Zipporah's Flint

Exodus 4

Has someone ever said to you, “thank you – you saved the day”?

Typically, if someone has said that to you it meant whatever your actions

were, they were a great help to someone, and that without them they would

not have been the same.

In Exodus chapter 4 we read about a brave, discerning and quick -

thinking woman whose actions also helped save not only the day but a life. In

Exodus 4 the woman that we read about is Zipporah, who was married to

Moses. The two of them, at the point of this story, were making their way to

Egypt with their son. They were making this trip because God had told Moses

he was to go to Egypt and lead the people out from under the bondage of

Pharaoh. As Moses and Zipporah were making their way, the Bible says the

life of Moses was in danger because their son was uncircumcised. Zipporah

though, the scripture says, took out a flint and performed the circumcision

herself, and the life of Moses was then spared and their journey continued

uninterrupted.

Now perhaps God was angry at Moses because Moses knew he was to

have his son circumcised and he had not at this point for whatever reason.

This is not made clear to us. The scriptures do not give us many answers

regarding that, but we can learn from the example of Zipporah. Zipporah

proved that day to be quick in her thinking, and she did what she had to do in

order to save her family. Her actions also proved to be of great necessity for

them as a family to be able to move forward in what God was calling them to

do. Although this moment in time must have been a very scary one,

Zipporah’s actions helped save not only the day but a life.

To read about this situation, we can often overlook the fact of

Zipporah’s great discernment as to what the problem was and then to do what

she could do to fix it. Imagine if you will, although it may be hard, the task of

circumcising someone yourself. Imagine the bravery that would take. One

would have to say it could not have happened without some fear, screams,

and anxiety. God gave her not only the will to do it, but also the skill of hand

to perform it, and in the right amount of time.

To picture myself in that same situation, I have to say I wonder if I

would be able to do such a thing. Would I be able to physically perform it

carefully enough to not cause damage? Would I let my emotions get in the way and cloud my thinking? Truly I don’t know the answers to those

questions, but I do know Zipporah has set a great example.

While you and I may never be in that particular circumstance, we need to

remember we will face difficult situations. We will face something that will

require discernment, faith, trust, bravery, obedience, and the ability to act

quickly. We will have to dig down deep just like Zipporah had to do that day

to get through it. If you had told her what she would have to do on some road

she was traveling, she would have never believed you, yet it happened. Life

does not always bring things to us that are expected, comfortable, or easy. The

answer, though, is that God will and does give the discernment for us to make

the right choice if we’re willing to see it. That day, Zipporah had no time to sit

around wondering what was happening to her family or spend too much time

wondering why. She quickly saw what needed to be done and did it. If you

could talk to her now, she would probably say it was only by the grace of God

she was able to do what she did.

Whatever you or I come up against in life, we need to realize God will

tell us what we need to know in order to make it through it. We need to also

remember we are capable of many things through God's strength and power.

So, while we may be facing something that is threatening or seems

threatening, the truth is we are not alone and we are not helpless. We have the

power of the living God residing inside of us, and He is there to help. We

need to be willing to discern and act swiftly – just as Zipporah did the day she

took out a flint, and with God’s help, saved not only the day but a life.

From The Noble Woman Book, by Gina Burns.