1. When Someone Steps In
In 1981, during the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan, a Secret Service agent named Tim McCarthy instinctively stepped between the president and the gunman. McCarthy spread his arms and took a bullet that would likely have struck Reagan in the chest. McCarthy later said he didn’t have time to think about it. Training and instinct took over—his job was to step in when someone else was in danger. That moment illustrates the essence of intercession. Someone stands between danger and another person. Spiritually speaking, that is exactly what happens in Exodus 4. Moses was in danger of God’s judgment—but someone stepped in.
2. Mediation or Intercession is a unique privilege – 1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
3. When we pray for others, we become part of God’s chain of command.
I. A Dangerous Neglect: Moses and the Covenant (Exodus 4:24)
“At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met him and sought to put him to death.”
A. God’s Response to Moses’ Neglect
1. This is one of the most shocking passages in Scripture.
2. God had just called Moses to deliver Israel, but now God threatens to kill him.
3. The Problem was that Moses had neglected to circumcise his son.
4. Circumcision represented the Abrahamic covenant. Neglecting it would “cut off” the man from the community
(Genesis 17:10-14 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 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 throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”).
5. Ironically, the Lawgiver, Moses, was disobeying a fundamental command.
B. Several influences may have shaped Moses and caused his neglect:
1. Egyptian upbringing – Raised in Pharaoh’s palace with little covenant instruction.
2. Rejection by the Hebrews – After killing the Egyptian, he fled and became disconnected from his people.
3. Forty years in Midian – Living outside the covenant community.
4. A Midianite wife – Zipporah came from outside Abraham’s covenant, making his son technically belong to two worlds—Midianite through his mother, Hebrew through his father.
5. Moses had allowed cultural pressure to overshadow covenant obedience.
[A fire chief once said the most dangerous firefighter is not the one who fears the fire, but the one who forgets the rules meant to protect him. Moses was about to lead Israel—but he had neglected the very covenant he was sent to defend.
C. God does not overlook covenant responsibility because someone has a great calling. He holds them to a higher standard. (James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.)
II. A Surprising Intercessor: Zipporah Cuts In (Exodus 4:25)
“Then Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it.”
A. Zipporah’s Unexpected Actions:
1. She was a Midianite outside the covenant, yet she understood something Moses had neglected: God takes His covenant seriously.
2. She Offers a Blood Response: Circumcision was more than a ritual. It represented:
• Covenant belonging
• The cutting away of sin
• The promise of future redemption
B. Zipporah’s act became a blood offering that saved Moses’ life.
[During the American Revolution, when British troops captured Nathan Hale, the young patriot faced execution. His final words were famous: “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
Many patriots stepped forward to sacrifice for others. Zipporah did something similar spiritually. She stepped into the crisis and acted decisively, identifying with Israel rather than Midian. Her action saved Moses.
III. Mercy Experienced Produces Intercession (Exodus 32:11–14)
A. God Determined to Destroy Israel Because of the Golden Calf
B. Moses Interceded. Exodus 32:11–12 “Moses implored the LORD his God…”
1. As a shepherd and priest, Moses stood between God’s wrath and Israel.
2. Moses interceded because he had experienced mercy himself.
3. Thanks to Zipporah, Moses knew firsthand what it meant to be saved from judgment.
[People who survive a life-threatening situation often become passionate advocates for others.
Someone who survives cancer often spends their life helping others fight it. Someone who has been rescued from addiction often works to rescue others. Mercy experienced creates compassion expressed. Moses knew what it meant to be spared. So he pleaded for Israel.
IV. The Greater Intercessor: Jesus Christ
A. The story ultimately points forward.
1. Just as:
• Zipporah interceded for Moses
• Moses interceded for Israel
2. Jesus intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:25 “He always lives to make intercession for them.”
B. Jesus stands at the right hand of God, pleading our case.
1. But unlike Zipporah’s act or Moses’ prayer, Jesus offered His own blood.
2. The cross fulfilled the deeper meaning behind circumcision, the cutting away of sin through covenant blood.
[The Man Who Paid the Fine A famous story from early American jurisprudence involves Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia of New York. One night, he was presiding over night court when a poor man was brought in for stealing bread to feed his hungry family. The law required a fine. LaGuardia fined the man ten dollars—then immediately reached into his pocket, paid the fine himself, and passed the hat in the courtroom for the struggling family. The mayor upheld the law—but provided mercy. That is intercession. And that is exactly what Christ has done for us. Justice required payment. Mercy stepped in and paid for it.
V. Intercession and the American Spirit
Throughout the War for Independence, George Washington repeatedly interceded on behalf of his soldiers. During the brutal winter of 1777–1778 at Valley Forge, the Continental Army was close to collapse. Soldiers lacked food, proper clothing, and shelter. Disease was spreading, morale was low, and the future of the American cause looked uncertain. A Quaker farmer named Isaac Potts reportedly rode through the woods one day and came upon General George Washington alone in prayer beside his horse. Washington had knelt in the snow, pleading with God for help for the army and the young nation. Potts later told his wife that after hearing Washington pray, he had no doubt the cause of liberty would succeed because “the man who leads them kneels before God.” Whether every detail of the story can be historically verified or not, it reflects something that was undeniably true about Washington and many of the founders: they believed the survival of the nation depended on God’s mercy.
A. The American cause did not survive solely on military strength. It survived because leaders and citizens sought God’s help. Someone stood in the gap. History often turns on someone who steps in for others.
B. Spiritually, nations also depend on intercessors. 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people… humble themselves and pray… I will heal their land.”
C. America has always needed people willing to stand in the gap.
Practical Applications
1. Covenant obedience matters
• God takes seriously what He commands.
• Cultural pressures must never override biblical obedience.
2. Mercy received should produce mercy given
• When we remember what God has forgiven us, we become willing to pray for others.
3. Intercession changes outcomes
• Zipporah saved Moses. Moses saved Israel. Jesus saves us.
• And God still responds to faithful intercession.
4. Our nation needs intercessors
Political solutions alone cannot heal a nation.
History shows that renewal comes when people pray, repent, and return to God.
Final Challenge
Zipporah stepped in, and Moses lived. Moses stepped in, and Israel was spared. Jesus stepped in, and we were saved.
And now the question is this: Who is waiting for someone to step in for them?
God has blessed us with mercy, forgiveness, and grace, not so we can keep it to ourselves.
We are blessed to bless. We are saved to stand in the gap.
