Is there anyone our God cannot save? One of the greatest challenges to evangelism often lies within our own hearts as we view some people as being so lost that they seem utterly unsavable. I know that I can be guilty of this, and I imagine that we all can be at times. There are people whose lives may seem so ruined, their moral choices so depraved, their minds so gone. Whether it is the homeless person wandering the streets or the political activist who seems loudly anti-Christian, we are often tempted to view people as being hopeless. Exodus 18:10–12 offers a wonderful corrective, demonstrating that there truly is no one who bears the image of God who is beyond the reach of the grace of God. This is true, not because of what exists in our hearts, but because of the grace that exists in the heart of our God. Our God is not simply strong; he is a God who saves.

“That My Name May Be Proclaimed”

Exodus 18 draws an unlikely character onto a beautiful stage that displays the drama of God’s redemptive grace. Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, comes to bring Moses’s wife and two boys back to him after the Exodus. This is a remarkable reunion between a man and his family. Moses, like a soldier on the other side of battle, is given the great gift of seeing his wife and kids again after his spiritual duel with Pharoah and the gods of Egypt. Before focusing on the individual story of Jethro, it is important to remember what brought him into the story—the Exodus—and what the Exodus was all about.

It may be tempting, and in some ways correct, to say the Exodus was for Israel. But it was much more than that. God did not simply redeem Israel out of Egypt for Israel’s sake; he did it ultimately for his glory, that his glory might be manifest among the nations. Two things in the book of Exodus make this clear. First, in Exodus 9:16, God says to Pharaoh (through Moses), “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” God declares to Pharaoh that he could have already struck Pharaoh and all the Egyptians down. Six plagues had already occurred. Each of them was a miniature theater of war. God, like an encroaching military army, was toppling every layer of defense that supposedly protected Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

Each of the plagues was not simply a display of God’s power, it was also a death blow to the so-called “gods” of Egypt, one at a time. Yet the entire event had one singular purpose—that God’s name might be proclaimed in all the earth. That is why Pharaoh was “raised up.” When God finally brought Pharaoh down, it was like a huge rock hitting the stilled waters of the surrounding nations. This is the point made in the Song of Moses found in Exodus 15, especially verse 11: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

When I was a seminary student, the first OPC my wife and I attended had this verse on a large banner hung behind the pulpit of the Seventh Day Adventist building that we rented. The banner covered a large mural that to most would be perceived as a distracting violation of the second commandment. My first impression was that Exodus 15:11 seemed like a strange verse to display so prominently. Over time, however, I realized it was really a great verse for a church to see and think about every Sunday. Who is like our God? Who can do what our God can do? Who is not only strong to defeat our enemies but strong to save us? And who deserves all the glory for doing so? The answer is the LORD. He alone can do all these things, and that is why he is worthy of all glory and honor.

This is the statement that God was making through the Exodus. God was not simply witnessing to his people; he was witnessing through his people. The nations would quickly hear what the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Even in a day before the internet or phone lines, news like this would travel fast—and the nations heard it! Exodus 15:14–15 displays a collage of panicking nations. Pangs have seized Philistia; the chiefs of Edom are dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab, and all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. The unambiguous point here is that what God did for the people of Israel was not just for them; it was ultimately to proclaim the saving power of God to the surrounding nations. Pharaoh and the armies of Egypt (including their false gods) were like pawn pieces on a chess table that God set up and knocked down—effortlessly. The gods of Egypt were powerless to save Pharaoh and his armies. Not even the son of Pharaoh (who was called by the Egyptians a “son of god”) would be spared. Who is like the God of Israel? No one. And as this message is spread among the nations, it is more than just information; it is life-changing, and it is what brings Jethro into our story in Exodus 18.

Jethro’s Confession and Worship

If you ever wondered what a conversion story in the Old Testament might look like, the story of Jethro is about as good as they get. Jethro has heard what the God of Israel has done. By occupation, Jethro was a pagan priest in the land of Midian. His full-time job was idolatry. He offered sacrifices to false gods professionally, at least until he heard about what the God of Israel had done to the Egyptians. And what Jethro said and did was quite remarkable. In Exodus 18:10 Jethro begins by saying, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you . . . .” Think about how many times the phrase “Blessed be the Lord” or some form of that phrase is used by God’s people. We hear it countless times in the psalms. Israel sang it, and so do we to this day. But here in Exodus 18, those beautiful words flow from the lips of a (now formerly) pagan priest! He not only uses the proper name of Yahweh (the LORD) to identify God’s person, but the reason he blesses the LORD is for what the LORD has done. It is the saving person and work of the LORD that has captured the heart of Jethro, transforming his idolatrous songs of paganism into the proper praise of Yahweh.

