Exodus 4:24-26 (NKJV)
And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the LORD met him and sought to kill him. 25 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!” 26 So He let him go. Then she said, “You are a husband of blood!”—because of the circumcision.
I don’t know about you, but for me, this passage always left me feeling so confused for years.
God just called Moses at the burning bush and sent him to tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go!” and now God turns on Moses and wants to kill him?! It also seems like Moses’s wife, Zipporah, wanted to kill Moses too!
It naturally raises uncomfortable, vulnerable questions: Is God actually trustworthy? How can you trust someone who seems willing to turn on you at a moment’s notice? It’s no surprise this passage is often used as ammunition for skeptics and atheists. On the surface, it looks unpredictable or even cruel.
So what happens when a son is circumcised? Bloodshed.
It was the blood of the son, given for Moses, that satisfied the wrath of God. 🤯
Exodus 4:27 – And the LORD said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.
The moment the wrath of God was satisfied, God’s blessing and restoration immediately poured upon Moses.
That is our story, too.
The wrath of God was upon us just the same because of our sin, but through the spilled blood of God’s Son, Jesus, His wrath passed over us. Therefore, we receive God’s great blessing of His Spirit through Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, – Ephesians 1:3
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. – Romans 5:10