Why does the posuk not say “and the name of the second was Eliezer”?
(18,4) “And the name of one was Eliezer because the G-d of my father helped me and saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Why did the Torah not use a more normal form of expression and write “and the name of the second was Eliezer”?
The answer can be gleaned from the Yalkut Shimoni, which says that when Moshe asked Yisro to give to him Tzipporah for a wife, Yisro said to him that if he accepts upon himself a certain thing he will give her to him. Moshe asked him what the condition was, and Yisro replied that son that was born first must be dedicated to idol worship and any subsequent sons will be dedicated to serving Hashem. And Moshe accepted upon himself the precondition.
According to this, since the son that was born first was for idol worship and the next son was for Hashem it was not appropriate to call them first and second, because the first son was the first for idol worship and the next son was the first for Hashem. Therefore the Torah says “and the name of one was Eliezer” because Moshe accepted upon himself that he would the first son for Hashem.
Did Yisro really think that Moshe would not go out to greet him?
(18,6) “And he said to Moshe: I, your father-in-law Yisro, am coming to you, and your wife and your two sons with her.”
The Midrash on this posuk teaches that Yisro said to Moshe that if he will not go out and greet them for Yisro’s sake, he should go out and greet them for the sake of his wife and sons.
But could it be that Moshe might refuse to honor his father-in-law whom he is required to honor like he would his own father and not go out to greet him, and thus cause Yisro to say this to him?
But the explanation is that Yisro sent to him the following message: I know full well that even though you are the king (the leader), because of your great humility you will come out and greet me. But consider carefully whether you, the king, are permitted to do this, because the rule is that a king who wishes to waive his honor, his honor is not waived, as it teaches in Kiddushin 32b.
Therefore, if it is against the regulations of a king, do not go out and greet me for my sake but for the sake of your wife and sons (where no waiving of honor is necessary).