Bible Study Online Article

In the last article we learned that Moses had finally ran out of excuses when it came to him carry out the calling that the Lord had bestowed upon him.

As we now begin to move forward, we notice that something very interesting had happen while Moses and his family was heading out on their journey to Egypt:

"And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him." -- (Exodus 4:24)

Now I'd stated in the last article that this sudden switch when it came to the Lord's attitude towards Moses, I find to be very surprising.

I mean after all, think about this, it wasn't too long ago that the Lord was being very patient and attentive to Moses and the concerns that he had. Now we find that all of a sudden that the Lord is seeking to kill Moses...? I have to be honest and admit, that this could leave one with a rational mindset, to begin to scratch their head and start wondering: "But why?"

So let's take a closer look at this event, for I believe that it holds tremendous insight value that could easily be overlooked, or dismissed by those with a limited natural perceptions:

"And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, 'Surely you are a husband of blood to me!' So He [God] let him go. Then she said, 'You are a husband of blood!' because of the circumcision.'" -- (Exodus 4:24-26)

Notice how Zipporah reacted when she saw that the Lord was going to kill Moses...? She immediately took a sharp stone and circumcised her son Gershom. Think about that for a moment... She immediately took action and after she had done the deed, God spared Moses and departed from them.

Also notice how she didn't ask: "Why Lord?" or "Moses, what's going on?" She knew right away why the Lord was angry. So the question that should be asked now is: "How did she know?" I mean after all, Zipporah wasn't there with Moses, while he was at the burning bush, so how did she know?

Being that this is a valid question, I believe that we must go beyond the surface of the Sacred Text for a moment and let's consider some things. First off, notice how the Scriptures revealed to us, how Zipporah had reacted after she had circumcised her son:

"Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, 'Surely you are a husband of blood to me!'" Now notice the type of attitude that she had towards Moses? Notice how angry she was? Could this anger stem from a possibility that Moses was right and she was wrong, from a previous unrecorded disagreement that the two might have had?

Honestly, let's think about this... Could it be possible that after Moses had left from God (the burning bush) and went back home and readied his family for travel. That he had told Zipporah about all the things that had to be done, in order to be in good standing with the Lord?

And could it be, judging by her actions, that Zipporah didn't believe that it was necessary to do all that Moses was asking? And could it be possible that instead of forcing the issue, Moses backed off and compromised his position with God and allowed Zipporah to have her way?

And to be fair to Zipporah, we have to keep in mind that she was a Midianite and so therefore she didn't know about the Lord, like the Israelites did, especially in a personal way like Moses was starting to do. And she didn't have a Sacred Record that spanned over 1600 years that she could turn to, or the gift of the Holy Spirit to teach and guide her like we do today. Needless-to-say, she simply wasn't a believer at this point in her life. This is why I believe that the event that took place was meant for the most part, for Zipporah to bear witness to. And basically, this was her "burning bush" moment.

Understand that Zipporah was presented with a rare and unique opportunity to be able to see an angel of the Lord first hand. And even tough it was during a moment, when the Lord was beginning to execute a severe divine judgment against Moses the mere fact that she was able to be an eyewitness to such a divine event, immediately brought her to the reality that the Lord really did exist and that He should be taken seriously.

Soon afterwards Zipporah would have to deal with admitting that not only was Moses correct, but that her life as she knew it would be forever changed. And make no mistake, this would also be a reality check for Moses as well, for he would learn the hard way that the Lord is to be taken seriously at all times. Compromising and avoiding the issues in order to just get along, or "coexist" simply will not do. Moses now knows that it's better to follow what God had told him do, rather than to risk the possibility of facing God's wrath.

Take caution, for we must not make the mistake of limiting this event to just the subject of circumcision and the Abrahamic Covenant. Now I know that the Holier-than-thous' are cringing at that last statement. Being that it's required of me to inform you about how the circumcision was important at that time, because it was a required blood ordinance of the Abrahamic Covenant:

"This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant.

"He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant." -- (Genesis 17:10-14)

As we can see from the Sacred Record, the circumcision requirement was one of the conditions that had to be followed in order for the Abrahamic Covenant to be valid and in good standing with the Lord. Know that God was keeping His promise to Abraham when it came to the length of time that the Israelites were to be foreigners in the land and the bondage they would endure at the hands of the Egyptians.

And now the Lord was using Moses in regards to that promise. But now we find that Moses had not done the required circumcision of his child, so therefore he wasn't in full compliance when it came to the Abrahamic Covenant.

Okay, so how do we make a connection with this within the modern world, for we now have some who are screaming at their monitors: "But we are no longer under the Abrahamic Covenant; we are now under the New (Blood) Covenant under Jesus Christ! Saved through God's forgiveness, mercy and grace... hallelujah!

And trust me, I agree whole heartily, even with the "hallelujah" part. But keep in mind that this event still matters and should not be dismissed, simply because we are now under the New (Blood) Covenant. Know that there are many factors I could into but I'll point out the obvious ones for right now.

Understand that when it comes to the Word of God, you will notice that if you were to read it carefully from beginning to end, you will begin to see that everything that takes place within its Sacred Covers, is a natural foreshadowing and foretelling of what's coming next for the human race. You will also notice that when Jesus Christ came along, a transitioning within the Word of God began to take place from the natural, to a fusing of the natural and spiritual, and finally sets the stage and expectation for the Eternal.

The Abrahamic Covenant is basically a promise that God made for the Israelites that deals with the natural world. And the New (Blood) Covenant is a promise that God had made for all those who choose to believe in Jesus Christ, which deals with the Eternal World. Both covenants have conditions and when it comes to the New (Blood) Covenant, the main conditions deals with our repentance and turning away from our wicked ways, to the acknowledgment and the acceptance of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ as our personal Savior and Redeemer.

It's important for us as believers to see how God continued to keep His promises throughout the Sacred Record, for it reassures us that since He kept His promises then, He will surely keep His promises now and into eternity. This is extremely comforting to know, as the attacks against us Christians continue to grow and become more intense by the powers-of-the-world.

It's good to know that victory awaits us, in some form or another. All we have to do is stop compromising our position with the Lord and stand strong and faithful in Jesus Christ, in spite of the fierce worldly opposition that we are all now enduring.

I will probably touch on this more in the next article, being that I find it interesting that the Lord had judged Moses, even though it was Zipporah who was defiant against God's instructions. Personally, I believe that there's some good insight that has been provided with what God did and I would like to bring it to light some more.

But if not, perhaps we will be able to move forward, when it comes to our journey overall. What's this...? I see that God reaches out to Aaron. I wonder what the Lord had to say to him. Uh-Oh! After their little spat, did Moses send Zipporah back home to be with her father?

Joseph the Overseer of Egypt

Jacob Becomes Ill

The Prophecies of Jacob

Moses the Son of Levi

**YOUR CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES WOULD BE HERE**

145) The Call of Moses

146) The True Purpose of Moses

147) Identifying with Moses

148) The Systematic God

149) Moses the Self-Defeated

150) A Frustrated God

151) <-CURRENT PAGE->

152) Moses' Losing & Costly Position of Compromising

153) Moses Meets Aaron At The Mountain of God

154) Moses Gathers the Elders of Israel

155) Moses Confronts Pharaoh

156) Pharaoh Moves Against God