- Today’s Reading:
- Exodus 4:1 - 5:21
- Proverbs 5:15 - 21
Exodus 4:1 - 5:21
At the close of the last Exodus reading Moses was protesting his ability to do God's will and lead the people out of Egypt. The Lord had equipped Moses with his special staff, the one that turned into a serpent when thrown to the ground. God also showed Moses how to cover his hand with disease and then make it whole again. The Lord told Moses that if he dumped water from the Nile onto the ground that it would turn into blood. Still, Moses continued to object to the task the Lord have given him until the Lord decided to name Aaron as the speaker for Moses. Finally Moses had no more excuses and had to undergo his mission to speak to the leaders of Israel and to the Pharaoh.
Moses had no problem convincing the elders of his people. They rejoiced in the fact that God was finally going to lift them up out of the suffering. The Pharaoh, on the other hand, was outraged -- after all, who could this "God" be that was greater than he? As a result of his anger the Pharaoh punished the people of Israel by having them work even harder than before. This greatly angered the Israelites and turned them against Moses and Aaron. This is where the reading stops for the day.
In the middle of this reading there was a small passage that really baffled me. It was during Moses's return to Egypt with his family. Seemingly out of the blue it says that the Lord confronted Moses and was about to kill him. Then Moses's wife Zipporah immediately circumcised their son, and the Lord left Moses alone (5:24-26).
I am wondering if I overlooked something earlier in this book, or if maybe there's more information elsewhere in the scripture that explains this? I guess my assumption would be that the Lord had commanded Moses to circumcise his son at some point, yet Moses refused or delayed it? It just seems odd because I didn't see that there was any reason given for God's sudden anger at Moses, and the very first reaction of Moses's wife was to circumcise their son. Perhaps I'll find another piece of scripture at some point that clears this up for me. I just felt like it came out of nowhere.
Proverbs 5:15 - 21
This is a continuation of the last reading from Proverbs (5:7 -14) where we were warned that extramarital affairs will destroy our lives. In today's reading we are strongly cautioned to keep sex within our own marriage. The man is told to let his wife be enough for her, to enjoy the sanctity of marital relations and not to share that with anyone else.
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