What happens next is were I thought "what's up with that?". The Lord is going to kill Moses.
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 4:24-26)Why did God turn on Moses? What is going on here? All appears to being going great. Moses after some protests is ready to head and in fact is on his way to Egypt. Now God wants to kill him. Why after all this preparation of Moses does God now decide to deal with Moses not having circumcised his youngest son? Why now and not earlier?
God decided to deal with Moses sin of not circumcising his son. Circumcision is a sign of agreeing with the covenant. It is a sign of sealing the covenant. Moses must have circumcised his older son, since only the younger is circumcised at this time. By not sealing the covenant, we are saying we are displeased with the conditions of the covenant. Is it a sin of ommision then? Possibly. It could have been that Moses was having the feelings of being in the middle. He knew what God required for the covenant. Yet, his wife being a Midianite may have been persueding him not to circumcise. (Speculation on my part based on the fact that Zipporah preforms the circumcision.)
For me the point her is that Moses was on his way to lead Israel. God wanted him to be a man of integrity. Known or revealed sin must be repented. Being "right" with God also makes us "right" with man. That is we have integrity in the eyes of men.
I don't know why God choose to do it now and not earlier. Maybe you have an idea.
4 comments:
I wondered that too. I was reading this same passage and that really caught my attention. I first thought? *huh?* What is God doing to Moses, and more importantly why? However, I suspect God had a very good reason for this. I find many times that God does things we think are "not right" but as Isaiah says "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
Nick
After reading the comments, I wonder what it is like for God to try and kill someone? Imagine, God “trying” to kill someone!! Humans can try, but God just do it. Therefore the translation of the words have us confused. God is not the author of confusion. Read a little here and a little there about God brings me to the realization that the passage could be interpreted as follow:
24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him (Moses’ son), and sought (warned him) to kill (punished) him (severely). 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his (Moses’) feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband (who did many circumcisions before) art thou to me. 26 So he (Moses, who was holding his son while Zipporah did the operation because the boy and the boy was refusing the painful experience, and they needed someone strong to hold him; Moses) let him (the son) go: then she said (after the operation is completed), A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision (practice that Moses believed and has done on several occasions.)
i think that i am more confused. may be ,i wonder, GOD-maybe was going to kill the son .it is confusing ,they the bible changed thoughts that quick and it really made me wonder who. but the point is it is not very clear on who god was going to kill. some scriture are clear and others are not ,that is when you pray so that God can give your mind peace about it.
the Bible is just a story, and is wicked one.
how about that for an explanation?
Post a Comment