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Why Did God Seek to Kill Moses?
Open the
Bible Question Form to send your own question.
Q: Can you
explain Exodus 4:24? Why was God seeking to kill Moses?
A: In Exodus 4:24-26 we find a strange story
inserted in the record of the journey of Moses from the wilderness to
Egypt in order to free the Israelites from bondage.
Sometimes, with a passage like this, it is best to start with what we
do know and can safely conclude. Here are the facts:
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From the time of Abraham, all the boys of the tribes of Israel
were to be circumcised (Genesis 17:7-14).
This was not an option. The uncircumcised male was to be cut off from
the people (Genesis 17:14), a phrase that
probably meant to put them to death.
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We know from this
passage that the son of Moses had not been circumcised
before Moses headed for Egypt. At this time, Moses was
80 years old, though we do not know the age of his son.
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We can also safely
conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision
of her son. She called Moses a "bloody husband" because of
the circumcision. Zipporah was not a Hebrew woman, but a Midianite (Exodus
2:16-22). The first son of Moses and Zipporah was called Gershom,
which means stranger. This name was given to him as a testimony by Moses
that he was "a stranger in a strange land" (Exodus
2:22).
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I think we can also
safely assume that God was demanding that Moses
immediately obey the covenant God had made to Abraham.
Moses' son had not been circumcised on the eighth day
after his birth as commanded. But now, Moses was taking
his place as the man that God had chosen to lead the
children of Israel out of Egypt. He must have his own
house in order. His son must be circumcised.
The facts and conclusions give us a solid framework in which
to understand the rest of the story. Only a little assumption shows us
that Geshom had not been circumcised because of the opposition of his
Midianite mother. Moses had avoided pressing the issue until God pressured
him. However, even at this point, Moses was more prone to give in to
his wife's opposition than to God's command. When Zipporah saw that God
was ready to take her husband's life because of this disobedience, she
circumcised Gershom herself, but not without a last attack on the character
of her husband. God, having been obeyed (though unwillingly) allowed
Moses to go on his way.
There are many lessons to be drawn from this story, but I will leave
them for you to dip from God's living water for yourself. May the Lord
bless you richly.
Till He comes,
Pastor David Reagan
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