In the book of Exodus, chapter four, we come upon a very strange part in the Exodus story.
Moses had just finished talking with the burning bush version of God and had been given the instructions of what he was to do in Egypt. Moses left and got his wife and sons and put them on a donkey, then began their trip to Egypt. Along the way, when Moses and his family were at an inn, God appeared and was very angry at Moses because his son Gershom wasn't circumcised. God was about to kill him until Zipporah, Moses' wife, made God's divine anger go away by circumcising the tyke. And with a sharp piece of flint no less! This apparently pleased God, so he let Moses live.
Um... what?!
This is one of the weirdest passages in the Bible and I have a theory about why the circumcision part of the story appears in the text in such an abrupt, out of nowhere kind of way. Here goes...
The high priest dictating this story to the young scribe has just finished telling the part about Moses visiting with God who was in burning bush form and the instructions God had given him to do in Egypt. Then he suddenly remembers that he left out a crucial part about Moses' firstborn son not being circumcised yet and how that is a bad thing in the eyes of God (refer to Genesis 17:10-14). So the following dialogue takes place:
Priest: Curses!
Scribe (nervously): But sir, I wrote it down exactly as you said it...
Priest: No silly boy, I am not cursing you. I suddenly remembered something.
Scribe: Oh thank...
Priest: Bite your tongue boy! I forgot to convey the circumcision of Gershom. He was not yet circumcised and that is a covenant breaker to the Lord. We can't allow one of God's chosen men to have a covenant destroying kid now can we? Hold on, let me think...
(The priest paces back and forth in deep thought as the scribe waits dutifully with his feather-pen in hand. After a minute or so, the priest has an idea.)
Priest: Aha! I know what to do now. Write this down young scribe.
(He then proceeds to say the following passage in the Bible:)
And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him (Moses). Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son (Gershom), and cast it at his (Moses') feet, and said, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me." So he (God) let him (Moses) go: then she said, "A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision." (Exodus 4:24-26)
Scribe (after he has jotted it down): Umm... sir, that is kind of out of the blue and really messes up the flow of the story. Moses had just been chosen by God to go and perform the signs before Pharaoh, right? Now all of sudden God wants to kill the man He just picked to do these wonders and then lead the Israelites out of Egypt?? And how did Moses' wife know what to do to please God??
(The high priest is silent in thought for a moment, then suddenly blurts out...)
Priest: Oh whatever! You better hope that the Lord forgives you! (stomps out of the room in a huff)
It's just a theory. :)
Here's a link for you to check out: The Wise Fool has an article dealing this weird portion of the Exodus story on his blog.
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