Moses, Zipporah, Circumcision: The Lord Who Will Not Be Ignored
"The Lord Who Will Not Be Ignored" Text: Exodus 4:18–31 The Strange Passage Let’s be honest—Exodus 4:18–31 is one of the strangest, most jarring passages in the Old Testament. One moment, Moses is on his way to obey God’s call, and the next, God seeks to kill him. Then Zipporah, Moses' wife, steps in and circumcises their son, touching Moses with the foreskin and saying, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” What’s going on here? We might be tempted to skip past passages like this—but we must remember that every word of Scripture is inspired and profitable (2 Tim. 3:16). So today, we will walk through this story, consider its background, and find its message for us today. The Journey Begins (vv. 18–20): Obedience with Loose Ends Moses finally agrees to obey God’s call. He asks Jethro for permission to return to Egypt, loads his family on a donkey, and heads out. Outwardly, everything seems in order. But there’s a major unresolved issue : Moses has not ...