God Threatening to Kill Over Foreskin?

Question

Exodus4:23 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.
"If thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn."
God threatens to kill Pharaoh's firstborn son.
4:24 And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.
"The LORD met him, and sought to kill him."
God tries to kill Moses
4:25 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.
"A bloody husband art thou to me."
God decides to kill Moses because his son had not yet been circumcised. Luckily for Moses, his Egyptian wife 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.

Answer 1

In Judaism, circumcision represents the covenant between YHVH and Abraham. Moses, in not circumcising his son, was reneging on the covenant.

Answer 2

Jer 10:12 But God made the earth by his power;

he founded the world by his wisdom

and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.

Jer 10:13 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;

he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.

He sends lightning with the rain

and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Jer 10:14 Everyone is senseless and without knowledge;

every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.

His images are a fraud;

they have no breath in them.

Jer 10:15 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;

when their judgment comes, they will perish.

Jer 10:16 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,

for he is the Maker of all things,

including Israel, the tribe of his inheritance-

the LORD Almighty is his name.

It's clear from the above that this God deserves respect. Please note that Zipporah knew what to do, which says to me that they knew what they were supposed to do but were not doing it. God was giving them a warning. An interesting story to be sure!

Answer 3

Any biblical scholar will tell you that this passage about Moses & his son is difficult to understand. (It's not entirely clear in a couple of places whether "he" is Moses or his son. Nor is it clear what Zipporah's reaction is --is she angry? or thankful that he was spared?) There may well be things that were clear to the original audience, things the writer assumed, that are NOT obvious to us. That this should happen with an ancient text from another culture, indeed that there should be some words and passages in the Old Testament that we find difficult to understand should not be surprising. (Nor is it is wimpy or hypocritical to admit it!)



That said, even with the uncertainties we may be able to conclude a thing or two about the passage.



For one thing, as your first respondent suggested, God makes it very clear that one he commissions to act for him must be OBEDIENT. By failing to circumcise his son, Moses had failed one of the most basic requirements of God's people -- this is something God required of his people as a sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants, something that identified them AS God's people who believed his promises and were called to follow his commands.



In fact, this scene is almost a 'bookend' with another circumcision scene. Before the people are allowed to enter the promised land under Joshua the whole generation of men born in the wilderness must be circumcised (Joshua 4).



Also, the fact that the scene with Moses comes immediately after God's warning the Pharaoh (about HIS son) seems to be a deliberate juxtaposition. This episode tells Moses (at the least) that God is very serious in his warning to Pharaoh. But, more than that, it may be intended to show that even Moses & Israel are guilty before God and deserve the same punishment as Pharoah & the Egyptians... unless they follow God's "way of escape" (circumcision is a sign of this because symbolically it is about death and new life).



All of this ties in with the END of the Egyptian section. It is clear that the warning to Pharaoh points forward to the death of Egypt's firstborn. The story of Moses & HIS son (his firstborn, in fact) may also be connected to that event. When Pharaoh's firstborn is taken God makes a claim on the firstborn SONS of Israel too, and they too would be taken but for the way of escape he provides -- the BLOOD of the Passover lamb he instructs them to offer. Note that, in the chapter after the Passover instructions (that is, in Exodus 13), God instruct the people about how consecrating their firstborn sons to him as an ongoing claim of God and reminder of how he rescued them from Egypt.

Answer 4

by way of fact he's a monster who would kill an harmless newborn to punish an person. How would desire to everyone worship a being like that? extremely people who're anti-abortion. Is it the reality that god will do the killing that makes it ok?

Answer 5

Come see the Softer side of God. Its called The New Testament. Jesus will explain Gods reasons and purposes in the Old.

Answer 6

I think your questions are great! You make me think and most of these "Christians" can't even give you a real answer, so that means that you do have a point. See, when a hypocrite can't answer your question they will attack you. I know this because I also speak my mind, not the mind of a book, MY MIND.

I'm feeling you girl...We need more of you in the world!

Answer 7

Was there a question to this? It seems all you did was make a statement and then attempt to support it.



It was not about foreskin - it was about obedience...in all of those cases.

Answer 8

god works in mysterious ways. Plus, he's a di

Answer 9

just mumbo jumbo. It's fictional honey