Read with Me
Exodus 4:24-26 (HCSB)
On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the LORD confronted him and sought to put him to death. So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.
Listen with Me
For many people, this is one of the strangest events of Moses’ history. But God’s reasoning was clear. Even though Moses had been circumcised on the eighth day according to the covenant (one of the ways he was identified by Pharaoh’s daughter as a “Hebrew boy” (Exodus 2:6)), he had not circumcised his son. Not only was it not something Egyptians did, but since Midian was not heir to the promise, it was not part of the Midianite culture either. That meant that Zipporah was not in favor of circumcising her son. And Moses simply went along with that.
However, God had established with Abraham that circumcision would be an eternal sign made in the flesh of all Israelites, a sign of the promise and covenant made between Him and Abraham. Thus, it was not optional or open for discussion. Up to that point, Moses had turned a deaf ear to God’s demands to circumcise his son, even as he was on his way back to Egypt to fulfill the mission God had assigned to him. That made him subject to the death penalty, the punishment for rebellion and disobedience.
Zipporah was given the ability to see the punishment rapidly descending on Moses. Even though she objected to the whole idea of circumcision, especially so when it meant inflicting pain on her own son, she understood that losing Moses would cost her even more in the long run. So, she took the initiative and circumcised her son. But she wasn’t happy about it. So, with her son screaming in his tent, she threw the severed foreskin at Moses feet, declaring to him “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” before storming away.
Pray with Me
Father it is so important for us to understand that even Moses was not excused from obedience to Your commands. After this event, he fully understood that, and he lived in compliance. But even then, a single act of disobedience late in his life, done out of anger and frustration, brought him dire punishment: the loss of the Promised Land. I know that some believe that once we are in a relationship with You, obedience to all Your commandments becomes less important. But these events in the life of Moses tell a different story. Help me, Lord, to always live in faithful obedience to every command You give me. Amen.