The Return of Moses to Egypt
June 5, 2022
Commentary
Moses returned to his father-in-law Jethro since he could not depart for Egypt without first returning the flock (Ex. 3:1) and he also wanted Jethro’s blessing on his going. He told Jethro that he wanted to go back to Egypt and see if his family was still alive (v. 18). It is sad to see that he did not tell his father-in-law the truth; for God had told him that his brethren were still alive (Ex. 3:7). This was certainly a poor testimony to Jethro. Everyone who wanted to kill him was dead (v. 19). Moses took his wife Zipporah,(Ex. 2:21) and his two sons Gersham (Ex. 2:22) and Eleazar (Ex. 18:4) and they started across the desert (v. 20).
Then God told Moses about his future ministry before Pharaoh (vv. 21-23). During the 40 years Moses had been in Midian it seems that Moses had neglected to obey God’s command (Gen. 17:10) to circumcise one of his sons, and so God had to discipline Moses (perhaps by sickness) to remind him of his obligation (v. 24). It seems that his wife Zipporah circumcised her son so the Lord did not harm Moses (vv. 25-26). How could Moses lead Israel if he was failing to lead his own household in spiritual things? This should be a warning to all of us that we are not to neglect our own children’s spiritual welfare even in the interests of doing a so called “larger” work for God! The Lord sent Aaron to meet Moses in the desert at Mount Sinai (vv. 27-28). Later they brought together the leaders of Israel, and Aaron told them what the Lord had sent Moses to say and do miracles for the people (vv. 29-30). Everyone believed and bowed down and worshiped the Lord (v. 31).
Application
It is never right for me to do wrong things in order to accomplish right things. In other words the means does not justify the end.
Exodus 4:18– 31 (NET)
18 So Moses went back to his father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Let me go, so that I may return to my relatives in Egypt and see if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 The Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, because all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 Then Moses took his wife and sons and put them on a donkey and headed back to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand. 21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. But I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. 22 You must say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord has said, “Israel is my son, my firstborn, 23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, I will surely kill your son, your firstborn!”’”
24 Now on the way, at a place where they stopped for the night, the Lord met Moses and sought to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son and touched it to Moses’ feet, and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me.” 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.)
27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go to the wilderness to meet Moses. So he went and met him at the mountain of God and greeted him with a kiss. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him and all the signs that he had commanded him. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and brought together all the Israelite elders. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people, 31 and the people believed. When they heard that the Lord had attended to the Israelites and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed down close to the ground.
Illustration: War Ship Destroyed Because of Computer Malfunction
During the 1982 war in the Falkland Islands between England and Argentina, the Royal Navy’s 3,500-ton destroyer HMS Sheffield was sunk by a single missile fired from an Argentine fighter jet. It caused some people to wonder if modern surface warships were obsolete, sitting ducks for today’s sophisticated missiles. But a later check revealed that the Sheffield’s defenses did pick up the incoming missile, and the ship’s computer correctly identified it as a French-made Exocet. But the computer was programmed to ignore Exocets as “friendly.” The Sheffield was sunk by a missile it saw coming and could have evaded. (Today in the Word, May 12, 1992).