18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, “Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren who are in Egypt and see whether they are yet alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, “Go, return into Egypt; for all the men are dead who sought thy life.”
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
21 And the Lord said unto Moses, “When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand; but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.
22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Israel is My son, even My firstborn.
23 And I say unto thee, “Let My son go, that he may serve Me.” And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.’”
24 And it came to pass, on the way at 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 on 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 spoke 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 worshiped. Exodus 4: 18-31 KJV21
Moses shows respect to his father in law, and gets his blessing before setting out on his journey to Egypt. The men who have sought to kill him are dead now, and I have read some on the matter to the effect that the trespass dies with the Pharaoh. This has to be a relief, a clean slate, and again God tells him to perform all the wonders that He will bestow upon his staff, but yet God will harden Pharaoh's heart. One might cringe at this or point to it as a place of blame, a way to find fault with God. For who can resist Him? It is a sobering thing to read, but what does the hardening of the heart really entail? In Romans it speaks of giving people over to a reprobate mind, and in Genesis, when the people were of one language, they chose to follow after their own pride, to exalt themselves. I think the next few chapters will demonstrate that the condition of man, in his fallen state, is enmity with God, and all that is necessary to harden the heart is the removal of the fear of God. Pride is already there, and kings, rulers and all leaders sit on thrones inside of towers that are the culmination of man's delusion about his state. When the Bible tells us to pray for those who have rule over us, it is not a suggestion but rather a commanded exercise, revealing much in the way of our own hearts.
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,…1 Timothy 2:1-3
The Lord seeks to kill Moses on the way to Egypt. Why? Moses lives with and has married to a people that do not believe in circumcision. It is a command from God, and Moses has ignored God's command for the voice of his wife. It is a simple thing to do, and the curse of all men that we should seek our own way. I would much rather be of offense to no one, to fit in and be the "friend" of all, but a reed blown about is not a compliment in the Bible. The gospel is offensive and though circumcision is no longer required under grace, it was outward sign of loyalty to the one true God. It was a sign of separation from the world, and here a stumbling block for Moses and a point of contention with his wife. Moses is apparently so sick that she must now perform the rite, and for the love of her husband, but in utter disgust, she does. It is very similar to today when I hear people tell me it is wrong to tell my children they are sinners, or to speak of death and hell. Much of the world is convinced of a universal message, that all roads lead to Rome so to speak. They tell me you cannot say there is only one way or speak of right and wrong, yet to them I am obviously wrong, and they say they are good. I believe the Bible to be God's word, and that all men are in an observably fallen state, and so if this comes off as bloody to you, then I have become circumcised from you. My heart, being bound to the word of God, cannot for the sake of relationships withhold the truth. There is however an upside to this, and that is that I love you more than I love your approval.
As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! 10For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Galatians 1:9&10
"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24
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