At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met Moses and was about to kill him. 25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. 26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)

This is in some ways a difficult passage, but I think it teaches a simple principle: namely that leaders need to live it at home. We are called not just to a public ministry, but to private integrity. This is not about perfection, because no-one is going to hit that standard in this life. But leaders can’t be ‘off-duty’ in their morals. What we preach and teach in the public arena we must strive, with God’s help, to live in the privacy of the home.

‘Moses was chastened by God and almost died because he had failed to make his child a son of the covenant (Gen.17:10). How could Moses lead Israel if his own family was not dedicated to God? (See 1 Tim.3:5).’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.50.

In his Old Testament Commentary, Wiersbe also says:

‘After all, Moses couldn’t lead the people of Israel if he was disobedient to one of the fundamental commandments of the Lord (Gen.17:10-14). Even if the Jews didn’t know it, God knew about his disobedience, and He was greatly displeased.’

The need to ‘live it at home’ is, of course, applicable to all believers, but today’s passage speaks particularly about the responsibility of leaders to be people of integrity. Let’s ensure they have our prayers.