Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God. – Exodus 18:5

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 28, 2018): Exodus 18

So, what did you do today? As a kid, I hated the question. Who can remember silly details even about today? Often we interpret the question to be asking if anything important took place on this day. My grandkids still answer with the traditional “nothing,” which was the same answer that I used when I was their age. I did nothing, which should probably be translated as “nothing any different or more significant than I did on any other day.

And, yet, details are important. We are geared to think chronologically. Today I got out of bed, drove to an appointment I had with a doctor, worked in my office, went to lunch with a good friend, headed back for more work in my office. I hope to go for a walk a little later, tonight I am meeting my granddaughter for supper. And then I will head home to do a little more work, and hopefully, some light reading before I fall asleep. Welcome to my day. This is what happened – and it happened in this order. Ask me next week or next year what I did today, and I probably will have no idea, and if I do remember, I will likely get the details mixed up.

We are moving through the Bible chronologically, or as it probably took place, but there are several reasons to believe that this story is out a place. I am not saying that it didn’t happen, just that it probably took place a little later than we have it in the Exodus story. And part of the problem is the last line of this verse. Here, Moses is still camped at Horeb, the Mountain of God. But Exodus 19 begins with Israel moving from Rephidim, heading towards Horeb, the Mountain of God. Add to that that it seems that the laws had already been established, while at this point they had yet to have been given, Jethro offers a sacrifice in a manner as prescribed by the law, which did not yet exist, and that later, in Deuteronomy 1, Moses would date his complaint that he was not able to bear the burden of the government of Israel alone to more than a year after the law was given, and we have a case that can be made for this story being out of place where it is included in Exodus. Chronologically, a move from here in Exodus to maybe someplace early in Numbers might be in order.

But that does not remove the importance of the passage. Once again, just like at Rephidim, and maybe this is the most important factor as to why the story has been placed here instead of in Numbers, Moses recognizes that he needs help to govern the nation. The story complements well with the story at the battle of Rephidim where Aaron and Hur join the battle by holding Moses’s hands up in the air.

Life requires help. We all need it, no matter what it might be that we are in charge over.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Exodus 19