V18 No mention of his experience, we can’t assume he told him.  Just announced let me check on my people.  He didn’t say I’m returning so I can bring my people out of Egypt, interesting that detail is missing.

Moses showed respect to his family.  Just because the Lord calls you it doesn’t give you an excuse to dishonor family.  He got God’s permission, but he wanted his father-in-laws permission.

V18, what if he had said no? would Moses still go? Would he have been bad for following the lord? Not likely, in the end better to do what God wants than what man wants, but he did it with full respect toward the father. 

Fortunately, Jethro gave his blessings and did not give Moses any additional reasons to reconsider. 

V19 The Lord also spoke to Moses and assured his safety from his previous crime from a previous King. The fact that this verse is here tells us that Moses really did need to run from a real threat.  It was not a perception of danger, it really was a danger, he was a wanted man and now he is not.

V20 We would all want some assurance and security before going in harms way, it’s no longer just him, now he has a family that could be in harms way.  Very awesome that God addresses these real concerns.  If you think God is calling you into harms way, chances are God has already done things to give you assurance.  IF he hasn’t, maybe you are not meant to go.  

He took his staff, the one thing that had to give him comfort above all was simple stick.  HE would not forget his stick, it became his new drivers license.  Our stick is the Bible.  Don’t leave home without it. Are there other sticks in our lives? Maybe? Wouldn’t count God out for using anything as a reminder for us.  To give us confidence.  HE did not worship the stick it was a reminder of God everywhere he went.

V21, I’ve got a job for you, but it won’t be easy.  People will resist my will for them. Eventually the Lord himself hardens his heart.  Not that the Lord wanted his heart hardened, rather the rejection of Pharaoh is because of the existence of God. He ultimately would not chose the Hebrew God over his own false gods.

God sometimes hardens the heart, sometimes Pharaoh Hardens, sometimes no one is blamed.  Again God didn’t make Pharaoh do something he didn’t already want to do.  The very existence of God hardened his heart.  People who don’t want God eventually get what they want, a life absent from God.  Ultimately this is how hell is described.

V22-23 Firstborn is special because they have all the rights of inheritance. Israel is the first to inherit from the father.  Hindering this inheritance is a curse.  Oddly Pharaoh himself brings this curse, God knew he would and reveals it to Moses from the beginning.  You get to know how the story ends.  The Titanic is coming. Ice burg ahead.

The only way to move the heart of Pharaoh was to take away the first born of all of Egypt.  What Pharaoh did to the Hebrews was ultimately brought back on his own nation.

God want to Moses to know up front that freeing the Hebrews was a life and death issue.  Similarly freeing us from sin was a life and death matter as well.

Many theories about this, we don’t know for sure why Zipporah? How did we know Moses was about to die? 2 sons, first one circumcised, the other not?  Zipporah may not have wanted it.  During their journey back perhaps Zipporah had a conversion moment.  Moses was responsible for lack of faith, he didn’t follow out practice because of a mixed marriage.  Big point is that if you can’t be faithful with the little things, how can you be faithful with the big things? Maybe? You be faithful in your own hose first before leading others.  You can’t lead the circumcised of Israel if you don’t participate in the practice. Zipporah had to know about the practice somehow, and somehow got the conviction to do it.

Kill him mean Moses or his son?   Bridegroom of blood refers to Zipporah possible offense to the practice. Maybe?

God wanted obedience in all aspects.  Some believe Zipporah returned to her father with 2 sons at this point. Don’t know. Jethro returns them in Ex 18:5-12.  Don’t know when they left.

This practice is the covenant sign and should be taken seriously, like baptism or conversion of faith.  Makes a statement.

WE are robed in the blood of the groom.  We are in a sense a bride covered in the blood of Jesus.  A seal of the new covenant.

Zipporah sees the importance at this moment.

V27 The Lord directs Aaron, the only time God speaks to Aaron.  His calling is not the same as Moses.  He is in a support role only.

V28 Aaron gets the full story, Jethro we have no idea why. 

They did not reject the message, they believed, will we believe and go to worship? Or will we reject him and go our own way? They are people looking for hope, while others see no hope and have learned to live with the sin in there life.  The flesh has become their master.

Wildly significant that that they worship at this point, they are still slaves, but now they are slaves with hope. We are all still wrestling with our sin, but in Christ we become sinners with hope.  That is why we worship. If you aren’t worshiping, do you really have hope? Are you really Christian?