A Lesson on Leadership from Exodus 4:18-31

     The Central Idea of the Exodus 4:18-31 is that Moses was obedient to the Lord to go to Egypt and proclaim the message that God would liberate His people Israel. However, as they journeyed, the Lord came near to killing Moses because he had failed to circumcise one of his sons according to the divine mandate of the Abrahamic Covenant (Ex. 4:24; cf. Gen. 17:9-14). Circumcision identified the descendants of Abraham with the covenant God gave him regarding the promises of land, seed, and blessing. Moses could not be used to lead others into the will of God while he was himself was disobedient to it. The text does not state why Moses’ son was not circumcised, and it could have been either the fault of Moses, Zipporah, or both. Either way, God held Moses responsible for the disobedience, since he was the spiritual head of the house. Normally, the father performed the circumcision, so it’s unusual that Zipporah did it; however, her obedience—though crudely acted out—saved Moses’ life (Ex. 4:24-26). Moses and Aaron met with the elders of Israel and spoke the words of the Lord and performed the signs He commanded (Ex. 4:29-30). Subsequently, “the people believed” them, and worshipped God because of His concern over their affliction (Ex. 4:31). God’s call of Moses into leadership disrupted and changed his life from that day onward. As a Servant-leader, Moses had to learn: 1) obedience to God as a divinely appointed servant, 2) to face difficult situations with faith, trusting God would support and direct him through the hardship, and 3) to think and live sacrificially for the benefit of others.