Zipporah: trials of a wife to a Prophet

Dear friend

What would it be like to be married to a prophet? Perhaps we imagine a life of diligent faithfulness, of unstinting service, of miracles and of blessed happiness. This may be so in some cases, but the example of Zipporah the wife of Moses provides a salutary lesson about the assumed domestic bliss of a man of God.

It all started well. An immigrant, Moses, stepped in to help some young women who appeared to be victims of bullying, if not worse than that. The women's father wanted to meet the man who had been so helpful to his daughters in their time of need, and the rest as they say is history. The culmination of this otherwise chance situation is recorded in the Old Testament, Exodus 2:21.

21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

How romantic; a chivalrous foreigner impresses your father and you end up married to him. Then, after a few years living with your family, he takes you back to his homeland, as described in Exodus 4:19, 20.

19 And the Lord said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt ...

So far this is not very out of the ordinary for the times. But the scriptures also record a particular issue related to Moses' seemingly strange religious practices. It caused Zipporah to do something drastic out of desperation. The motivations for her actions are disputed by theologians but Exodus 4:25 graphically describes the scene.

25 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.

This incident certainly does not paint a picture of demure domesticity. Zipporah felt she had to do something. It was drastic but it did resolve a very difficult family situation (in a typically Old Testament way).

Moses had a full and eventful life, that's for sure. Zipporah would be at his side, but rarely even mentioned. Eventually, after a period back with her father in Midian while Moses led the wandering Israelites, the family was happily reunited. I wonder how Zipporah looked back on her life with Moses? They went through a lot together, much of it no doubt pleasing, but not all.

I hope we take time occasionally to appreciate the sacrifices of the families of God's chosen servants; Church leaders and others who are called on to dedicate their lives to doing God's work. These families often have to endure more than we know to allow their spouse to serve. I pray for God to bless and support them as they allow and help their beloved partners to support us.

Samuel.

Service is essential to salvation

Dear friend

There are a few very essential reasons why we are on the earth. We must obtain a physical body so as to become more like our Father. We must learn to live by faith which includes keeping God's commandments. We must make sacred covenants; purifying promises with God. When we err we must repent, learning from our mistakes as well as our achievements.

While we are completing this blessed bucket list, we pad out the rest of our mortal moment with work, play, rest and the miriad of minutiae that fill our lives, 24 hours at a time.

As we live with our eyes fixed on the eternity to come, I believe it is still important to focus on the geotic journey. In fact, I think the journey - the way we get through our terrestrial test - is a key aspect in determining our destiny. One of the basics of living a good life is described in the New Testament, Romans 15:1-3.

1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

I am convinced it is an essential element of earth life that we strive to assist each other to get through it. I love the idea that "you cannot help someone get up a hill without getting closer to the top yourself". Serving others as a lifestyle lynchpin is, I believe, as important to our eternal prospects as is living by faith. In some ways they are the same thing.

Jesus Christ is the One in whom we must have faith. We demonstrate that faith by how we live our lives. The best way to ensure you are living a good life is to pattern it after the Lord; to do the things He did. And at the core of His life was service to others, helping those in need, bearing the infirmities of the weak.

I hope that it will be an item on our daily bucket list to help someone where we can; to "please our neighbour". I pray that we will develop service giving as a defining part of who we are - a core characteristic of our better nature - to take the time or make the time to seek opportunities and be responsive to situations where we can improve the lot of others. Service is a spiritual lifestyle choice.

Samuel.

Zeal as a motivation for good

Dear friend

If someone were to call you a zealot you might not be too happy. Zealots were a sect among the Jews who were known for their strict focus on the law. Their determination in this direction has led to a negative connotation to the name zealot. It is rarely a compliment.

However, the scriptures are very encouraging of zeal as a characteristic. For example from the New Testament, Galatians 4:18.

18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.

The Apostle Paul clearly approves of zeal as a motivating force. I think his generic "good thing" category of potential positive activities can refer to such uses of our time as regular prayer, scripture study, giving service to others, or any other "good" pursuit.

The etymology of zeal includes Middle English, late Latin and Greek, as well as biblical sources. It is described as fervour, ardent love, or longing in relation to some type of pursuit. That doesn't sound too negative. In fact, we could maybe all do with this kind of unfailing commitment to continuing in Paul's good things.

Without using the word zeal, I believe this verse encapsulates the spirit of righteous zeal. It is from Doctrine and Covenants 58:27.

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

I believe it is central to the reasons for our being on the earth that we are anxious to do good works. If we follow Jesus Christ then we must recognise that is what He did everywhere He went. I think there are more good things we could choose to do than there is time to do them. So it should be easy to find good activities to pursue to use up our time on earth.

I hope we can become positively zealous when it comes to doing the good things. This doesn't mean we become obsessive or self-righteous. We should try to develop an infectious zeal that motivates others. Zeal is good for doing good.

Samuel.