10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.

12 And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.

When we first were introduced Jethro we were told he was a priest in Midian, and I had wondered whether he was priest of the Lord. Today’s verses suggest that this was, indeed, the case. He praises God, making exclamations such as “blessed be the Lord,” and “now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods.”

Another reason to assume that Jethro was a priest of the Lord is the priestly function he then serves in verse 12, making sacrifices that were apparently acceptable before the Lord. It is interesting to note the foreshadowing of this verse. Jethro performs the ritual offering with Aaron present, and of course Aaron and his sons will soon be called to function in the same office. I see in these verses a sort of passing of the torch. Jethro had maintained the faith in Midian while Israel was held captive, and now that they were free he came to show them the rituals and formalities of worshipping God.

Jethro and his flock in Midian must have had a story of their own, but they would fade, while the Israelite story would continue for thousands of years. This reminds me of John the Baptist diminishing so that his cousin Jesus might increase. Jethro and John seem to have been righteous men that magnified their callings and fulfilled their purposes, yet they were willing to make way for the chosen ones that came to take the center stage.