Throughout his eighty years, Moses faced more threats to his life than most people can imagine.
As an infant, he was marked for death by Pharaoh’s decree against Hebrew male babies (Exodus 1:22).
Years later, after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, Moses fled because Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler in the Middle East, sought his life (Exodus 2:11-15).
Even after learning that the Pharaoh who wanted him dead had died (Exodus 4:19), Moses encountered another terrifying moment when, on his journey back to Egypt. God Himself sought to put him to death (Exodus 4:24-26).
It is quite startling to read that God sought to put Moses to death, especially right after calling him to free his people from slavery in Egypt.
On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the Lord met him and tried to kill him (Exodus 4:24).
This event suggests that something was seriously wrong, to the point that God intended to take his life. There appear to be two possibilities.
(1) We will next read how Zipporah’s act of circumcising their son is presented as saving Moses’ life. This incident may suggest that God’s rage against Moses stemmed from his failure to fulfill his responsibility by not circumcising their son, a key covenant obligation.
(2) Another interpretation, suggested by Rudy Ross in our video today, is that Moses was trying to evade God’s will for his life.
This may have been, as Rudy calls it, a “dark night of the soul,” a period when Moses continued to wrestle with the decision to go to Egypt and serve God by freeing the Hebrew people from slavery.
Zipporah’s Wise Act
Despite her background as a Gentile woman from a region not characterized by knowledge of Jehovah, Zipporah grasped the importance of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. Recognizing that their son was uncircumcised, she took action that ultimately saved her husband, Moses.
But Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin, touched his feet with it, and said, “Truly 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 4:25-26).
Victor Hamilton provides interesting insights regarding Zipporah’s act. He suggests that her action to save Moses from God’s wrath (by addressing the issue with their son) serves as a powerful anticipation of Moses’ later role in interceding for Israel to save them from God’s wrath.
The parallel is clear: Zipporah’s circumcision saved Moses’ life, just as Moses’ prayers and pleas for mercy saved Israel’s life.
Hamilton also places Zipporah alongside Rahab and Ruth, identifying them as three Gentile women whose great wisdom and courage enabled God to use them in crucial acts of deliverance and preservation for His people.
The Importance of Circumcision
Regardless of how you interpret this dramatic event involving Moses and his family, the significance of circumcision is undeniable. It is not a ritual intended only for convenient times; its performance is not contingent upon our human assessment of its appropriateness or relevance.
Instead, circumcision stands as a direct divine command.
Rudy Ross is right to emphasize the role of blood in God’s redemptive work. The shedding of blood here brings about Moses’ deliverance, anticipating Israel’s own deliverance from Egypt, which similarly involved bloodshed.
Most significantly, this pattern points ultimately to the shedding of the blood of our Lord and Savior on the cross, which alone can atone for our sins and liberate us from the power of selfishness and sin.
Reflections
What speaks most powerfully to me in this story is the paradox that Moses, called to deliver an entire people from bondage, had neglected a vital responsibility towards his own family.
As someone in ministry, I can relate to this struggle, having at times prioritized being a pastor to everyone else while overlooking the needs of my own family.
This story offers a reminder that my obligations to my family are viewed by God as exceptionally serious and important.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 