The Voice of Wisdom – Yitro – Feb. 7

“Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?” (Prov. 8:1)

We live in a day where knowledge and information are accessible in a few nano seconds through a Google search and available 24/7 through our smart phones, tablets, and computers.  However, with all of our knowledge are we any wiser?  The Bible tells us that wisdom cries out and understanding lifts up her voice.  How can we properly discern wisdom from all of the information presented to us today?  What is wisdom?

The Bible tells us in the book of Proverbs that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).  From this we know that wisdom in rooted in a fear of the LORD and knowledge of God, the “Holy One.”  Wisdom is from God alone.  There are two excellent examples of wisdom found in this week’s Torah Portion.  The first example of wisdom is in the reunion of Jethro with Moses.  The second example is in the Mt. Sinai event when the Israelites are invited to meet God on the mountain.

Jethro – A Man of Wisdom

Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, heard about all that God had done for Moses and the sons of Israel and how He brought them out of Egypt.  As a result he decided to visit Moses.  Jethro took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, and their two sons and brought them to Moses.  Somewhere along the journey Moses had sent his wife and sons back to Jethro (Ex. 18:1-6).

The Foundation of Relationship

When Jethro arrived Moses went out to meet Jethro.  Moses bowed to him, kissed him, and after asking about each other’s welfare (peace) they entered the tent (Ex. 18:7).  A beautiful cultural distinctive that is still very common in the Middle East is the proper welcoming and honoring of guests, especially family.  Moses bowed out of reverence to his father-in-law, kissed him, and then they asked about each other’s peace.

The greeting of a kiss on the check, whether it is two or three times, is an intimate expression of friendship.  Across the Middle East today, and in some other parts of the world like France and Italy, a kiss on the check is like a greeting of peace between family and friends.  It is a face to face gesture of acceptance.  Handshakes and hugs are a nice gesture, as often expressed in the west, but a face to face greeting with a kiss on the check expresses love in a pure way (1 Thessalonians 5:26).  I believe Christians in the West and East could benefit from this Middle Eastern and Biblical example.

Moses and Jethro sat in the tent and Moses told Jethro of all the trials that befell them on the journey and how the LORD delivered them from each one. Jethro rejoiced with Moses over the great things that God had done and Jethro proclaimed that he now knows that there is no God like the LORD (Ex. 18:10-11).  Then Jethro offered up sacrifices to God and they sat together to eat with Aaron and the elders of Israel (Ex. 18:12).

Moses the Judge

The following day Moses went back to work.  Moses acted like a judge for the people.  He would sit and listen to the people from morning until evening and execute judgement for them according to the instruction of the LORD.  Moses sat to judge and the people stood around Moses all day long.  When Jethro saw this he asked Moses why he sat alone to judge the people and then told Moses that what he was doing was not good (Ex. 18:13-17).

Jethro came to Moses at a critical time.  They had just left Egypt about two months previously and they were starting out as a new nation.  Everything was new but they were getting off to a bad start.  Moses was the recognized hero and leader of the people and the people felt like everything had to pass by Moses.  It was like Moses alone had the connection to God and the people went to Moses to know the will of God concerning various matters.  Moses was the chosen man to lead the people out and bring them to the Promised Land, however, he was still human and needed to understand his limitations.  Jethro came to give Moses some much needed advice.

The Wisdom of Jethro

When Jethro saw Moses sitting to judge the people with the people standing around him all day long, from morning to evening, he immediately recognized that this was not a wise system and said, “The thing you are doing is not good.  You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone (Ex. 18:17-18).  The Hebrew phrase used here for “you will surely wear out” are נבל תבל – “navol tibol.”  Both of these words come from the same root, “naval – נבל”.  The double use of this word here is used to express emphasis.  Jethro was saying that it is a foolish or wearisome thing that both he and the people are doing.

“You can’t do it alone Mo! You need some help.”

This word “navel – ״נבל is the same word used in 1 Samuel 25 where it is used as a name of a certain man.  In describing this man the text states, “now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail.  And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite” (1 Samuel 25:3).  In this story between David (before he was king) and Nabal, along with his wife Abigail, Nabal acted foolishly towards David and David in response set out to destroy Nabal and the men in his clan.  One of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and said, “Now therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against his whole household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him” (1 Samuel 25:17).  Abigail met David along the way to divert him from carrying out his revenge and she spoke to David about Nabal saying, “Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he.  Nabal is his name and folly is with him” (1 Samuel 25:25).

Nabal himself is the perfect example of the meaning of this word “naval” (“naval” and “nabal” are the same word).  Nabal was someone who was foolish and only did what was right in his own eyes.  Nabal thought that he was sufficient in himself and he cared little about the protection that David and his men provided for him throughout the year (1 Samuel 25:5-8. 14-17).  He was a stubborn man who wouldn’t listen to anyone else.  He thought he knew best and everyone around him despised him, including his servants and his own wife.  Nabal was foolish in that he focused only on himself and his wealth.  He was stingy, self-consumed, and only cared about his own pleasure.  Nabal kept his wealth to himself but then he suddenly died and his wealth was left to others (1 Samuel 25:36-38).  The life of Nabal mirrors the parable that Yeshua gave in the New Testament about the rich man who was greedy and foolish with his wealth (Luke 12:16-21).

In understanding the life of Nabal and the meaning of his name, we can conclude that the word “naval” is always used negatively and implies the meaning of foolishness, wasting time, and one who is inconsiderate of others.  When Jethro saw what Moses was doing he immediately saw it as a foolish thing for both Moses and all the people.  It was a waste of time and not wise.  It would eventually lead to the death of Moses and would be a continual burden to the people.  Jethro advised Moses to teach others the statutes of God and to set over the people leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.  In this way the people would judge themselves according to God’s standards and only the difficult situations would be brought to Moses.

