Moses Accountable for Zipporah’s Mistake? No exemption?

Exodus 4:24-26
(24) At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. (25) 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. (26) So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

Moses had accepted God’s command to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh to ensure Israelites are set free. Moses had convinced his father-in-law at Midian to release so that he can attend to the God-given assignment. This was going to be a long arduous assignment, therefore, Moses decided to go with his wife Zipporah and two children.

As they left Midian for Egypt, Moses pleaded with his wife Zipporah that they should circumcise their two boys as God requires. Failure to circumcise the boy is disobedience to God. Moses knew that we shouldn’t expect God to be with us and bless us when we are living in open rebellion against God. Many unanswered prayers are because those praying are living in open rebellion with God.

Asking for God’s guidance but openly avoiding worship. Praying for a financial breakthrough while returning erratic tithes and offerings. Praying for God’s blessings on the relationship while cohabiting and engaging in adultery and fornication. Pleading for a good future while visiting witch doctors. Living in open rebellion against God will surely drive blessings very far from us.

Zipporah for some reason did not agree with Moses’s suggestion to have the boy circumcised. God knew Moses was willing to do the circumcision. God knew that it is Zipporah who is to blame, yet God came for Moses! Moses was held accountable yet it was Zipporah’s mistake?

Genesis 3:17
To Adam he said, “BECAUSE YOU LISTENED TO YOUR WIFE and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life. (Emphasis in capital letters is mine)

As long as Moses delayed the circumcision it meant that Moses was more obedient to the voice of his wife than the voice of God. Zipporah was wrong to nag and push Moses away from God’s will. Zipporah was guilty. Moses was guilty of choosing his wife over God. Between God’s command and Zipporah’s nagging, Moses obeyed Zipporah. How did he obey Zipporah? Because unto this point of the story he hadn’t circumcised the boy as God expected.

God appears and goes straight to Moses with the intention to kill him. The mistake on the surface seems to be that of Zipporah only. We wonder why God doesn’t go ahead and kill Zipporah, but we now learn today that Moses was guilty of disobeying God. Zipporah disobeyed Moses but Moses disobeyed God.

Ezekiel 18:20
The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

Therefore, Moses is not about to die for Zipporah’s sins but for his own disobedience of God. Adam obeyed his wife Eve and ate the fruit she gave him, Genesis 3:6. Adam had an option to refuse to eat the fruit offered by his wife. But Adam obeyed the voice of his wife over that of God. Moses had an option to go ahead and forcefully circumcise his son and consequently annoy his wife but obey God. In fear of offending his wife, Moses disobeyed God. Moses was therefore going to die not for Zipporah’s sins as it seems but for his own sin of disobedience.

Acts 5:29
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!

Adam should not have been afraid of offending his wife Eve if that is what obedience to God called for. Moses should not have been afraid of offending his wife Zipporah if that is what obedience to God required. We must obey God rather than human beings! You should not fear offending your parents, children, spouse, neighbors, friends, bosses, etc. We must obey God even if we lose all these relationships as a result of obeying God.

Luke 18:29-30
(29) “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God (30) will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.”

If you lose significant relationships because of obeying God, you have nothing to fear, God will reward you with a much better deal. God could have provided a better lady than Eve for Adam if he hadn’t joined her in sin. God would have provided a better wife to Moses than Zipporah. God can provide you better peace and comfort than you get from friends and relatives. God can provide better financial security than is offered by the bosses. God rewards those who lose because of obeying Him.

Finally, we also observe that God was willing to quickly dispose of Moses because no one is exempt from obeying God. No one is too important that God can allow them to go on in sin because God has no option. Obedience has no exemption. God was ready to jeopardize the rescue mission in Egypt by killing Moses. No one is exempt from obeying God. Not you and not me!

Thank you, God, for reminding us that we are not exempt from your demands and requirements. Dear God, help us to completely obey you and be willing to lose relationships and everything in obedience to you. Bless us in all these, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

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