcised and wanted to became a full fledged Israelite.  This isn’t very likely; but we can always hope.  

I tend to think that Jethro’s eyes were opened part of the way but he never fully made a full commitment to believing in only One True God.  The practice of paganism is very hard to overcome.  We do know that Jethro made a good appearance of worshiping as Moses did.  He brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses and his father-in law in the presence of  God.  

If Jethro did not believe fully in the same way as Moses and Aaron; he showed no evidence of this in their presence.  He respected their beliefs and acted as they did before their God.  He seemed truly grateful and happy to be making these sacrifices of thanksgiving.  

Maybe you know a few people who are like this.  They turn to God when it is the popular thing to do.  They seem sincere, but deep in their hearts they are only following the crowd and doing the popular thing.  They fall away the first time that troubles come and they quickly forget the things they appeared to be thanking God for in the public worship ceremonies.  

The people of God are always patient, humble and kind to such worshipers, simply trusting God to show them the rest of the truth.  In turn the people of Israel, including Aaron as high priest and all the elders of the Israelites, also extended the warm hand of fellowship to Jethro.  Things appeared, on the surface to be okay and in harmony.  Jethro made himself at home among the tents of Moses for a time.

The scriptures do not say; and we are left to wonder if Jethro continued to do his pagan rituals while living with the Israelites.  We do not know what his influence actually was with the people in the congregation.  We do not know if he interjected false teachings into the lives of the men following Moses.  Sometimes these things creep into a work of God, sitting silently, festering and boiling up until they become noticed one day much later.  I suspect that Jethro might have swayed a few against the ways of God and toward the worship of idols.  There is no scripture to back this up; it is strictly my own theory.  Someone influenced the people to do wrong later in this story.  It could have been a combination of factors, or it could have been the influence of Jethro who was wondering through the crowds being his charming self as Moses was tending to business.  Moses was often too busy to be spending time with the family in those days.  It is often in those hours when we are most distracted and busy that the devil comes tip-toeing into the camp; unseen and unnoticed.  He likes to come in through the people that we love and trust; and catch us totally off guard.  

One day, in the usual capacity that he had been following since they left Egypt, Moses went up to serve the people as their judge.  He would sit from sunup till sunset for several days in a row, helping the people solve and resolve their disputes in a godly way.  His father-in-law observed this and noticed that it was “all consuming” and that it was taking all of Moses’ time and energy. 

I had to wonder if Zipporah had complained to her father of her husband always being so busy with tending to the people and other things besides tending to their marriage.   Like any good, concerned father-in-law, Jethro inquired of Moses; asking him why he was doing this and allowing it to take up so much of his time.  

Moses explained that he was simply helping the people to understand God’s will.  Moses must have felt the heavy responsibility of this task and he had not taken it lightly.  

Jethro criticized this practice; not that judgment wasn’t needed; but that Moses was the only one who had to preside over every single case.  Jethro advised Moses to be more of a teacher, continuing to teach the people; but to select men who feared God, who were trustworthy and would not exercise dishonest gain to represent Moses as officers over the thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  Jethro advised Moses to leave the minor things to these men and only have them bring the very difficult cases before Moses. 

Moses listened to the recommendation of the older man and decided to take this advice.

This was the beginning of an order that Moses would form for governing the people of Israel. God must have looked down on two men beginning to make decisions on their own.  Perhaps he decided the time had come for Him to intervene and give some laws to these people in the wilderness so that they could learn how to live better.  There are a lot of new changes coming of which neither Moses nor Jethro are yet aware.  God has His own timing and it is this timing that usually proves who are truly his people.  Men may try to rule their own way; but God always prevails in the end.  Until Jethro appeared; Moses had been only listening to God.  Perhaps God took Moses aside and pointed this fact out.  The next thing we know; Moses is helping his father-in-law pack his bags and we hear of him sending him back to his own home with a blessing for the journey.  It was time for the little family of Moses and Zipporah to began a whole new way of life.  The more time passed, the closer they came to God.  As they began to live a holy lifestyle the pagan things of the past faded into the background.  They were totally committed to the mission God had given them.