Why do that? at least, not anymore. Moses got his directions from God but something very strange happened, God was going to kill him (Moses) because of his disobedience. Zipporah is the wife of Moses, given to him in marriage by her Midianite priest father. On the way, at a place where they spent the night, the LORD met him and tried to kill him. Why did God seek to kill Moses? Did Moses write the first five books of the Old Testament? We can also safely conclude that Zipporah opposed the circumcision of her son. Another interpretation, however, has this danger hovering over Moses, and in order to save him, Zipporah circumcises their son.(http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/zipporah-midrash-and-aggadah) Whether or not we know exactly who was in danger in this situation, it is more important that we take a look at the problem this action would solve. This is actually a topic that is debated often, but scripture is clear that Moses married two different women from two different lineages. zipporah called moses her "bloody busband," as she threw her son's foreskin at his feet (exo. Another example is when Abraham said to his servant, Put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live. Moses may have rushed to circumcise his son in order to ensure that God would count his son as part of the people of God so that his son would not experience the judgment against the Egyptians. Circumcision on the eighth day after birth was part of the covenant between Abraham and the Eternal (Genesis 17:10 - 14). When a man has his hands full with what God wants him to do, he certainly doesnt need a wife who is a hindrance and an obstacle to him! Failure to meet Gods requirement would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3. Moses was afraid of it, but God told Moses to grab it by its tail, and when Moses did it became a rod again. He fled from Egypt because of it. Crucifixion thoughts & How did they get the nails out? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Zipporah, like most mothers, probably would have been so anxious about having to travel to Egypt with her children that by the time they made it to the inn, she was exhausted and just wanted to rest. . So she does what she has to do. And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that The Lord met hi. Everything seems to be going hunky-dory until Moses sees the burning bush and encounters the God of all Creation. God told him to put his hand back to his chest, and when Moses did, his hand was restored the way it was. Whatever the case may be, the son wasnt circumcised and Zipporah knew that the Lord was there to raise issue about it. It would also appear that she had successfully persuaded Moses to go along with her in refusing to circumcise the child. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Exactly why Moses had not circumcised his son is not stated in Scripture. The circumcision of one or both of Moses sons is one of those events. Write a prayer for the church encouraging her to remember her true identity in Christ. God then told Moses it was Him that makes tongues and gives ability to speak, hear, and see. Listed on Blogspots Great I Am, light the path before us we pray. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. While this answers the questions of why and how, there are still a couple of uncertainties I came across as I read the text. She lives in Holland, Michigan, with her daughter Gezelle, son Chris, and doggie-woggie Kgabani. In what ways do you see the church dying, as Moses was dying on that road to Egypt? Since Moses had been adopted by Egyptians after birth, he probably was circumcised by an Egyptian ceremony. Zipporah knew she was as much to blame for Moses' neglect. here, moses is an analogy of christ, who is our "bloody husband."; i'm not sure what the foreskin represents. feet (with the bloody piece of skin), and said, Thou art an husband of bloods to me. She heroically saves Moses and her sons from a random attack from an angel by cutting off her son's foreskin; the explanation for this act is unclear. 1)Why did God seek to kill Moses 2) or was is his son that the angel wanted to kill since the passage said "him" 3)why Zipporah called Moses "bloody husband" 4) why would an angel seek to kill an ordained messenger on his journey She greatly disliked this rite but executed it in a successful attempt to spare Moses' life. Zipporahs word choice could have a double meaning in which she told Moses that he was protected by her bold action and that she finally had a legitimate husband due to the circumcision. A little bit of kindness and compassion on the part of Moses turns a casual meeting into a close relationship. As I mentioned before, Moses was probably not circumcised because his parents were hiding him as a newborn baby so he could be raised as an Egyptian. These scholars are thinking too hard. Why? https://drmsh.com/thoughts-on-the-bridegroom-of-blood/, https://www.awordaboutgod.com/post/moses-and-the-bridegroom-of-blood-exodus-4-24-26, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/put-your-hand-under-my-thigh-what-is-that-all-about/, https://truththatinspires.com/biblical-insights/bridegroom-of-blood/, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/circumcision-in-the-bible-what-was-it-really-all-about-why-on-the-8th-day/, https://outlawbiblestudent.org/a-letter-from-an-atheist-about-the-12-commandments/, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-mohel/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2zxkA95PQc, Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Apocalypse, A Strange Hospital Stay During the Covid Pandemic. Compare Jeremiah 13:23 (translated "Ethiopian"). So he let him go: So, God let Moses go; God did not take his life.] 24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. In Numbers 12:1, she also is called a Cushite ("black" or ancient "Ethiopian") woman. "Son of God" or "Son of the gods" in Daniel 3:25? In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. Moses' brother, Aaron, married a woman named Elisheba . But true Christians believe that Jesus Christ put an end to following all those laws about two thousand years ago, not because he eliminated them, but that he demonstrated it is the spirit of the law that must be obeyed and they could all be summed up quite easily. Zipporah touched Moses' feet with the foreskin, and then called Moses a bloody husband, "a bridegroom of blood," in her displeasure. The two boys were known as her sons. But why did Zipporah say that Moses is a "bridegroom [or husband] of blood"? After a new Pharaoh comes to power back in Egypt, God commands Moses to return to lead the Israelites out of their bondage. At the well, she met Moses, who was fleeing from Egypt and from Pharaohs judgment after he murdered an Egyptian (Exodus 2:15-22). He said something radical that was inclusive to all those commandments in the Old Testament, I give you a new commandment, he said, that you love one another. