Jethro, Moses' Father-in-Law

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Reformed, Study, Jesus, Preaching, Christianity, Scripture, Spirit, Bible, Holy, Theology, Christian, God, Teaching

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 December 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Moses is one of the most important figures in the Old Testament. But it was Moses' father-in-law who kept him from burning out while governing two million people. Today, Derek Thomas considers Jethro's godly counsel for leadership.

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Meet Today's Teacher:

Derek Thomas is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	What you are doing is not good.
0:03.5	Well, it takes some nerve for a father-in-law to address somebody as renowned as Moses.
0:12.5	He sees a problem, and it is a problem.
0:15.0	It's a very real problem.
0:16.0	But he doesn't just see the problem.
0:19.3	He proposes a solution.
0:25.6	Integrating families when there is a marriage can sometimes be challenging.
0:31.6	It introduces father-in-laws, mother-in-laws, brother and sister-in-laws,
0:36.6	new dynamics everywhere.
0:39.3	But perhaps it would be even harder if upon your daughter marrying,
0:43.3	you now became known by many, not by your name, but simply as Moses' father-in-law.
0:50.3	Welcome to the Thursday edition of Renewing Your Mind,
0:53.3	as we conclude your preview of Derek Thomas's brand new series, Who Are They? Lesser-known characters of the Bible.
1:02.4	Don't forget to request complete access to all 12 messages, the study guide, and receive a Renewing Your Mind notebook when you donate before midnight tonight
1:12.8	at renewingyourmind.org. So let's call him by name, Jethro. And yes, he is the father-in-law of
1:21.2	Moses, and he came to Moses with some helpful wisdom. Here's Dr. Thomas to tell his story.
1:29.3	Well, this study will look at Jethro.
1:33.3	This is Moses' father-in-law.
1:36.3	And I'm going to pick it up in Exodus 18.
1:39.3	The story begins right at the very beginning of chapter 18, but I'm going to start reading from verse 18.
1:48.0	So Exodus 18 and verse 18.
1:52.1	And this is Jethro speaking.
	...

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