The Hero’s Return; (1 of the Top 5 Weirdest Bible Passages)

April 7

Read: Exodus 4:18-31

The Hero’s Return; (1 of the Top 5 Weirdest Bible Passages)

“At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death…” (4:24)

When it is time for the hero to return - for us to carry out our ministry and mission to those whom God has called us - it will be accompanied by God’s permission, instruction, and provision. Likewise, it will always require the surrender of our lives… a realization that we are no longer our own, but have been brought in to something larger than us. We see this for Moses here in the end of chapter 4.

God shows up and tells Moses it is time to go. (v.19) God will always make clear when it is time to pack up and leave. Sometimes he tells us where we are going ahead of time, but we must always wait for his signal to launch out. Those things (here “men”) who sought to destroy Moses had been taken away… they had died… God killed them. God is always removing some roadblocks for us while replacing others. God warnsMoses that his return WILL NOT be easy. In fact, he not only tells him ahead of time what to do, but also that he is going to “harden Pharaoh’s heart” so that he will not listen. I wonder how Moses felt? God tells him to go do something that it destined to not work… at least not immediately. (v.21) This re-encforces what we know to be true: we will often be met with disappointment and frustration before we experience breakthrough and success. (Our time in the wilderness should prepare us for this!)

The craziest part of this story comes in v. 24-26. Sometimes while we are asleep - unaware and without our knowledge - we are being spared and rescued by someone else. Moses has no ideas how close he was to being killed. This begs the question: Is obedience really that important? Evidently it is. If Moses is going to be the agent who carries the blessing and promise of God’s covenant with his people, he must first handover his own life. Moses was called to be obedient to the agreement of God’s covenant with Abraham - specifically in the circumcision of his son. His disobedience just about cost him his life! How poignant that it is his wife, Zipporah, who saves him! Salvation came form someone else… someone outside of Moses… while he was sleeping no less. How close have we come to “death” without even knowing it !?! How may times has Jesus stepped in while we were unaware?

One final note: God fulfills his promise to Moses in that he brings him Aaron. (v.27) Both Zipporah and Aaron are powerful examples of how God provides us with community and relationship on our journey. God does not leave Moses alone - not in a spiritual sense and not in a human sense. God is faithful to bring us what we need in the moments when we need it.

When Moses and Aaron finally arrive they bring the message of hope from the Lord and the people “bowed their heads and worshipped”. Worship must precede any / every conflict or battle that we head into. The only way to face “the Pharaoh” is having worshipped first… having drawn near to the Lord. Worship should stand at the front end of the Hero’s return home. Trust me, we ALL need this. God will give us the go ahead to move, instructing us, warning us of difficulty, bringing us the help we need, and calling us to obey him as his agents in this world. We need only listen and obey. The truth us, God has sent us a savior outside of us that saves our bacon… even when we are “asleep” or unaware. (Just like Zipporah saved Moses while he slept.) There is always a painful “cutting and removing” that must come with following the Lord… it is what makes us fit to receive blessing and breakthrough. In the end, it is what saves us! Is it time for you to “return home”? Is the Lord calling you “back to Egypt”? Has he given you the “green light”? What are you waiting for? Take heart - those things that seek to destroy you have been dealt with by the Lord! Love you guys. - JDP