Word at Work July 21, 2014

Word at Work July 20, 2014
July 21, 2014
Word at Work July 23, 2014
July 23, 2014

Word at Work July 21, 2014

MONDAY, JULY 21
Scripture: Exodus 4:24-26

Verses 24-26 say, “And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him. 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!’ So He let him go. Then she said, ‘You are a husband of blood!’—because of the circumcision.” Verse 24 is enough to make anyone take a second look. Why would God go confront his very own agent of justice and seek to kill him? Why would God kill His very own chosen messenger? Moses was sent to execute covenant justice and he was disobedient and not walking in covenant himself. God did not seek to kill him because of his kids so much as because of Zipporah. To Zipporah, the tradition of circumcision was an unnecessary bloody act that she did not agree with. But she did not institute the covenant, God did. And because Moses had not been willing to reconcile that issue, his children were in danger of dying in Egypt. That would have brought terrible reproach to God. Therefore the Lord confronted him over a tsed-aw-kaw issue. And Moses himself had to prepare to stand in the fire he was going to call down. So Moses had, out of neglect, violated the very first law of executing covenant justice. He could not stand in the fire so God met him to force obedience.