Moses Evangelizes his In-Laws

Jethro (or, Reuel in Ex. 2:18; 3:1) was Moses’ father-in-law and Hobab, Jethro’s son, was Moses’ brother-in-law. Some of Moses’ in-laws from Midian had been welcomed into the Israelite camp. As the Lord was preparing the Israelites to begin their journey to begin the conquest of the Promised Land, Moses invites his brother-in-law to join them. Hobab is invited to travel with Israel and enjoy the benefits that the Lord will provide in the Promised Land.

Moses desire to have Hobad stay with the Israelite camp and accompany them to the Promised Land included:

1. Family Covenant…Moses had joined Hobad’s family through marriage which was a serious covenant that involved inheritance, responsibility, and other covenant benefits in the ancient world.
2. Wilderness Guide …Hobab, who had grown up in the Midian wilderness, would be of great assistance to Israel in the wilderness when they needed water and pasture land.
3. Evangelism…Hobab is invited to join the Israelite covenant with Yahweh and enjoy the benefits of the Promised Land

At first Hobad declined since he already had:

1. A land
2. A family
3. A god(s)

But, according to Judges 1:16 Habab and his family went with Moses and took up residence in the Promised Land in the Negev in southern Judah:

“The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms (Jericho) with the people of Judah to live among the inhabitants of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.” – Judges 1:16

This decision to join Moses and Israel was not a minor decision since it included moving to a new land, helping fight the battles with Joshua, switching allegiance to Yahweh and joining in a covenant.

Later in the days of the Judges one of Jethro’s and Hobab’s descendents named Heber left the Negev and moved north to assist the Canaanites near Hazor make iron chariots:

“Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses' brother-in-law, and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.” – Judges 4:11

Yet, covenant relations between the family of Jethro and Hobab continued into King Saul’s day when Saul asked the Kenites to move away from the Amalekites before he acted on Samuel’s (and, the Lord’s) command to destroy the Amalekites who also lived in the Negev:

“Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.” – First Samuel 15:5-6

“Hold fast to the Bible. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future.”
– Ulysses S. Grant 

Tertullian wrote that Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), the great pagan emperor of the Roman Empire and persecutor of Christians, gave credit to the prayers of Christians (namely, his Roman soldiers who were Christian) for ending a drought with the arrival of rain. Tertullian wrote:

"You will see by examining the letters of Marcus Aurelius, that most serious of emperors, in which he bears his testimony that a certain Germanic crought was ended by the rains obtained through the prayers of the Christians."
- Tertullian 197 AD

"Marcus Aurelius, also, in his expedition to Germany, received rain in that well-known drougth by the prayers his Christian soldiers
ofered to God."
- Tertullian, 212, AD

(Details here and here)