He Should Have Known Better

“On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him” (Exodus 4:24, NLT).

I never really understood that passage.

I mean Moses had just been singled out (again) by God. Called. To lead the people of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt.

He was the only one besides Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to get face time with God, and yet God choose to reveal Himself as Yahweh (Exodus 3:15, NLT). Not even Abe, Izzy, or JJ got that far!!

So why in the world was God trying to kill Moses? Seriously? He should have known better.

And I quote, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10, NLT).

So. Yeah.

The next night, God shows up and wants him dead. What the?

I love what my notes say in the NLT Study Bible.

“But Moses could not effectively serve as deliverer of God’s people until he had fulfilled the conditions of God’s covenant, and one of the conditions was circumcision. Before they could go any further, Moses and his family had to follow God’s commands completely under the Old Testament law, failing to circumcise your son was to remove yourself and your family from God’s blessing (4:24-26, notes).

In other words, delayed obedience is disobedience.

Even though the favor and confirmation of God’s promise rested on this man, Moses still had a personal responsibility to follow through!

In other (other) words–he should have known.

God wasn’t going to waste one ounce of their precious face time to point out a spreadsheet of Moses’ sin. If that were the case he (and every one of us), would stay permanently stuck trying to achieve perfection. Unable to move forward on the journey of promise. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23, NLT).

Question: Is there an area of your life that has not yet surrendered to the Lordship and Savior, Jesus Christ?

Look at David. When confronted with his sinful pride and covering up of the fact, he confessed. God still blessed him with another son, Solomon.

Look at Esther. She stuck her teenage body out there for the kings pleasure, and somehow he choose her as the next Queen. When it came time to intercede for her people, the Israelites, she happened to be the only one able to risk her life for just one more night with the king. Coincidence? I think not.

Look at Jonah. God asked him to preach a message of repentance to a bunch of bad mamma jammas. Wretched. Horrible. People. And instead he choose to flee the scene.

We should know better when God places people, circumstances, and His promises in front of us. Hope.

Will we choose to be found faithful or wait until it’s (almost) too late?

Obey now. Obey today!

Your future and your future children are waiting.

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever” (Psalm 16:11, NLT).

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT).

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16, NLT).

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life’” (John 8:12, NLT).

“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow'” (Isaiah 48:17, NLT).

“Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!” (Psalm 126:3, NLT).