Ministry is not just the Father's Business... (2)

...it must be your "Family Business" too

Last week we started talking about Mrs Moses Amram* - and what we can learn from how involved she was or wasn't in the Ministry God committed to her husband.

The next time we hear about Zipporah after Exodus 4 is in Exodus 18 - when she and their sons are being reunited to her husband and their father. Again, let's read it together:

¹ Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt. ² Earlier, Moses had sent his wife, Zipporah, and his two sons back to Jethro, who had taken them in. ³ (Moses’ first son was named Gershom, for Moses had said when the boy was born, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” ⁴ His second son was named Eliezer, for Moses had said, “The God of my ancestors was my helper; he rescued me from the sword of Pharaoh.”) ⁵ Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses’ wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God. ⁶ Jethro had sent a message to Moses, saying, “I, Jethro, your father-in-law, am coming to see you with your wife and your two sons.” (NLT)

After reading this several times over, I couldn't help but wonder if Moses felt his wife would hinder him in Ministry and so sent her back to her father's house with their sons. With her being away from him and the children being away from their father, I wondered if she/they made it to the Promised Land.

Interestingly, in Numbers 3:1-3 the Bible says:
"This is the family line of Aaron and Moses as it was recorded when the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: ² The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ³ These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained to minister as priests." (NLT)

Bible Historians tell us that Moses was the author of the first 5 books of the Bible which includes Numbers. So how come he started, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to write about he and his brother's family lines and then only focused on Aaron's sons? Were his sons "Missing in Ministry"?

Apparently the author of Chronicles was inspired to mention Moses' sons - just the way we "recognize" the Pastor's Kids (PKs) - they were named among the Levites:

1 Chronicles 23: 14-15 - ¹⁴ As for Moses the man of God, his sons were considered to be Levites. ¹⁵ Moses’ family: Gershom and Eliezer. (CEB)

However sad to note that one of his grandson and great-grandsons were the priests for an idol:

Judges 18:30 - Then they set up the idols and appointed a man named Jonathan (son of Gershom and grandson of Moses!) and his sons as their priests. This family continued as priests until the city was finally conquered by its enemies.**

Reading these scriptures I couldn't help but wonder if by the time his family was reunited with him, his wife and sons were and/or felt under pressure to fit into a prefabricated mold. And because the head of the home, "Pastor Moses" was fully occupied with the Ministry.
Very, very sadly as great a "Man of God" was doing the Father's Business, he missed out on doing "Family Business" as part of the ministry. And after all that he did in the ministry and for the people of God, he didn't make it into the Promised Land the first time.

The most successful Ministries are the ones that are first and foremost "Family Business" - to succeed in Ministry, we must carry our families along. Ministry must be "inside-out" i.e. starting from inside our home then "outside" to the church. Pastors, your spouse and/or your children should, actually must never feel left out nor should they feel forced...they should be able to say "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the House of the Lord.'"***

May the Lord help us think Family-Business-first as we go about our Father's Business. AMEN

References:
* https://mrs-pastor-and-pastor-mrs.blogspot.ca/2016/08/ministry-is-not-just-fathers-business-1.html
** The Living Bible
*** Psalm 122:1