68_Joining God’s plan Ex 18: 1-9 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. A man was hiking through the wilderness. He had mapped his path carefully, but as he neared the summit, he veered slightly off course. Though the detour seemed insignificant, when he finally stopped to take in the view, the mountaintop was nowhere in sight. He was almost there, but that did not take him to his goal. This story mirrors a crucial truth in our spiritual journey: almost right is not enough. It is not enough to understand God’s truth without fully committing to it. This can be just as perilous as being far away. This principle comes alive in the story of Jethro in Exodus 18:1-9—a story of wisdom, faith, and, ultimately, decisions that had lasting consequences for his family. Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law, was a good and wise man. He had long supported Moses, sheltering him during his exile and entrusting his daughter to him in marriage. Jethro likely knew Moses’ story—the circumstances under which he fled Egypt, his faith in God, and the extraordinary call on his life. As Hebrews 11:26-27 describes, Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater than Egypt's treasures and endured as though seeing the invisible God. When Moses returned to Egypt on God’s command, Jethro graciously let him go. At some point, Moses sent his wife and sons back to Jethro. Now, in Exodus 18, Jethro brings Moses' family back to the camp of Israel. Sitting with the elders, Jethro had heard about all the Lord had done for Israel—how God delivered them from Egypt’s bondage and led them safely through the Red Sea. Jethro rejoiced, exclaiming, “Blessed be the Lord,