Exodus 4:18-31

¹⁸ Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and asked him, “Please let me go back to my brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.” And Jethro told Moses, “Go in peace.” ¹⁹ And the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” ²⁰ So Moses took his wife and his sons and had them ride on a donkey, and went back to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the staff of God in his hand. ²¹ And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see to all the miracles before Pharaoh that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. ²² Then you will say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says, Israel is my firstborn son, ²³ and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, see, I will kill your firstborn son.'” ²⁴ At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” ²⁶ So he let him alone. It was at that time that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision. ²⁷ The LORD had told Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. ²⁸ And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. ²⁹ Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. ³⁰ Aaron spoke all the words that the LORD had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. ³¹ And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

changing for the sake of the mission

Moses’ return to Egypt was a cross-cultural mission, because even though Moses was a Hebrew by birth, he had lived long enough in the Midian desert to need some adjustment if he was going to reach his brothers with the good news. It turned out to be painful adjustment. It was painful for Gershom, because he had not been circumcised. It was painful for Moses, because Zipporah resented having to abide by these new customs. We do not know how well Moses and Aaron did as partners in the mission, but there may have been some tension there too. Moses was not used to being a team player.

It is not enough to just be willing to serve the LORD. Serving will involve changing; to go where he wants us to go will require allowing him to transform us so that our ministry there will be effective.

LORD, we surrender to your call. Change us so that we serve you well.