God had summoned Moses from the land of Midian to return Egypt. His mission was to liberate the Hebrew people from slavery. Moses, though initially hesitant, accepted God’s will, prepped his family, and embarked on his journey west. However, an intriguing and distressing incident occurred in which the Lord had plans to end his life.
As recorded in the scriptures, “At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him” (Exodus 4:24).
This unnerving encounter, in which God intended to eliminate Moses, is not explicitly explained in the biblical text, but it offers some hints to draw a conclusion. The hints include the Lord plotting to kill Moses, Moses’ wife, Zipporah, using a flint knife to circumcise their son, and the Lord relenting only post the circumcision of Moses’ son, among others.
From these facts, we infer that Moses had committed a transgression against God, leading to such drastic consequences, and the sin was likely his failure to circumcise his son. Interestingly, the circumcision was performed by Zipporah, not Moses, suggesting his inability to undertake the task. The assumption is supported by Zipporah touching Moses’s feet with the proof of circumcision, which points towards Moses being bedridden.
What baffles us is why this specific sin was judged so harshly. Even though Moses was possibly culpable of other sins, God resolved to evoke the death penalty for a lack of circumcision. The answer can be traced back to the epoch of Abraham when God established a covenant with him and marked it with circumcision.
“No exceptions: ‘My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant’” (Genesis 17:13–14).”
Moses, being a descendant of Abraham, was circumcised but falls short of fulfilling this covenant as he hadn’t circumcised his own son. Perhaps living as a shepherd in Midian for forty years, he had given up living like a Hebrew or probably assumed he was already disowned from his clan.
However, it was a notable and serious issue since Moses was the designated liberator of the circumcised Hebrew people from the uncircumcised Egyptians. Moses was destined to be the lawgiver for Israel and allow an uncircumcised son is a plain hypocrisy—a trait unbearable for any national leader. Moses had to follow God’s command laid on the Hebrews to avoid duplicity and be the chosen leader.
The rectification of Moses’ sin of omission was essential before executing his ordained mission. God allowed repentance and forgiveness, averting his death, living proof that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). The narrative of Moses and God’s intent to kill him underscores the import of obedience to God’s laws and the covenant he establishes with us.
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