Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Having gotten a late start, and having been on the road for seven hours, Mike and I signaled each other that it was time to turn in for the night. In Nyack, NY, a motel showed a prominent "VACANCY" sign, so we figured we were in luck, as it was 1:00AM, and not many other places were open. We pulled into the parking lot, grabbed our gear, and made our way to the brightly-lit front office. The very second the desk clerk saw us, he ran to the front door and locked it. Then he made furious gestures for us to "GO AWAY!!!" I pointed to the "VACANCY" sign, but he kept gesticulating that we were NOT welcome. Realizing that we would not persuade him, we reloaded our gear and found a Super 8 further down the highway, and became loyal customers of that chain for the rest of the Twentieth century.

When we got to D.C. and started mingling with the Vietnam Vets preparing for Rolling Thunder, I told my story to a Black Veteran on a huge Harley, who had ridden to D.C. all the way from Alabama. He shared his story with me:

"Oh yeah. I've had that happen to me too! One night I pulled into a motel in Alabama and the guy refused to give me a room. I said it was illegal for him to discriminate against me just because I'm BLACK. 'Hayell No!' the clerk said 'we serve (N-Words) all the time! We jess don't like you BIKERS!'"

Well the Vet and I had a jolly laugh over how just plain ignorant some folks can be, and then we rode together in the magnificent Rolling Thunder Parade of 300,000 bikers of all races, colors, and creeds. We had one goal: To Honor Our Veterans on Memorial Day.

In their first reading all the way through Exodus, many people are stunned and puzzled by this chapter. (I am sure the owner of the Inn was more stunned than we were, but I digress). This was perhaps the strangest chapter in the Narrative, and was not featured in any Passover Haggadah, Church Service, or even "The Ten Commandments". What is going on? Why was God angry enough to want to kill Moses? Why would Zipporah perform an operation on her son in a motel room? And what does it mean, "Bridegroom of Blood"?

From the Garden of Eden all the way through to Revelation, there is what Evangelical Scholars call "A Scarlet Thread of Redemption". It will be a good topic for a future study, and this scene at the Inn will be in that series too.

Why was God angry at Moses? Well, from the previous chapter we read that Moses was very reluctant to take the job of freeing his people. When God got his attention at the Burning Bush, Moses let forth a stream of "Whatiffs" and excuses.

"What if the people don't listen to me?
What if Pharaoh doesn't believe me?
What if nothing works out like it should?
What if I stumble over my words?
Pick somebody ELSE!"

We also can see that, in his 40 years as a Shepherd, Moses had either disobeyed or forgotten God's command to circumcise the boys at the age of eight days. Zipporah must have known of this custom, but ignored it also until it looked like God was going to smite her husband. Poor Gershon! If this had been done when he was an infant, it would be over with by now. Needless to say, Zipporah was upset and furious with her husband for this new development. He had indeed become a "Bridegroom of Blood" to her.

But the words were prophetic. God's Covenants were always sealed in Blood, from the animal skins used to clothe Adam and Eve, to The Lamb That Was Slain From The Foundation Of The World.

So, rather than gloss over this strange domestic scene in the life of Moses, see it as a prophetic utterance on the part of Zipporah, seeing ahead the Passover Lamb, the Death of the Firstborn of Egypt, The Levitical Law of Atonement, and, finally, The Cross of Calvary.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH FOR
THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM!
And for the Preservation of the Valiant
Israeli Nation!

"Moses Departing for Egypt"
Pietro Perugino – c. 1482

_ ND Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go.

And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:

And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.

And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.

Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

So he let him go: then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision.

And the LORD said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him.

And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:

And Aaron spake all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

And the people believed: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

______________________________________ Exodus 4:18-31 (KJV)

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For ML In This Time Of Tribulation.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For A Rapid Recovery For Our Own Yorkie.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For A Rapid Recovery For Our FRiend Uri'el2012.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Safety Of Our Gallant Troops And For The Success Of Their Vital Mission.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Repose Of The Souls Of Our Embassy Staff In Libya Who Were Assassinated 11 September 2012.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For The Deliverance Of Our Beloved Nation From The Lion’s Mouth.

PRAYERS ASCENDING ON HIGH For Our Brethren Of All Faiths Throughout The World Suffering Persecution.
We pray in particular on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya and throughout the Mideast. The members of the oldest of our Christian Communities, some of which date from the days of the Apostles, suffer under cruel, merciless and unrelenting persecution. They are Orthodox and Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical, Coptic, Pentecostal, and Baptist. To the persecutors, we are all "Nazarenes."

I've never understood why she "touched" his feet with the excised foreskin, since the text offers no explanation. The NIV footnote claims ignorance, and Strong's is unhelpful. Perhaps she "threw" it at his feet, which tracks with her understandable disgust.

Anyway, Amen! to your well-expressed prayer.

Thanks for the insights, which I had heard before. Though I have heard of Moses not obeying God. But it’s a good picture—and God meant for us to see the type.

Joining in prayer, left that other site, for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

Adding my prayers. God bless.

AMEN, joining in prayer with all