So I've been reading through Exodus (in the Bible) and I read this story today that...well it is hard to describe. I grew up in the church and so I am very familiar with most Biblical stories. Somehow though this one never made it to Sunday school. Exodus 4:24 - 28. Here is a paraphrase from the R.O.B. translation. Moses and his wife and son are on there happy little way back to Egypt. Moses has been told, by God, to lead the Israelites out of slavery, away from Egypt, and into the Promise Land. Right before they get there the Bible says that God met Moses and was about to kill him (do what?). His wife then takes a flint knife, drops her sons draws (his pants), and circumcises him (are you kidding me). She then throws the circumcised flesh at Moses (gag nasty and uncalled for in my opinion). Then his wife fusses at him and God leaves him alone. The very next sentence they are back on there happy little way. Read it for yourself it is crazy!
A couple of thoughts about this verse...
1. Moses was a great man of God...you don't hear much about his wife, but this story shows that he had a great wife who stepped into action.
2. God is not to be messed with. It doesn't matter what vision you think God has for you if you are not willing to come under His authority He will use someone else. Moses was God's man, who was called by God to do a very specific task. And yet in a moment God was going to take Him out because he wasn't willing to submit to God's authority. God had directed Moses to circumcise his son and for some reason Moses didn't . The symbol of circumcision showed that the Israelites were separated from everyone else. Moses didn't obey and God disciplined him for it.
3. God disciplines those that He loves. Hebrews 12:10-12 is clear that God disciplines those that He loves. It sucks, but it shows how much God loves us. Think about this if you didn't discipline your kids it would show that you didn't care about them. If you just let them do whatever they wanted and never set up consequences then your actions would say that you don't care about your kids. It is because you care about your kids that you discipline them. That is why parents always say "this hurts me more than it hurts you". It's the same with God.
4. God's grace is always bigger than our mistakes. God still used Moses to do a great work. This wasn't Moses first mistake and it wouldn't be his last. God still loves us and uses us despite our sin.
Side note: (for those of you still reading this) Don't go blaming every bad thing that happens to you on your sin. We don't know why every bad thing happens to us. Monica and I had a miscarriage last year and I don't think that was God disciplining us. You will have hard times and not every difficulty is because of sin. I don't think that God is out to get us, but there are consequences to our sin. Thank God that He is faithful to forgive us!
Funny, I don't recall that story at all, I'll have to go back and read it. When was circumcission even instituted? I thought it was after the Exodus.
ReplyDeleteThink about it Rob, if you had a grown son, would you circumcise him? I mean, it would have to be a literal voice of God heard multiple times... a vision, dream, or burning bush particularly if it's only once is NOT going to be enough to convince me that God actually wants me to cut my grown son's winky (I might just be dehydrated and hallucinating or just going crazy from being in the dessert for so long). Is his son bigger than he is? His son is probably not going to be happy about this, it's not like they can put him under for the operation. I don't know that I would do it.
Bottom line is, I don't know that his wife was being more Godly, she just had a stronger stomach.
Good blog, I don't recall this story.