So my title for this study is "Divine Requirement and Divine Provision." This is Exodus 4:24-26:
At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death (That's Moses.). Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision. It was then that she said, a bridegroom of blood because of circumcision.
Now this has to be the weirdest story that we have encountered so far. It's one of the strangest passages in all of Exodus and maybe one of the strangest in Scripture. You read this and you think, "What in the world is going on? On the way to Egypt, the place God had chosen and empowered Moses to go, why would the LORD meet Moses and seek to put him to death? After all the display of his patient grace, this seems to make no sense at all."
And what I want to say is, "This passage is not a passage to skip over because you don't understand it, but it's a place to slow down, digging into it like an archeologist." I want to say again that "This passage, this strange passage, was recorded and preserved for us because God loves us." It stands in Scripture as a warning to us. And the passage is impossible to understand without its historical context. God had made covenant promises to Abraham. Not only was he binding himself to Abraham and his descendants with a special grace of his presence and power, but he promised Abraham that through him, "all the nations on earth would be blessed.
Out of this covenant would come the nation of Israel, and out of Israel would come the line of Judah, and out of Judah would come David, and out of David would come the Lord Jesus Christ, and all who are in Christ inherit the promises made to Abraham. But with all of the awesome graces of God's covenant, came God's holy and unalterable requirements. If you read Genesis 17:9-14, you see clearly God makes his promises and then he says this, "This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you." That was God's requirement, that they would carry with them, literally, on their bodies a sign of his covenant with them.
But Moses had failed to obey God's covenant requirement to circumcise his son. And in that failure, we're reminded that God's commandments are not suggestions. They're not, "It would be nice if you would." They are his holy and unchangeable plan for our good and his glory. To disobey is sin, and the Bible very clearly says, "The wages of sin is death."
Moses' wife does what he failed to do. She stands in then, in Moses' place, and so preserves his life. I love where this strange story takes us because it's a big finger that points to the person and work of Jesus. In the same way, we have failed to keep God's requirements, and like Zipporah, Jesus steps into history, in our place to do what we fail to do; to die taking our penalty so that, this is so good, we need fear the punishment of God no longer. In Zipporah's action, the punishment of Moses is removed. In Jesus' life, death and resurrection, our punishment is removed. What grace!
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What were your thoughts and impressions when you first read this passage in Exodus 4? Were you surprised or confused by it? Why? In what ways is it important to slow down and dig deeper when it comes to specific texts that confuse or disorient you?
2. After reading this text, slowing down, and digging deeper, how did God meet you in it? What did he reveal about his character to you? How were you able to see the gospel in this passage?
3. In what ways is Moses a reflection of you from this passage? What does this passage tell you about how God views sin? How does it change the way you view your own sin, no matter how "small" a particular sin may be? Why are God's commandments never to be taken as simply suggestions?
4. Since God is so serious about obedience to his law, how does his seriousness magnify the person and work of Jesus Christ? How does it make you love and appreciate the Savior in fresh ways? How does it make you want to respond, knowing that your punishment was removed by Christ and God's grace was poured out on you? List a few practical ways that you can specifically respond to his grace in your life.
For Younger Children:
1. Why do you think obedience to your parents is so important? Why is our obedience to God even more important?
2. How does obedience show love? Why do you think God wants us to be obedient to him? Why does it even matter to him?
3. How does the perfect obedience of Jesus help you and me?
For Older Children:
1. What are you tempted to do when you read a confusing or bizarre passage in Scripture? Why shouldn't we skip those weird passages? How would it benefit you and me to slow down and dig deeper into confusing passages?
2. How can obedience to God show him that you love him? Why does our obedience to God even matter to him?
3. What do you think 'provision' means? How is God's provision given to us in the person and work of Jesus? How does this specific passage point us to Jesus? Why is it important to look for Jesus in potentially confusing passages of Scripture?
You have permission to print, repost, share, distribute, and translate this resource as long as you credit Paul Tripp as the teacher, do not charge for this resource, and do not alter the content in any way. If you require an exception or special permission, please email Info@PaulTripp.com.