Jethro, once a pagan priest, now professes that “the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” The Hebrew grammar may be intentionally vague. The “they” in this verse (the ones who dealt arrogantly with the people of God) could either refer to the Egyptians, or it could refer to the gods of Egypt. Either way, the LORD dealt a crushing blow to them all, and Jethro now celebrates the victory of God against his humiliated enemies. Such is the strength of the arm of the LORD. Thus far, however, we have only considered the words—the profession of faith that Jethro utters. If it is true that actions speak louder than words, what Jethro does next wonderfully embodies his newfound faith.

Verse 12 says that Jethro “brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God.” This language is intriguing because of where it fits in the canon of Scripture. We are still in Exodus 18. The law of Moses has not yet been given, yet the sacrifices that Jethro offers are in keeping with what the LORD will require of Israel. Something similar was seen in sacrifices offered by Abraham. What God forbids (pagan sacrifice), Jethro has now put away. But what God requires (sacrifices that are prescribed by him) is now what Jethro brings. In short, what Jethro now offers to the LORD is in keeping with that which is well-pleasing in the sight of God. It may be anachronistic to say that Jethro’s worship was in keeping with the regulative principle of worship, but it would not be far off!

As John Calvin notes, proof that Jethro’s worship was acceptable in the sight of God is found in the small audience that joined him. We are told that “Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God” (v. 12). The fact that these men participated in what Jethro was doing is an implicit sign of their approval. This is an Old Testament worship service, with the elders and officers of the covenant present. Jethro beautifully professes his faith and offers right worship in the sight of God and in the sight of Aaron, Moses, and the elders of Israel. What happens last is truly splendid—they eat bread together in the presence of God!

Two things about this eating of bread are worth noting. First, what bread was it? Most commentators agree that this was likely manna. If that is true, then it would be a remarkable thing to imagine that Jethro, a former pagan priest, is now partaking of the manna that comes from heaven—in the presence of God! Jesus will later liken himself to this very same bread. He is the True Bread that will come down from heaven for the salvation not only of our souls, but for the souls of lost sinners. Jesus is that Savior who brings about a better Exodus, a better Passover, and a better covenant. What Jethro experienced in Exodus 18 was but a foretaste of the better things to come in Christ. Yet what he experienced in the presence of God was truly beautiful. It is a portrait of the gathering grace of God at work early in the pages of redemptive history. But what is seen here—in the faith of Jethro—should also be seen against the backdrop of Israel’s wavering faith and unbelief.

Exodus 18 sits in an interesting spot. It was only two chapters ago, in chapter 16, that God gave the manna from heaven in response to Israel’s grumbling and unbelief. In chapter 17, they complain again not just about food, but also about water. This is the chapter where Moses infamously strikes the rock and is judged by God. Jethro’s profession of faith in the LORD of Israel to save his people must be seen against the backdrop of Israel’s weak faith and inclination to distrust the promises of God. Jethro’s profession is like a diamond of faith set against the black cloth of Israel’s unbelief. Yet there is a beautiful, albeit convicting lesson here that relates very much to the subject of evangelism.

The people of God often struggle to trust in the promises of God. Like Israel in the wilderness, we can doubt God’s power and plan to save. And the question is not always “Will he deliver us?” but can often be “Will he deliver others?” Will God save my unbelieving friend, enemy, neighbor, or even my wayward family member who, unlike Jethro, has heard the gospel story many times, yet seems as far away from the faith as ever? This is why we find a story like Jethro’s to be beautifully helpful. Who would have imagined that a pagan priest would profess faith in the person and work of the LORD, offer right worship in the sight of the LORD, and then join Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel in something like a communion service, partaking of the manna that came down from heaven coram Deo—before God?

Proof of God’s Saving Power

Exodus 18 teaches us the beautiful lesson that there is no one that our God cannot save—no one. No one who bears the image of God is beyond the reach of the gracious grip of God as long as they still draw breath in this world. Our God, the LORD, is not only strong to save his people and defeat their enemies; he is also strong and sovereign enough to convert his enemies into his friends. He did it with Jethro, and he has done it with us. We too are proof of God’s saving power; and if he saves people like us, there is no one that our God cannot save.

Few things hinder the work of evangelism more than a dim view of God’s saving power. Yet few things fan the flame of evangelism more than a strong confidence that our God not only can save—but that he also will save. And he uses means. His means to build his church is the power of his Spirit working in and through the church. From the pulpit to the living room to the street corner, God is still gathering a people unto himself. He promised that he would do this until the end of the age, and our God always keeps his promises. Our God is a God who saves.

The author is planting Salt and Light Reformed Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, and directs the Center for Evangelism at Mid-America Reformed Seminary. New Horizons, February 2026.