Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.09UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.08UNLIKELY
Fear
0.09UNLIKELY
Joy
0.54LIKELY
Sadness
0.45UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.71LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.58LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.85LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.41UNLIKELY
Extraversion
0.15UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.68LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.53LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
I. Jethro, Father-in-Law Extraordinaire
Exodus 18:13-24
Introduction:
Exodus 2:15-21
In the Doghouse With The In-Laws
Engaged, home, In-Laws, Silly, Texas, USA | Related | April 7, 2019
(My fiancé and I recently got engaged.
We’ve just arrived at his parents’ house.
This is not the first time I’ve met his parents, thankfully, but it is the first time I have visited them since the engagement.
On walking in the front door, my fiancé throws his arm around me and says to his parents:)
Fiancé: “She followed me home!
Can I keep her?”
His Dad: “Only if you promise to take care of her.
I’m not going to be the one to clean up after her.”
(I love their strange sense of humor!)
In-laws.
You never know what to expect.
They have a bad reputation, however, this is not always the case as we saw with Naomi.
Today, for Father’s day, I have another extraordinaire in-law.
His name was Jethro.
He is only mentioned a few times, yet we find he was a man of significant influence in the life of Moses.
Bow your heads and pray with me that we learn from this man of God.
Pray
We first meet Jethro early in Moses story.
Moses was in a most difficult position.
He was raised in Pharaoh’s household as a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, but was actually a Hebrew.
It would be a lot like being a half-breed accepted by neither side.
I am sure it was truly difficult for him.
Moses killed an Egyptian that was beating one of his fellow Hebrews, however, that did not get him any kindness from the Hebrews.
Upon finding out about it, Pharaoh was quick to try to have Moses slain for his crime.
So, Moses flees into the wilderness for his life.
We see and understand that God’s hand is upon Moses life when he is spared from the executions that took place when he was a baby, not to mention many other times in his life we are familiar with.
But have you ever considered God’s hand in leading Moses to Jethro?
Moses runs out into the wilderness with no idea where to go, only just to escape execution.
And where does he land?
At the footsteps of a priest who knows of God.
To better understand the significance of this, allow me to give you some back story of Jethro.
Not much is known and some of what is known is speculation, but there is enough known to understand that there is probably some truth in these suppositions.
First, we find that Jethro is “the” priest in Midian.
The question is then asked, “what kind of priest is he?
Is he a priest before God or a priest before false gods?”
In all Jethro says and does, he appears to be a priest for God, the same God of the Hebrews.
Look at his response to Moses after God delivered him and the Israelites from Egypt.
It is found in .
This begs another question.
Where did Jethro get his knowledge of God? How did he become a priest of God? Well there is an interesting possibility found in the details.
Jethro was a Midianite, but he is also called a Kenite in .
The Kenites were descendents of Cain.
It is believed that even though Cain left in disgrace, he took his knowledge of God and taught it to is children.
In fact, some believe that the Hebrews learned a lot about God from Jethro.
However, we will get to that later.
For now, it is interesting to notice that Moses, delivered from death on two separate occasions finds himself in the presence of a priest of God who will have great influence on him.
Upon Moses first meeting of Jethro, we see evidence of two of Jethro’s characteristics.
A. Jethro is hospitable and generous.
Exodus 2:
Jethro is in a household of women.
God bless him!
(This story gives the idea that there were no sons, but we do know that there was at least one.
His name was Hobab and he later accompanies Moses to Canaan.
But there is nothing to indicate there are any others.
It is possible that Hobab was young at this time).
His daughters do the best they can, but they are picked on by other men in the area.
In their distress, Moses comes to defend them.
They immediately go and tell their father what has happened.
Now we all know how protective father’s can be of their daughters.
They are usually not fast to encourage the relationship between a stranger and their daughters.
However, Jethro recognizes that this man Moses is not the norm.
He generously opens his home to him and feeds him.
Jethro does not stop there.
He invites the man to stay with him.
Now Moses has nothing to offer Jethro, but Jethro is seriously lacking in the department of sons.
Based on the response of the other shepherds to Jethro’s daughters, I suspect there were few options for son-in-laws also.
Typically, a son-in-law took his wife to live in his home, with his family.
However, Moses has nothing to offer, yet Jethro invites Moses to marry his daughter and to live with him as a son caring for Jethro’s flock.
Moses accepts and lives as such for many years.
It is sometimes difficult to accept new people in our children’s lives whom they may marry.
However, we need to be careful how we receive them.
Our opinion will carry more weight with our children if we receive their friends in a respectful caring manner than if we are rude.
To be hospitable and generous are characteristics we are all to have as Christians.
Not just with our children’s friends, but with all people.
We should be respectful, even when we disagree or do not particularly care for someone.
We are concerned at times that we will be taken advantage of, however, God knows all things and calls all things into account.
We are never judged for being hospitable and generous, but we are judged if we are inappropriately not so.
Things appear to go well with him and he seems content.
But then something happens that could possibly cause conflict between Jethro and Moses.
However, it does not due to two new characteristics we find in Jethro.
We find that...
B. Jethro is trusting and supportive.
Things change one day when watching over Jethro’s flock, he notices a bush burning on Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.
Curious as to why this bush burns without burning up, he goes to inspect it and has a personal encounter with God.
By the time he leaves, he knows he must leave for Egypt, but what will Jethro say?
Jethro has been good to Moses and given him responsibilities within the family.
What of his wife and children?
You can just imagine Moses making his way back to Jethro all the way trying to decide what to say and how Jethro might respond.
However, there was no need to be concerned.
Look at the interchange with me.
Exodus 4:18-
Jethro shows complete trust in Moses and gives his support by allowing Moses to go in peace.
This could not have been easy for Jethro.
He had obviously come to rely a great deal on Moses as a son.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9