Extreme and Exigent Excision
| 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.) (Exodus4:24-26) |
But there's more to this story than meets the eye...
Moses had married a Midianite girl... When he arrived at Midian after fleeing from Pharaoh, he impressed the daughters of Jethro who were being bullied by the other shepherds. His exemplary show of chivalry resulted in extreme attraction between Moses and Zipporah and soon they were wed.
But the Israelites were the only nation that circumcised their boys at birth.
The other nations circumcised at puberty.
For the Israelites, circumcision was about belonging to God.
For the other nations, circumcision was about a rite of passage to manhood.
It seems Zipporah was extremely opposed to circumcision of babies and Moses gave in, not only to her but to the cultural pressure exerted by his Midianite family even though God had expressly instructed Abraham that his offspring should be circumcised as infants.
When Moses is at risk of death, Zipporah knows what the issue is.
Maybe she and Moses had had "exhaustive examinations" of the subject.
So, with a bit of picque and a degree of disapproval, Zipporah circumcises her son.
God relents, Zipporah understands the seriousness of the call and Moses realises he can't compromise.
So what's the point of this grim little encounter?
- When you're going to work for God, you need to have your own house in order.
- Moses had just encountered Holy God at the burning bush, but then he's too afraid to face his wife!
- Circumcision is about covenant. Covenant is about belonging to God. When Moses denied that covenant with God, God takes it seriously.
- It seems Zipporah starts to take God seriously at this point. She's not to happy about it here. "You're my bridegroom of blood" - but she does encounter the reality of God's holiness.
What do we exult in? God takes Covenant - that we belong to Him - seriously
What do we exalt God for? Although Zipporah has a tough learning curve, she seems to pass on her faith in God to her father Jethro who we see praising God and advising Moses in Exodus 18.