Men of Character

Jethro counseled Moses to set up leaders over the people who were considered “able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain;” (Ex. 18:21).  The word for “able men” here is the Hebrew phrase “anashe hayil – אנשי חיל” and is rich with meaning in Hebrew.  The few words that follow are a great definition; one who fears God, is a person of the truth, and one who hates dishonest gain.  Proverbs chapter 31:10-31 speak of the “virtuous woman” which is basically the female counterpart to this phrase: “ashet hayil – אשת חיל.”  So in taking these two passages together (Ex. 18:21 and Prov. 31) we can see the focus on the character of a man or woman of God is the heart of the matter.

While Jethro was giving counsel to Moses Jethro spoke twice of God’s presence.  In the beginning Jethro said, “Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you” (Ex. 18:19).  And then again towards the end of his counsel he said, “If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their place in peace” (Ex. 18:23).  Jethro was not simply demanding his own way or being opinionated.  Jethro gave Moses wisdom in guiding the people in a better way and he encouraged Moses to check and see if this is in accordance with God’s command.  If it is not from God than it isn’t worth following.  All true wisdom comes from God.

Moses Listened to Wisdom

Moses had the choice to listen to his father-in-law or ignore his advice and continue in his own way.  Moses had to check and discern whether or not this counsel from Jethro was sound wisdom.  Moses needed to check with God and make sure that God agreed with this.  Moses heard the wisdom from his father-in-law’s voice and obeyed; “So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said” (Ex. 18:24).  Moses didn’t argue with his father-in-law or even question his advice, from what we know in the text.  Moses heard wisdom, concluded that it was from God, and went with it.  Moses was a great man in the sight of the Egyptians and the Israelites but he was also a humble man who knew when to listen to wise counsel.

“How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding.” (Prov. 3:13)

How Do We Respond to Wisdom?

Do you accept advice from others?  Are you open to listening to advice from others or do you think that you already know it all?  Can you discern wise counsel when it is spoken or are you like Nabal who thinks he can do it all by himself and shuns wisdom?  Being humble and listening to others is something we all need to work on in our lives.  We shouldn’t be naive and believe everything others tell us but we do need to listen and be discerning.  We should also take everything we hear and filter it through God’s Word and make sure that the counsel we take is in agreement with the Word and will of God.

Heeding the Voice of God

Immediately following this encounter between Moses and Jethro is one of the pinnacle events in the book of Exodus, if not the whole Torah.  The Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Sinai and they camped in front of Mt. Sinai. God called to Moses and told him to speak to the people.  God told Moses to remind the people what they saw Him do in Egypt and to remember that it was the LORD who brought them on eagle’s wings to Himself.  God then offered a deal to the children of Israel: “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:5-6).

The offer was simple and wonderful, God asked the sons of Israel to listen to His voice and keep His covenant.  In return God promised them that they would be a special people on the earth; a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to God Himself.  What an amazing invitation but the Israelites struggled to fulfill their end of the bargain.

An Appointment with God on the Third Day

God instructed Moses to tell the people to prepare themselves to meet God on the third day.  On the third day they were to come up on the mountain to see God (Ex. 19:10-13).  However, on the third day the people came to the foot of the mountain and stayed there.  They had heard the voice of God and were afraid (Ex. 19:16-17).  We can read the direct words of the people after the Ten Commandments were given: “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.  Then they said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die’” (Ex. 20:18-19 – Heb. Ex. 20:15-16).  The people rejected the voice of God.

In the last verse quoted above, the Hebrew brings out a very unique understanding of the words of the people.  Exodus 20:19 is literally translated from the Hebrew, “And they said to Moses, ‘You speak with us (imanu – עמנו) and we will listen but with us God (imanu Elohim – עמנו אלהים) should not speak lest we die.’”  They did not want “Imanu-el” – God with us.  They preferred “Imanu-Moses” – Moses with us (Ex. 20:19).  They rejected God’s voice and rejected God.  That generation of Israelites would not enter the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb.

In the book of Hebrews chapter twelve it speaks of this same event from Exodus chapters 19-20.  The writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote of the event on Mt. Sinai to warn us today to not allow fear and sin to cause us to reject the voice of God.  “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking” (Hebrews 12:25).  God wants us to fear Him but not to the point of shrinking back but to the extent of listening to His voice and walking in obedience.

The Example of Isaiah

The corresponding section of the prophets to this week’s Torah Portion is taken from the book of Isaiah 6:1 – Isaiah 7:6.  Isaiah saw God seated on His throne and was immediately aware of his iniquity.  A seraphim flew to Isaiah and touched his lips with a burning coal and told him that his sins are atoned for.  The Lord called out “Who will I send and who will go for us?” and Isaiah said “Here I am, send me” (Isaiah 6:8).

Isaiah heard the voice of God and obeyed.  He didn’t run and hide, although, in his flesh he probably wanted to.  Isaiah heard the voice of God, listened, and responded in obedience.  Through Isaiah’s obedience to the voice of God today we have one of the richest resources regarding the prophecies of the Messiah, the Isaiah scroll.

What can God do with you and I today if we will listen to His voice?

Are we able to hear God’s voice today?

Wisdom cries out and we need to heed it.  The voice of God still speaks to us today through His Word, by His Spirit, and through the people whom He brings in and out of our lives.  We need to listen to His voice.  God’s voice is the voice of wisdom.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Ex. 18:1 – Ex. 20:26

Hafatara: Isaiah 6:1-7:6; Isaiah 9:6-7

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