0106 - What did it really take place in Exodus 4:24-26?

What did it really take place in Exodus 4:24-26?

Introduction

·       Exo 4:24-26 -> “At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision.”.

 

This excerpt has brought many doubts in virtue of the few information offered in these three verses. Many theories have been arisen trying to sort out this conundrum.

 

In order to clarify this, we need to pay attention carefully in each word, keeping always in mind that the Creator didn’t squander words and that, the words and expressions that we look on being more picayune are the most important.

First of all, who was circumcised?

Observe that it isn’t specified to whom the Creator met and sought to put to death. At first moment, everybody thinks that this is referring to Moses. Nonetheless, note the expression “the LORD met him”. If this is referring to Moses, this doesn’t add up. After all, in Exodus 4:22,23, the Creator was speaking with him (He already had met Moses).

 

Besides, who meets something (or someone) is seeking it. Why would the Creator seek Moses if, in all chapter 4, He is keeping in touch with Moses?

 

On the other hand, take a look at the following verses:

 

·       Jer 29:12-14 -> “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. *I will be found by you*, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”.

·       Isa 65:1 -> “I am inquired of by them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.”.

 

So, when somebody crave for finding Him, He allows to be found (in other words, He finds them). And who was seeking the Creator? Certainly, wasn’t Moses, once he came talking to Him throughout the chapter 4.

 

So, to figure out this, we need to analyze the previous verses:

 

·       Exo 4:22 -> “Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son,”.

 

·       Exo 4:23 -> “ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”.

 

Note that the Creator is talking about “firstborn”. This excerpt wasn’t put here in vain. So, in virtue of this, I believe that who was seeking the Creator was Gershom, Moses’ firstborn.

 

Still about the excerpt above, note that Exodus 4:22 shows the Creator specifying to Moses what to say to pharaoh. However, Exodus 4:23, although has something to do with what was to be said to pharaoh, is a direct reprehension to Moses.

 

So, paraphrasing Exodus 4:23, we get this: “and I say to you [Moses], “Let my son [Gershom] go [circumcising him] that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him [Gershom] go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son [Gershom].’”.

 

The uncircumcision was a hindering to the Creator approach of Gershom, inasmuch as:

 

·       Gen 17:14 -> “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” 

 

Gershom was with his covenant broken because Moses didn’t fulfill it in his life. If the Creator approached of Gershom, he should be put to death in virtue of His commandment (after all, the Creator can’t deny Himself overlooking His word – 2Tim 2:13).

 

But, there is other doubt:

Why didn’t Moses circumcised Gershom?

Let’s see what Stephan said about Moses?

 

·       Act 7:22 -> “And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.”.

 

Note that Moses was instructed in ALL the wisdom of the EGYPTIANS (and not in the wisdom of the Hebrews). All Moses’ time was dedicated to know about Egyptians’ wisdom. So, in the beginning, when he begot Gershom, he didn’t know about circumcision.

 

On the other hand, after Eliezer was born, in some moment, Moses found out about circumcision and circumcised Eliezer (I don’t know why Moses thought to circumcise Eliezer first).

 

After Moses circumcised Eliezer, Zipporah got very horrified and didn’t allow him to circumcise Gershom and began to see Moses as “a bridegroom of blood”. Now that she was obliged to circumcise Gershom personally, she saw that, with Moses, if she had more children, she would have to see this scene more times (perhaps it is for this that she didn’t have more children).

 

Whatever, the fact is that Zipporah got so angry with the circumcision of Eliezer that Moses didn’t have courage to circumcise Gershom in order not to displease his wife (hence he didn’t circumcise Gershom here).

You can be asking “how I know that Moses circumcised Eliezer”.

It’s good to observe that Zipporah circumcised only one child. If Moses didn’t have circumcised Eliezer, Zipporah should have to circumcised both.

 

Furthermore, observe the speaking of Zipporah: “*Surely* you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”. This word “surely” shows that this idea had passed in the mind of Zipporah previously and that, now, she had it confirmed.

Finally, why did the Creator act so harshly here?

Many people think that the chief problem here is the circumcision. If it was so, why didn’t we see the Creator, at no moment, chiding Moses for not carrying out the circumcision (or, at least, charging the fathers to do so) in the people that go out of Egypt:

 

·       Jos 5:4-7 -> “And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised. For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.”.

 

Why did the Creator would get angry about the uncircumcision of Gershom and would look over the circumcision of thousands and thousand of men? This doesn’t add up.

 

The problem, here, is that Moses was being commissioned to be leader of Israel (as if they were their people – their children – see Exodus 32:7) and, thus, he never could try to please someone instead of the Creator:

 

·       Joh 5:44 -> “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”.

·       Gal 1:10 -> “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”.

 

It’s good to recollect that Adam fell because he listened to the voice of his wife (Gen 3:17) and the brothers of Thyatira were rebuked because they listened to the teachings of Jezebel (Rev 2:20).

 

So, Moses should be guided only by what the Creator said, regardless if His commandment would displease someone (including himself and his wife).