How does Exodus 4:25 highlight the importance of obedience to God's covenant? Setting the scene • Moses is en route to Egypt after his burning-bush commissioning (Exodus 4:18-23). • Suddenly, “the LORD confronted Moses and was about to kill him” (Exodus 4:24). • The crisis centers on Moses’ failure to circumcise his younger son, disregarding the covenant sign given to Abraham (Genesis 17:10-14). The covenant sign of circumcision • God declared, “Every male among you must be circumcised… it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you” (Genesis 17:10-11). • Neglecting this sign meant being “cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Genesis 17:14). • For the deliverer of Israel to ignore that sign would undermine his credibility and invite divine discipline. Zipporah’s decisive obedience • “But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched it to Moses’ feet. ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said” (Exodus 4:25). • Key observations: – Immediate action: no delay once the danger is recognized. – Personal cost: Zipporah performs a painful, messy rite herself. – Identification: touching the blood to Moses’ feet symbolically covers him under the covenant obligation he had neglected. Obedience averts judgment • “So the LORD let him alone” (Exodus 4:26). The moment the covenant requirement is met, the threat is lifted. • Parallel principle: “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). • God’s servants are accountable to walk in the light they possess; leadership never exempts from personal obedience. Lessons for us today • God’s covenants carry non-negotiable terms; obedience safeguards relationship and mission. • Delayed obedience endangers us and those around us. Moses’ whole family faced peril because he neglected a basic command. • God’s mercy allows a window for repentance, but He will act to uphold His covenant. • The outward sign pointed to an inward reality: “Circumcise your hearts” (Deuteronomy 10:16), ultimately fulfilled in Christ—“In Him you were also circumcised, in the removal of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ” (Colossians 2:11). • Genuine faith still expresses itself in wholehearted obedience: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). |
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