Bible Study on Exodus 4, verses 24 to 31, they bowed their heads and worshipped

 

Exodus 4:24 ¶  And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25  Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. 26  So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. 27  And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. 28  And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. 29  And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel: 30  And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31  And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

The inn, a place of lodging for travelers to Egypt, is mentioned in Genesis 42:27 and 43:21. We don’t know if this is a reference to the same lodging place mentioned in both books but since Moses traditionally is considered to be the main author of both books under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit one might assume it was.

Here is a scene, like many others, for which we are given little information and our imaginations can run wild. Did God appear as the angel of the LORD, the preincarnate Jesus Christ? This is clearly only a threat as God has plans for Moses beyond this. But Moses must be taught something here. The narrative is not always what we think it is. Compare the previous and future passages on circumcision for the Hebrews, the willful binding of a person and their family to God, to see how important it is that man make his small commitment in the face of God’s great mercy.

James 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Apparently, Moses is required to commit himself completely to God and to trust and believe Him. Part of this for the Hebrews, the descendants of Abraham, is the rite of circumcision of the males of one’s family.

Genesis 17:10  This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. 11  And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 12  And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. 13  He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14  And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.

In this type of context, in Genesis, to be cut off means to be killed.

Zechariah 13:8  And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

2Kings 9:8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:

Ezekiel 25:7  Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.

Moses’ wife does the job for him in her frustration. Here is an example of a woman doing God’s will, and God accepts her act, when a man can’t or won’t do it. I am reminded of the modern Bible champion, Dr. Gail Riplinger. Consider this verse;

Jeremiah 31:22  How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the LORD hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.

Or consider the judge, Deborah, and her commitment.

Judges 4:4 ¶  And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5  And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6  And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? 7  And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. 8  And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. 9  And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Or Huldah, the prophetess, preaching to the king’s men.

2Kings 22:11 ¶  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 12  And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying, 13  Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. 14  So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. 15  And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,

Or consider Philip’s daughters.

Acts 21:8 ¶  And the next day we that were of Paul’s company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was one of the seven; and abode with him. 9  And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

Here, we see that Aaron had already been sent to meet with Moses on the mount of God. They met, talked about what God had commanded them to do, and then met with the elders of Israel. Contrary to Moses’ prediction they were believed by the people.

Here is an example of one posture of worship, bowing one’s head. There are other postures of worship listed in the Bible which were discussed in Genesis, showing reverence, awe, and submission to the one worshipped.