My youth pastor preached last Wednesday about Moses in a series on Heroes. Later, I was reading his story, and right in between the burning bush and Moses’ return to Egypt, I found this scripture.
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.) Exodus 4:24
And I don’t get it. Why would God come and try to kill Moses? So I am asking some scholars, or some Bible-maker-sensers to clue me in on any understanding you have. It just completely baffles me. And I am ridiculously curious.
Really though, what does this mean?
May 28, 2007 at 8:22 pm
This is what one of my favorite Bible commentaries has to say on the subject:
The circumcision of Moses’ son (either Gershom or Eliezer) seems strange. In his years in Midian, Moses had neglected to obey God’s command (cf. Gen. 17:10) to circumcise one (or both?) of his sons. So God was about to kill Moses, perhaps by causing him to be gravely ill. Zipporah reluctantly circumcised her son with flint and then God healed His prophet. Her touching Moses’ feet with the son’s foreskin was possibly a symbolic act of substitution, in which obedience was seen as replacing disobedience. Zipporah called Moses a bridegroom of blood. The meaning of this phrase is unknown, but some say it was used in a derogatory way to suggest that she did not favor the rite. (Yet she did it to save her husband’s life.) Others propose that she saw in the act a sort of redemption by which the blood of the youngster restored Moses to the Lord and also to her as a new bridegroom.
At this time Zipporah and the sons may have returned to Jethro (18:2-3). Moses’ sudden illness was a warning that he must obey God wholly and fulfill his mission. Also this incident follows up the emphasis in 4:22-23 on sons (Pharaoh’s son, and Israel as God’s son).
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
May 29, 2007 at 7:09 am
Chelsea: Hey this makes a lot of sense. Thank you for sharing.
It makes my heart cry out that God would keep me in complete obedience and call me out on any command of His I am not keeping, whether by ignoring it, or even having not noticed it, you know?
I wanna be blamelessly His.