Generation Z: Born for the StormSample

Born for Commitment: Zipporah

Zipporah first met Moses when he rescued Zipporah and her sisters from being harassed by vagabonds at a watering hole. He helped the sisters give water to their flock. As a result, Moses was invited to their father Jethro’s home and ultimately given Zipporah to be his Midianite wife. For almost forty years, Moses and Zipporah lived in the desert of Midian with their two children, Gershom and Eliezer, while Moses shepherded Jethro’s flocks.

When Moses encountered God at the burning bush and heard His call to return to Egypt, everything changed—including Zipporah’s life. Being a shepherd’s wife is a long way from being the wife of a prophet, deliverer, and ruler of several million people. Moses’ call would move Zipporah from their calm, peaceful existence to the high drama of spiritual conflict. Zipporah needed to commit to God’s mission too.

On the way to Egypt with their two sons, Zipporah and Moses stopped at an inn. That night, the Bible says, the Lord was about to kill Moses (Exodus 4:24). Moses was on a mission for God; now, the Lord was seeking to kill him. Why? This was a test of leadership. God required a new level of sacrifice from Moses and his family.

How did Zipporah know what needed to be done? Scripture does not say, but she discerned God’s will and responded accurately. Zipporah committed her family to the cause by transitioning her son from Midianite to Israelite. Zipporah took Gershom, and perhaps Eliezer as well, and circumcised him. She then threw his foreskin at Moses’ feet and called Moses a bloody husband, which was not a compliment.

Commitment is necessary to move forward in God’s work. Moses would need to have his Gentile family fully committed as Israelites before announcing God’s deliverance to the Israelites. Through her actions, Zipporah saved Moses’ life and chose to have a fully Hebrew family with the children of Israel. Timothy, in the New Testament, chose to be circumcised as an adult so as to more easily reach Hebrews with the gospel of Christ.

Each successive leadership challenge requires increased commitment and sacrifice. Generation Z will be called to make enormous commitments to the cause of Christ, some of which will be personally painful, costly, or isolating. These may be uncomfortable and might seem unfair, but the work of God is worth it.