Well, it seems I had an off month in June, with only posting 7 post. Well, I'll try to do better in July! I have no vacations planned... so hopefully, I can get back into my routine.
Exodus 4:19 Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
21 The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. 22 Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son. 23 I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!”
Here scripture says that Israel is God's first born son, but scripture also says Jesus is God's only son (John 3:16). In this passage, Moses is instructed to let Pharaoh know just how precious and dear to God the people of Israel are. God is also portraying through Moses the severity of the actions he is willing to do if Pharaoh does not release the Israelites. The people of Israel are to me as you own first born son is to you. Yes, Jesus is God's only son, but here God is expressing his love for the Israelites in equating them to his true son. It can also seem to foreshadow our own relationships to God. We are his adopted children through the blood of Christ. God loves his adopted children just as much as his son, Christ.
Exodus 4:24 On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. 25 So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.
I read a few commentaries to figure out what was going on here. I was a little stumped. I get the fact that Zipporah circumcised their son, but I really did not understand verse 24. So, according to the commentaries, Moses had not circumcised his son. This was a big deal. We learned earlier, in Genesis, that the Lord had commanded all of his people (males only) to be circumcised on their eighth day of life as a sign of the covenant between Israel and God. Those who did not circumcise their children would be cut off from the people of Israel. If Moses did not circumcise his sons, then he would be cut off (killed) from Israel. He would no longer be worthy to be their savior from Egypt and the Lord would have found another.
Exodus 4:27 Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Here, the people of Israel are rejoicing because they know God has heard their grumbling and prayers. They did not say "Why did it take this long for God to finally free us?" They worshiped. They acknowledged the power of God in their midst and worshiped Him. We know that later on, they would complain about what God was doing, but for now, they are rejoicing and happy at what God is about to do for them.
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