Moses almost died because of disobedience to God
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Image via WikipediaThen 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!” (Ex. 4:25)In this account, Moses committed the sin of neglecting to circumcise his son. We don’t know why Moses neglected to perform this duty, which was required of all Hebrews. It probably had something to do with living among Midianites who did not circumcise, thus proving that it is easy to become faithless to God’s commands when we are deprived of the fellowship of His people.
In reaction to Moses’ disobedience, the Lord sought to kill him on the road to Egypt, probably by the hand of an angel. This must have been very surprising to Moses because God had just recently conversed with him so intimately. But when we disobey God, not only with sins of commission but of omission, we will be disciplined by Him. This discipline will not be punitive, but it will be designed for the correction of His children. Sometimes that correction can be rather harsh, as it was in Moses’ case.
Why was Moses’ sin so serious? To answer this question, we must remember that circumcision was a sign of the covenant, the promise God had made to Abraham, the symbol of the promise that God remembered when He heard the groaning of His enslaved people. For Moses to neglect the seal of the covenant was to undervalue the covenant itself. If Moses was not willing to seal and ratify the covenant with the sign of circumcision, his commitment to the covenant was highly suspect. Could such a man who questioned the promise of God be trusted to lead His people from bondage? Those who abuse or neglect God’s ordinances are sick and weak, and some have even fallen asleep (1 Cor. 11:30).
Zipporah, fearful for her husband’s life, circumcised her son, most likely in anger. She was fearful and probably disapproved of the “ritual.” She even called Moses “a bloody husband” because he obliged her to circumcise the child. Many scholars assume that it was because of this controversy and obvious resentment on Zipporah’s part that Moses sent her back to Midian, needing to be free from all hindrances as he entered Egypt. But despite Zipporah’s motives and attitude, God did use her to bring Moses back into the way of obedience. Through her, God showed mercy to Moses and reminded him that disobedience can result in death.
1 Corinthians 11:17–34. The Lord’s Supper is a sacrament (a sign and seal of God’s promises) of the new covenant. How serious is it to treat this sacrament properly? Compare Paul’s warning to today’s passage in Exodus. To neglect or abuse the Supper can result in death. How seriously do you take this sacrament?
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