36 – Zipporah
Exodus 4:19-30 18:2
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was lifeless, empty, and dark. Then the Spirit of God moved across the vast emptiness. He said, “Let there be light.” Suddenly light shone around the entire sphere of the earth! God looked at the light, and saw that it was good. Moses said to Jethro, his father-in-law, “I want to go back to Egypt to see if my family is still alive.” Jethro agreed and gave his blessings for the trip.
The Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Egypt. Those who were trying to kill you are now dead.”
So Moses made preparation for the journey. He then took his wife and sons and together they left Midian. He made sure he had God’s staff with him.
At the same time, God said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he left Egypt and headed towards Midian.
As Moses traveled, the Lord gave him instructions of what he was to do once he was back in Egypt. God said, “Do all the wonders I’ve given you, but don’t be surprised. Pharaoh won’t listen to you! I have hardened his heart, so he won’t let the people go willingly.
“Here is my message to him. ‘Israel is my firstborn son. You refuse to let my son go and worship me. Therefore, I’ll kill your firstborn son.’”
In the evening, Moses and his family made camp for the night. Suddenly the Lord attacked Moses because his sons weren’t circumcised. Quickly Zipporah jumped up and grabbed a knife. She circumcised her sons and threw their foreskins at the feet of her husband. With that, the Lord let Moses go.
Zipporah looked at all the blood and yelled at Moses, “You’re a bridegroom of blood to me!”
The next day, Moses saw Aaron coming toward him. The two brothers greeted one another with joy. Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had said. He told him about the signs God had given him, and what he was to do. Together they went back and gathered the elders of Israel.
Aaron stood before the people and told them what the Lord had said to Moses. He showed them the signs from God.
The people were amazed with what they heard and saw. They believed Moses and Aaron, and bowed down and worshipped God.
Moses realized it was best to send his family back to Midian. There they could be under the protection of Jethro, his father-in-law.
