Summary: <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>Did you know that in one of the most unusual and confusing stories in all of Scripture, there was a moment when Moses’ wife actually got so frustrated with her husband that she threw their son’s circumcised foreskin at Moses? Really…you didn’t know that? Well, as weird as it sounds we will explain it all…here on five minutes of truth.</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>There are quite a few stories, sprinkled throughout the Bible, that on the surface seem a bit…if we’re being honest…weird. From floating axe-heads to a sermon bringing a valley of dry bones back to life. From raising people from the dead to a chariot that carries one Bible hero off to heaven. There are stories, many in the Old Testament, which when observed from a distance and removed from context do not lend themselves to easy understanding.</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>They contain actions that seem to defy conventional wisdom and promote, in many cases, significant skepticism for the casual reader. And sometimes even for the not so casual reader. I understand the confusion. These stories seem so outrageous that one can quickly come to the conclusion that there is very little reason for it being included in the Bible at all. We know, however, that this is not true.</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>The Apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” . If that is the case, this also includes the “weird” passages that I firmly believe are considered weird simply because they are not understood in light of Paul’s statement. And one of the most misunderstood events happened as Moses was on his way to free God’s people from the yoke of slavery they endured in Egypt.</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>We know the story. After fleeing Egypt upon learning of his heritage, Moses met Jethro, a priest from Midian, and married Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah. Sometime after, Moses had the encounter of a lifetime when he ventured up Mt. Horeb to examine a burning bush, but instead met the God of the universe Who told Moses to go back to Egypt…confront Pharaoh…and free the Hebrew slaves. </b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>It is on this journey to Egypt that we read this curious story found in . The Bible relays that on the journey, God actually threatens to kill Moses. He does not explicitly say why, but the context of the story fills in the missing pieces. Immediately after the threat, Zipporah circumcises their son. So, we can glean that Moses’ neglect in doing this himself spurred on the harsh threat God made towards Moses. </b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>After the circumcision, Zipporah takes the severed foreskin and throws it at Moses’ feet. She states: “you are a husband of blood to me” (b). And to make sure he really got a proper reading on her indignation, she repeats it by saying once again, “you are a husband of blood” (). It is clear that Moses’ wife was not happy (putting it lightly) and that something really bad must have happened. Now we look at what did happen in context with the rest of Scripture which will make this seemingly weird passage not so weird after all.</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>First we must remember the importance the Hebrews placed on circumcision. It was THE sign that they belonged to God as a people. It was THE sign of the everlasting covenant God made with His people (b). And any male child not circumcised would be cast out from his own people because “he has broken My covenant” (b). To say that circumcision was a big deal…would be the height of understatement. God stated that every male child would be circumcised when they turned 8 days old and it fell to the father to ensure this happened. Is this becoming a bit clearer now?</b></span></p> <p class="p3"><span class="s1"><b>We don’t know how old Moses’ son was b</b></span></p>
