A lesson from Moses' wife

Call it my obsessive nature or whatever you want; when something gets stuck in my head, I can't let go. Exodus 4:24-26 is one of those "things". 

 On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death.  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!” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision

 

If you aren't familiar with Exodus, I need to let you know that this passage is like a weird disjointed "oh and by the way" kinda thing. Previously, the Lord tells Moses how things are going to go down when he goes before Pharaoh. Immediately following, Aaron and Moses are reunited. My initial thoughts are really no more than "Where did THAT come from?" I mean, what on earth did Moses do that God was suddenly trying to kill him and WHY isn’t it recorded?

 

So I did a little research…

 

I was surprised to find a LOT of commentary on this strangely placed passage. The majority of commentaries say that Zipporah (Moses' wife) didn't like the practice of circumcising baby boys when they are 8 days old. Her "people" have the custom of circumcising at puberty as a passage to manhood or prior to marriage. It seems that she went along with circumcising the older son, but not the younger. According to everything I read, Moses tried to "keep the peace at home" and postponed the younger son's circumcision...and went against God's direct command to circumcise his son at the time dictated by God. This angered God. Some commentaries say that Moses got sick. Others say that the word used here is the same as the word used when God wrestled with Jacob. Either way, Moses' life was in danger. He was helpless to rectify the situation.  Zipporah circumcises the boy but she does not refrain from letting Moses know that she is none too happy about the whole thing.

 

There is the whole lesson here for Christians on the danger of marrying a non-believer (but that is a post for another day). The message I want to drive home today goes something like this...

 

God chose Moses to lead His people. Moses loved and followed God, but his wife followed other gods. She pitched a fit when it came time to circumcise the younger son, so Moses chooses to pacify her and postpone son's circumcision....thus cutting himself off from the nation of Israel (and God). So, God being God, gives Moses a lesson in obedience. In true "Lord of All Creation" style, God gives the unsubmissive wife the responsibility of making things right. In the end, she obeys God, saves Moses, and...you know the rest of the story.

 

How does this apply to you and your marriage? Do you help or hinder your husband when it comes to following God’s commands?

 

I believe that God gave me a great responsibility when He gave me the preacher. I have known men whose ministries/lives/careers were richer, fuller and more fruitful because of their wife's support... and I have witnessed wives completely destroy their husbands. Therefore, I am excited to have this very vivid example of what can happen when a wife demands her husband choose between making her happy and making God happy....

and I am certain that it applies to ALL wives and not just pastor-wives.

 

Pray with me?

Father God, thank you for all the ways I am different from my husband, and for all the ways he is different from me. I believe that you created us exactly as you intended and that we are meant to complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Help me to be a godly wife. Help me to always point my family to you. Give me the courage to be submissive to my husband’s leadership, trusting always that You are guiding him. Fill my heart so that I can give him the love, encouragement, and respect he needs to succeed. Help me to be the wife you created me to be.

Amen

 

 

The Answer to Your Restless Soul

 

There is a restless longing for “something” born deep within us. Jenner is not the first, nor will he be the last, to go to extremes in his search for something to quiet the restlessness of the soul. I've done it. So have you.  Some turn to alcohol; some choose drugs. For some, sex seems to quiet the longing for that elusive “something.” Some look to money and social status to make them feel secure. Some turn to plastic surgery, thinking that a nip here and a tuck there will make the restlessness go away and others feel like everything will be “okay” if they have a new marriage, a new job, a new location. And…some feel like everything will be “okay” if they have a new identity, even a new body.
 

So this is not a post about Jenner. It is a post about all of us, for we all know the restlessness of the soul. What is that restlessness?
 

It is something deep within us that says “there is something better just out of your reach”.
 

It is a lie that has been around since the Garden of Eden, when Satan told Eve, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  Sounds good, yes? And Satan was telling the truth. She did not fall dead immediately. She did know good and evil. What Satan did NOT tell her was “but that won’t make things better for you; Your soul will die. You will know evil. You will suffer. You will be restless because you will be separated from God.”   Sin looks wonderful until you are so deep into it that you can no longer breathe.

 

Satan lied in the Garden of Eden and he still lies today. His lies work so well that he has had no need to change them in all that time. He still twists the truth. He still whispers to your heart, “There is something better just out of your reach.”  That “something” he offers is death wrapped in a beautiful package. Just ask the person caught in an affair, the drug addict, the prostitute, the alcoholic. I doubt they would have chosen to believe the lie Satan lured them with if they could have seen where it would ultimately take them.
 

I know that peace is found in Christ. All of scripture points to this, but I also know it to be true from my own experience.  I searched for “something” for years and every “something” I reached for only left me emptier and longing for more. That is, until I met Christ.

 

 

 

What do you long for?

What comes to mind when you think, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence”?

Have you gone to Christ with the longing restlessness in your heart?

Christ alone quieted the restlessness in my soul. I can’t explain how. All I can say is that He will do the same for you.

 

 

Pray with me? 

Father God, You know the things I long for. You know the restlessness in my soul. Cover me with your love. Draw me close to you. Quiet the aching in my heart for “more”. Satisfy my thirst. Reveal yourself to me in real and tangible ways. Let me know that you are a very real and present force in my life.

Amen