God is picky
“The Lord met Moses at a resting place on the way, and was about to kill him.” -Exodus 4:24
There is a random verse in Exodus as Moses is going to Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery which is quite amazing. Moses and his wife Zipporah are staying at a resting place. Exodus 4:24 states that God met Moses, and was about to kill him for not circumcising his son.
“At a resting 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. ‘She said, ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood for me.’ So God left him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.) – Exodus 4: 24-26
Now, this is when Moses was rescued from the Nile as a baby and was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and he was saved from death. This happened when he killed a man who was torturing another Hebrew and he was exiled from Egypt, but the second time he was saved from death. And, this is when he spent 40 years in the wilderness as a shepherd, and when God called him from the burning bush and asked him to free the Israelites. This is also when Moses rejected the offer and God told him that his brother Aaron would help him. God still wanted him to do this. But here, now, God is ready to kill him. What to say??
Circumcision was a fundamental element of faith for a Hebrew. It was a sign of the covenant between the Israelites and God. What does this mean for us? Often if we don’t understand the basics, God can’t use us for His purposes. If we fail to love others, if we fail to respect authority, if we fail to see value in promises, if we fail to see value in worship and sacrifice – all of these things can discredit us from being used by God. This does not mean that He cannot redeem our lives through His Son when we ask for forgiveness. However, it does mean that God will not compromise. He wants us to submit to His will for our lives. But often we need the people closest to us who know us well to help us on this journey, just as Zipporah, Moses’ wife, helped him.
Is there anything that you feel might disqualify you from what God has called you to do? It often takes someone else’s help to help us see perspective in areas where we are lacking. Ask God to surround you with trustworthy people to help you on your journey. God wishes that we get success in it!