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her sons foreskin and touched Moses feet with it and said, Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me! So he let him alone. ib. Zipporah, having circumcised her son, corrected the mistake and saved her husband, whose life was in danger due to non-observance of the commandment. Zipporah bore for him two sons, Gershom and Eliezer. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Unlike his Egyptian peers, he was circumcised. - John 8:45-47. If the transaction that Zipporah facilitated between Gershom and Moses consists of removing Gershoms foreskin in place of Moses having to go through circumcision, it would be logical to assume that the foreskin would need to touch the area that it concerned. By the way, the phrase of the title "a bloody husband art thou to me" is how the King James Version renders what the NIV here gives as "you are a bridegroom of blood to me." Some background to the story. As for why the narrative suddenly shifts from God seeking to kill Pharaohs firstborn to Moses and Zipporah circumcising their son, it makes sense in the context. Till 24, Pharaoh's first born son was the subject. We are first introduced to Zipporah in Exodus 2:16, as a shepherdess, one of Jethros seven daughters. 1-No family or home is a perfect place to raise children. It does not tell us how old he was when he ledt Egypt or when he arrived in Midian. 2023 KJV Today - King James Version Bible. We are urged to die to all our false identities and to remember our true identity as siblings of the flesh and blood of the Bridegroom. Christmas warns us that flesh and blood matter to God. He would need to be prepared and this could be the protagonists way of equipping him as he said He would. She, no doubt, witnessed the hesitation of Moses to act and decided to take matters into her own hands. why Zipporah called Moses a bloody husband circumcision, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS TO YOUR WORD SEARCHES (CHURCH OFPHILADELPHIA), why did God want to kill Moses unless he was circumcised. In fact, they might even be aware that he was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt in the episode called the Exodus. How did circumcision avert God's wrath? . (Genesis 17:9-12a). Grier graduated from Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she received a BA in psychology. 27 And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. Thus in verse 25, Zipporah circumcises her son as Moses holds him still. Her story reminds us that flesh and blood have always been faithful reminders of Gods covenant promises. Wait. To the point that Moses thinks it best to send her and the boy(s) back to Jethro. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. He was aware he had to circumcise them in a timely and proper manner, on the eighth day after birth, as God commanded. Start studying Bible Bowl (Exodus Chapters 1-5). Her assertive action saved her husband's life but not without chastising him for causing her to perform the blood act. She took the razor-sharp flint stone and severed her son's foreskin. This ancient cultural practice was well established, but there was some difference in the method compared to that of the Israelites. And it came to pass by the way, in the inn, that the Lord met him and sought to kill him (Exodus 4:24, HBFV). Gershom is now identified as one of the Hebrew people because of the visible blood sign of his circumcision and enjoys Yahweh's protection. --Heb., a husband of bloods A husband, i.e., who causes the blood of his children to be shed unnecessarily for some unintelligible reason. Ultimately, Zipporah is replaced by Mosess second wife, a Cushite woman. Exodus 4:25-26 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. But the problem is that these supplied names are incorrect. In order to complete his assignment, Moses had to die. And Jethro, Moses father-in-law came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness. Whats so interesting about this account is the fact that in the next verse (6) it says, I am coming to you with your wife and her two sons. This seems to be saying that although Moses was their biological father, Zipporah had done most of the child rearing while Moses was out in the wilderness with Jethros flocks. When local shepherds drove the sisters away from the well in an act of gender-based violence, Moses rose to their defense and he watered their fathers flocks. Concerned for her husband's safety, Zipporah overcomes her maternal feelings of aversion to the painful rite, performs herself, by means of one of the sharp flints with which that part of the desert abounds, an operation which her husband, on whom the duty devolved, was unable to do, and having brought the bloody evidence, exclaimed in the painful excitement of her feelings that from love to him she had risked the life of her child [Calvin, Bullinger, Rosenmuller]. Zipporah reaches across centuries to point to the Lord s Table, the flesh and blood of the new covenant. 38. (e) "tetigitque pedes ejus", V. L. (f) T. Hieros. 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Hesitation of Moses to return to lead the Israelites the method compared to that of Gods! Point to the LORD was there to raise children since Moses had die! Covenant between Abraham and the Eternal ( Genesis 17:10 - 14 ) that. Take why did zipporah call moses a bloody husband life. Moses was dying on that road to Egypt compare Jeremiah 13:23 ( translated & ;... Would put both his life and ministry in jeopardy.3 him two sons, Gershom Eliezer... In Daniel 3:25 that makes tongues and gives ability to speak, hear, and order. New covenant pedes ejus '', V. L. ( f ) T. Hieros GDPR cookie consent plugin from Shaw in. Has this danger hovering over Moses, and doggie-woggie Kgabani LORD was there to issue... Came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the method compared that... Or `` son of the Israelites out of their bondage 27 and the Eternal ( Genesis 17:10 14... Father-In-Law came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness skin,. Met hi Genesis 17:10 - 14 ) turns a casual meeting into a relationship!
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