Before we get into the message, I want to mention an opportunity we have in this season. Tomorrow, September 6th at sunset begins the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah). That also launces the annual Ten Days of Awe on the Jewish calendar which culminates on September 16th with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This ten-day period is set aside on the calendar as a time of reflection and repentance for God’s people. It is an excellent time for us to join with millions of others is examining our own lives, humbling ourselves with prayer and fasting, and turning from anything in our lives that might be offensive to the Lord.
During the last two years the world has be hit hard with the coronavirus plague. Millions have died. When a plague like this comes, God has given instruction in his word as to how we should respond. We should continually come back to God’s instruction on the matter and make sure we are doing that. What is that instruction? The answer to the plague is repentance on the part of God’s people. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 God says, “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV).i That is the scriptural way to deal with COVID-19. But our nation has not done that. Some have, but by and large the response has not been this turning from evil to God.
Instead, our national leaders have manufactured their own solution—a vaccine which they offer as the savior we need to solve the problem. So far it has not solved the problem, and I don’t believe it will solve the problem. I am not a scientist, and I can not tell you which expert is right about the science. It is clear that their opinions differ significantly. Neither argument is persuasive enough to persuade the other side. That in itself ought to give us pause. I am cautious about injecting something in my body that even the experts cannot agree on its effect.
My primary concern with the vaccine revolves around the idolatrous way it is presented as the answer. Instead of turning to God as our Savior, our nation has lifted up its own idol as the answer. I believe that will prove to be a grave mistake. Could God use a vaccine to bring a solution to our problem. Of course, He could. But that is not the way it is being presented. God is being left out of the conversation. Instead, man is arrogantly saying he has developed the answer. But when God sends a judgment, it is not that easy to resolve on our own.
When God was calling Israel to repentance, they too sought their own solutions rather than turning to God. The prophet Amos confronted Israel about their unwillingness to repent. He told them how inadequate their solutions would be. Amos 5:19: “It will be as though a man fled from a lion, And a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, Leaned his hand on the wall, And a serpent bit him!” Our solution of printing money in the trillions of dollars is already producing serious inflation. We have run from a lion, but we’re running into a bear. If God is calling for repentance, we will not solve the problem without repentance.
But the next ten days is an excellent opportunity for God’s people to humble ourselves, pray, and turn from our wicked ways. As I recently taught, we are not legalistically required to observe the Old Testament feast days (Acts 15).ii But we are free to observe a day as unto the Lord, and what better time to do than a day God has specified in Scripture. Even though Paul opposed the legalistic keeping of the Mosaic law (Col. 2:16), he voluntarily celebrated feasts such as the Passover in Acts 18:21.iii In Romans 14:5-6 Paul wrote, “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” Based on that liberty, I encourage you to use the Ten Days of Awe as a time of personal reflection and repentance.
Last week we ministered from Exodus 3 on the unexpected event that occurred in Moses’s life at the burning bush. God had that moment planned for Moses, but it came as a surprise to him. It marked the beginning of a whole new season in Moses’s life. We do not know what the future holds (James 4:15). Therefore, we must trust the Lord to order our steps in his love and wisdom (Ps. 37:23). The burning bush incident was an unexpected event in Moses’s life.
Today we will examine another unexpected event that is recorded in Exodus 4. God has told Moses to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh. Our text occurs as Moses is on his way. Exodus 4:24-26 says, “And it came to pass on the way, at the encampment, that the Lord met him [Moses] and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, ‘Surely you are a husband of blood to me!’ 26 So He let him go. Then she said, ‘You are a husband of blood!’ — because of the circumcision.”
This is UNEXPECTED. Not only does the event comes as a surprise to Moses, but it comes as a surprise to us as we read the story. Moses is doing what God told him to do. He is on his way to Egypt in obedience to what God said at the burning bush. Surprisingly, on his way, “the Lord met him and sought to kill him.” Ponder that statement. If it had said, “The devil met him and sought to kill him,” I would not have been surprised. When we are doing the will of God, the devil does oppose us. We can see that in Jesus’s ministry. We can see it in Paul’s ministry. And we experience it in our own lives. But this is not the devil trying to kill Moses. The text says the Lord sought to kill him.
We are not told how God sought to kill him. Most commentaries conclude from the story that Moses was struck with some debilitating illness, since Zipporah had to conduct the circumcision. That would have normally been Moses’s responsibility. But he was probably too sick to do it.
But this is the most godly man alive. This is God’s chosen vessel. He is doing what his is told to do. Why would God seek to kill him? What is going on here?
First, Moses’s is going as a REPRESENTATIVE of God. Everything he does reflects on who God is. When God raises a person up in leadership, He entrusts authority to that person. But with that authority comes responsibility. As Christians we all represent Christ to the world. Every Christian is accountable for that responsibility. But there is a more intense scrutiny on leadership because the example has a greater impact on others. That’s why James says, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). Moses is sent to lead the whole nation of Israel into God’s purposes. Any error in him will be duplicated in his followers. God cannot simply overlook the problem.
