When I laid out our current sermon series on Moses I quickly realized that there just wasn’t any way that I was going to be able to discuss everything that happens in the text unless we did a 24 week series or I preached for about 2 hours every Sunday. So throughout the fall I’m going to continue to share some thoughts on passages that are certainly important but just couldn’t be included in the sermon.
One such passage appears in Exodus 4. Moses has gathered up his family is heading back to Egypt when we come to the following verses:
At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.
Exodus 4:24-26
So what in the world is going on here? These three verses stick out in the passage about Moses’ return to Egypt. There’s very little context to them, and in verse 27 Moses jumps right back to meeting his brother Aaron. The issue seems to be about circumcision, and GOD TRIES TO KILL MOSES! What is going on?
There have been many, many attempts to interpret and explain this incident, and there is a lot of scholarly opinion about it. Because it seems so out of place and because of the human anatomy that is involved, people tend to shrug their shoulders and just skip over it when telling the story of Moses. But God made sure that it is in our Bibles for a reason, so there is a lesson that we should learn from it.
Let’s start with what is happening. Moses, his wife Zipporah and their sons have left Midian and are on their way to Egypt when they stop at an inn for the night. During the night God afflicts Moses in some way, likely with a severe illness. Moses is quickly in bad shape and is going to die. Zipporah sees what is going on and takes action by circumcising one of her sons and then places the skin on Moses’ feet. Satisfied, God relents with the affliction and Moses quickly recovers.
So why does God afflict Moses? Well, circumcision was required for the descendants of Abraham as part of God’s covenant with him (Genesis 17). It appears that while the Israelites practiced it, the Midianites may not have. Although the Midianites descended from Abraham, they were not the covenant people. The descendants of Isaac and Jacob were the covenant people.
Moses, as a shepherd in Midian, had given up on being the deliverer of the Israelites. He wasn’t identifying with them at this point in his life. We know this because he hadn’t circumcised his son. We don’t know the specific reason why, but it’s certainly possible that Zipporah objected to it.
God, in His perfect wisdom, chose not the press the issue with Moses…at least not until it was time for Moses to re-identify with his people. But in order for Moses to be the leader of God’s covenant people, he needed to completely identify with them. And that meant getting his own house in order, if you will.
We aren’t told this in Scripture, but it is reasonable to assume that Moses and Zipporah had at least some discussions as to whether or not they were going to circumcise their boys. We can assume this because of what the text does tell us. Zipporah knew exactly what to do when Moses suddenly took ill, although she doesn’t seem happy about it.
There is a wide range of opinions about what exactly happens next, and why it happened. After circumcising her son, she touched Moses’ feet with the foreskin. Moses wasn’t able to do the procedure himself, as he was way too ill. Touching Moses’ feet with the foreskin seems to be a way of offering evidence to God that this sinful situation had been corrected, and shortly after that Moses is healed. Some scholars suggest that Zipporah toss the skin at Moses’ feet in disgust, but that seems to be reading too much into the text for me. If you care to study this further you will find some very interesting theories about this act!
Zipporah’s lament “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” seems harsh, but it is understandable in the context of the situation. She is a Midianite, not an Israelite. She had to do something to her young son that was very painful and also very bloody. She’s frustrated with how things are going on this trip, and it’s certainly possible that it’s a trip that she didn’t want to go on in the first place. Zipporah might have been thinking “I didn’t sign up for this.” She probably was hoping to live the rest of her life near her family in Midian, raising children and grandchildren as shepherd’s wife.
It seems like Moses understood these feelings, or at least came to understand them after this incident. He seems to send Zipporah and his sons back home to Midian at this point. It isn’t until Exodus 18 that he is reunited with his family. Although Zipporah isn’t presented in the best light here, it has to be noted that she came through for Moses (and ultimately, the Israelites).
So why did God include this incident in the Bible? I think it teaches us a couple of truths. First, obedience to God in the minor things matters. Moses was trying to be obedient to God. He had packed up his family and was following God’s call on his life. Most people would look at that and say “What a man of faith.” But he wasn’t obedient in an area that He assumed was no big deal. We need to be obedient in the big and the small things. In fact, there really isn’t a “small thing” when it comes to obeying God!
The second truth that this incident teaches us is that before God will use a person publicly, he or she must first be obedient to God at home. 1 Timothy 3 (among other passages) speaks directly to this truth. When we seek to serve God in a public way we aspire to a good thing. BUT before we can be leaders in God’s family, we need to be Godly leaders in our home.
So there you go…hope this helps!
Here’s what’s happening (October is busy):
- Junior High Youth Group has its monthly meeting this Sunday 10/2 after church.
- On Saturday, October 8th the Junior High Youth are hosting a barn sale at the church from 8 am to 12 pm.
- Senior High Youth Group will meet on Sunday 10/9 and Sunday 10/23 from 6:30 to 8 pm at the church.
- Harvest Party is set for Friday, 10/28 at the church. Dinner, campfire, hayride and the big slide are all returning, as is Kids Bake-Off competition.
- It is “banquet season” as we begin October. Many area ministries host fall banquets to give ministry updates and thank people for their support. Here is a list of banquets/fundraisers for local ministries that ABCF supports:
- On Thursday, October 6 (this coming Thursday) there are two such opportunities. ICCM (which is led by ABCF missionary Rev. O.M. Panicker) is having their banquet at the Eden Resort in Lancaster. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The church has 8 tickets available, see me on Sunday if you would like to go.
- That same night, AABS is hosting its banquet at the Indian Rock Center at Woodcrest Retreat at 6pm. AABS is led by ABCF missionary J.C. Ebersole. If you would like to join Vernon and Becky Myers at this event, please let them know on Sunday or text Vernon at 610.209.0154.
- On Thursday, October 20th New Hope Ministries in Quarryville is hosting a drop-in celebration night at Providence Church from 5 – 8 pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids, with a $60 max per family. Evening includes food, entertainment, and a silent auction. Head over to www.newhopeministry.info to get your tickets.
- Onesimus Prison Ministries has scheduled its banquet for Friday, October 28 starting at 6 pm at Mt. Vernon Christian Church. See Vernon Myers for more info and to register.
- Solanco Neighborhood Ministries is having an Open House celebration on Saturday, October 29 from 9am to noon. Tours of the new facility and refreshments for all who come.
Sunday morning will find us in Exodus 3 & 4 as we look at the call of Moses at the burning bush. Although Moses initially believed that he was the deliverer when he was growing up in Egypt, by now he isn’t so sure. We’ll look at the remarkable conversation that Moses has with God and what we learn about God through it. Invite a friend to join us on Sunday!