The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Exodus 4:25-26,
"At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said 'bridegroom of blood,' referring to circumcision.)"
Here is a seemingly bizarre episode! God had appeared to Moses in the well-known account of the burning bush and commissioned him to return to Egypt and be the instrument through which God would bring about Israel's exit from Egypt.
Having secured his father-in-law's release, receiving instructions from God as to what to do when he got to Egypt, Moses loaded up the family station wagon (a donkey) and headed out. Having arrived at a place to rest, the Lord confronted Moses with the intent to kill him.
What happened?
By now Moses had more than one son and at least one of them had not been circumcised. The account makes clear that Zipporah (Moses' wife) found circumcision revolting and resented it, calling Moses a "bridegroom of blood" when she was forced to accept it (at the threat of the loss of her husband).
Circumcision was a sign God had given Abraham as a seal of the righteousness he had by faith, Romans 4:11. All Abraham's male offspring were to be circumcised, including Moses and his boys. Probably Moses relented to Zipporah's demand that his son not be circumcised and that pretty well sets the table for these events.
God was sending Moses as his emissary to free the Jews from Egypt. Moses, himself, recognized the need for the Israelites to accept him for the task if he were to be successful, as he says to the Lord, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Verse 1. Not circumcising his son was not going to facilitate that happening. Additionally, as God's emissary to Israel, Moses was going to be given the law that God intended for the nation. Not being in obedience to God was not going to facilitate that either.
"At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. 'Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,' she said. So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said 'bridegroom of blood,' referring to circumcision.)"
Here is a seemingly bizarre episode! God had appeared to Moses in the well-known account of the burning bush and commissioned him to return to Egypt and be the instrument through which God would bring about Israel's exit from Egypt.
Having secured his father-in-law's release, receiving instructions from God as to what to do when he got to Egypt, Moses loaded up the family station wagon (a donkey) and headed out. Having arrived at a place to rest, the Lord confronted Moses with the intent to kill him.
What happened?
By now Moses had more than one son and at least one of them had not been circumcised. The account makes clear that Zipporah (Moses' wife) found circumcision revolting and resented it, calling Moses a "bridegroom of blood" when she was forced to accept it (at the threat of the loss of her husband).
Circumcision was a sign God had given Abraham as a seal of the righteousness he had by faith, Romans 4:11. All Abraham's male offspring were to be circumcised, including Moses and his boys. Probably Moses relented to Zipporah's demand that his son not be circumcised and that pretty well sets the table for these events.
God was sending Moses as his emissary to free the Jews from Egypt. Moses, himself, recognized the need for the Israelites to accept him for the task if he were to be successful, as he says to the Lord, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Verse 1. Not circumcising his son was not going to facilitate that happening. Additionally, as God's emissary to Israel, Moses was going to be given the law that God intended for the nation. Not being in obedience to God was not going to facilitate that either.
Was God really going to kill Moses at the rest area on the way to Egypt? Absolutely! God called Moses to an extremely important task in his agenda of developing a people for himself. Moses had to make a choice, yield to Zipporah or yield to the Lord.
Moses made the right choice, and Zipporah herself did the circumcision, resentful nonetheless. Moses was a great man of faith and we look to him as one of the heroes of faith to emulate.
What in my life might God be asking of me to yield to him in for those things he may have for me to do?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know. A blog with all my posts can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
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