It is a serious thing to represent God. Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, represented God as priests. They misrepresented God when they made an offering with unauthorized fire (Num. 3:4). It cost them their lives. Someone might say, “But that is the God of the Old Testament; the God of the New Testament wouldn’t do that.” Tell that to Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). Read the book of Revelation and tell me the God of the New Testament does not pour out His wrath on those who oppose Him. It was Jesus who said, “. . . do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
Moses has not obeyed the rite of CIRCUMCISION. That was a serious problem. Circumcision was the essential sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. In delivering Israel, God was affirming His covenant with Abraham, sealed by the rite of circumcision. Everything God was about to do for the nation of Israel rested on His covenant with Abraham. Everything Moses was to announce was based on God’s covenant with Abraham. Circumcision was commanded by God as an affirmation of that covenant relationship.
In Genesis 17 God affirmed his covenant with Abraham and sealed it with the rite of circumcision. In Gen 17:7-14 God said to Abraham, “‘And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’ 9 And God said to Abraham: ‘As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. 13 He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.’”
So here is the problem with Moses that cannot be overlooked. By not circumcising his own son, Moses has failed to honor that covenant. He had failed to obey the command God had given to Abraham and his descendants. This neglect of duty seriously misrepresents the holiness of God. God must correct it so that Israel is not misled by Moses’s example.iv Circumcision is central in Abrahamic Covenant and it will be central in the Mosaic Covenant. In Romans 2:25-29 Paul explains why physical circumcision is no longer required under the New Covenant. That physical ritual was a shadow of the spiritual transformation in the New Covenant that is referred to as circumcision of the heart. But in Moses’s day it was the most important sign of the Abrahamic covenant passed on to the nation of Israel.
We know from the text (Ex. 4:25) that the issue revolved around only one of the two sons. That was probably the youngest, Eliezer (Ex. 18:2-4).v
Given Zipporah’s anger when the deed was done, we can infer that she had resisted the rite—that it had probably been a controversy in the home—and that Moses had failed to implement the rite in capitulation to Zipporah. After performing the circumcision, Zipporah threw the foreskin at Moses’s feet and said, “You are a husband of blood!” Operating out of a carnal mind, she was repulsed by rite of circumcision and was angered by Moses’s insistence that it be done. She cuts away the foreskin, throws it at Moses’s feet as if to say, “There, it is done!” Then she lashes out at him with some name calling, “You are a husband of blood!” Some commentators try to put a positive spin on Zipporah’s action, but the whole of the story argues against that.vi Her attitude disqualified her from going with Moses to initiate the deliverance of Israel. She was proving to be more of a hinderance than a help. And Moses had to send her back to Jethro’s house.
Notice God sought to kill Moses, not Zipporah. Moses is God’s designated leader in that home. He is responsible to lead it in the right direction. God works through authority channels. And he holds those in authority as responsible for those they lead. That’s why as a pastor, I can’t just go along with people to get along. I am responsible to speak the truth in love. I am responsible to lead in the direction of that truth. Whether people follow is their choice. But I must exercise the lead to the best of my abilities in submission to the word of God.
Husbands, you are in the same situation as the leader of your household. You have been assigned the lead. You must lead. Do it with love. Do it, based on the authority of Scripture. Do it unselfishly. But if you abdicate the lead to others, you will still be held accountable.
God is sending Moses to pronounce judgment on Egypt. But before Moses is qualified to do that, God must judge Moses.
Here is a BIBLICAL PRINCIPLE that every Christian needs to understand: JUDGMENT BEGINS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD with God’s people first. There is a huge judgement about to fall on Egypt. After 400 years, someone might say, “It’s about time.” But in our text we see God severely chastening his own representative before he executes judgment on the wicked. Peter states this principle in his first epistle (1 Pet. 4:17-18). “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?”
Disobedience in the matter of circumcision almost cost Moses his life. What turned the judgment around? The solution was repentance in the thing God was correcting. Moses’s healing came as soon as he did what God was requiring him to do. That’s generally the way solutions to problems come, whether at an individual level or a national level.
Just as God addressed the wickedness of Egypt in Moses’s day, He will address the wickedness of America in our day. But judgment begins at the house of God. There may be some discipline come our way first so that we are not partakers of the more severe judgment coming on the wicked. As Christians experiencing oppression from misguided, ungodly leadership, we are tempted to desire God’s judgment to fall on that. But we must be careful to keep our own house in order first. We must not get so focused on the speck in the eyes of others that we fail to deal with the beam in our own eye (Matt. 7:3). Judgment begins with God’s own people. Correction came to Moses. God brought him through it. But it was a rough experience. I want to be quick to humble myself before the Lord and correct everything that needs correcting—because the quicker I correct the issue, the quicker the judgment ends.
In 1 Corinthians 11:30 Paul talked about sickness and premature death among Christians. Then he tells us how to avoid that. “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” The best route for every one of us is to judge our own sin and put it out of our lives, so that God doesn’t have to correct it with His judgments. There is judgment coming on America and perhaps the whole world. We want to get our own house in order before the full weight of that judgment comes—" that we may not be condemned with the world.”
There is something about the NATURE OF GOD revealed in Moses’s experience that should get our attention. A sentimental, indulgent God is being preached from many pulpits this morning. It is not the God of the Bible. It is a God of man’s own liking and own making. The story in the text today reveals a side of God that many people deny. That’s one reason you have probably never heard a sermon on this passage. It confronts and disturbs a false concept of God. But God is not to be trifled with. He loves us so much that He gave His own Son for our salvation. (John 3:16). But His corrections can be severe. That’s one reason we want to walk softly and humbly before Him.
We can avoid a lot of painful correction in life by simply doing what God tells us to do. When we fail, we are quick to repent. We are attentive to what He tells us to do. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10). After issuing several warnings in the book of Hebrews, the writer concludes in chapter 12:28-29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.” There is a level of respect we give to God that produces obedience in our lives and keeps us under His protection and blessing.vii
After setting forth the principle in 1 Peter 4:17 that “judgment to begin at the house of God,” Peter poses two questions: “if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” The NIV says, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" If God is discipling Moses with this kind of severity, what is going to be like for those who set themselves in rebellion against Him. After discussing God’s dealings with His people Israel, Paul tells his readers in Romans 11:22, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness.” It’s easy to preach on the goodness of God. But we must also consider the “severity of God.”
I have experienced some pretty rough corrections from God in my life. It was coming from God as my loving Father. It was administered for my ultimate good (Heb. 12:10). It has taught me to pay attention when He speaks.viii It has taught me, as it did Jonah, to obey and go in the direction He tells me to go. It has helped me understand how to relate to Him as His child. On the one hand I rest in the confidence of His loving care toward me.ix I know He always has my best interest in mind. On the other hand, I don’t presume upon that goodness. I respect His authority and I do what He tells me to do.x
If God’s correction of His own children can be severe, what about the ungodly? What about those who defy God’s commandments and give Him no respect (Ps. 36:1). “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” says the writer of Hebrews (10:31).
The GOOD NEWS of the gospel is that no one has to experience the eternal judgment of God! On the cross Jesus bore the punishment we deserve. Jesus suffered the wrath of God we deserve. When we humble ourselves and submit ourselves to His authority, we receive favor with God that Jesus earned for us. It comes as a free gift of grace. The gospel is good news because it is God’s avenue of escape from deserved judgement. It is God’s way of salvation. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
Have you surrendered your life to Christ? Have you placed your trust in His sacrifice for you? Have you received the forgiveness of sin that He provided by His death on the cross? If you cannot say yes to those questions, now is the time to throw yourself at His feet and ask for mercy. If you do that, He will receive you. He will forgive you. He will make you His very own child (John 1:12). If you need to do that, I invite you to pray this prayer with me right now. Ask Him for His mercy and forgiveness. Turn your life entirely over to Him.
PRAY:
Dear God, I am sorry for my sins. I need your mercy and forgiveness. I turn my life over to You. I ask you to come into my heart and cleanse me. Wash away the filth of my sins. Make me Your child. Jesus, I receive you right now as my Lord and Savior. I put my trust in You. Thank you for hearing my prayer and taking over my life. Amen.
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii See my sermon entitled “Should Christians Keep the Law (Part 2)” preached 7-18-21 available on YouTube and at www. SermonCentral.com.
iii Paul was probably referring to the Passover. However, the passage does not specify which feast Paul is referring to. See Ben Witherington III, The Ats of the Apostles: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988) 558.
iv We will not take time to expound God’s judgment on Moses in Numbers 20 reflecting this same principle of accountability. God had told Moses to speak to the rock (20:8) and the water would flow. In his anger Moses struck the rock twice. Numbers 20:12 declares Moses’s judgment for this act of disobedience. “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” In the NLT God says, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” This was the thing Moses longed for. The judgment seems severe in the context of all Moses’s obedience and in comparison to Israel’s sins of idolatry, unbelief, and complaint. But Moses was God’s representative, and the misrepresentation could not be ignored. Cf. Luke 12:47-48.
v Alfred Edersheim, Old Testament Bible History, vol. II (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1982) 257-58.
vi See The Moody Bible Commentary, 122 as quoting Umberto Cassuto, A Commentary of the Book of Exodus, 3rd ed. (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1967) 60. Meyer and Pink are correct in presenting it as I have in this teaching. Cf. F. B. Meyer, Devotional Commentary on Exodus (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1978) 80; Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Exodus (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981) 39-40. Also see Walter C. Kaisere, Jr., P. H. Davids, F. F. Bruce, M. T. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove: IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996) 139-140.
vii In contrast, the wicked do not fear God (Ps. 36:1; Rom. 3:18).
viii Cf. Ps. 32:9.
ix Cf. Heb. 4:16.
x Cf. Heb. 12:28.
