Command 11: Be Perfect
Study Question
Q: Moses forsook all the treasures of Egypt to serve the Lord and free His people from bondage. God commissioned Moses and sent him to Pharaoh, but on the way, why did God meet him in an inn and seek to kill him?
A: God appeared to Moses in the backside of the desert and commissioned him to return to Egypt and deal with Pharaoh. While Moses was on the way, God told him exactly what to say to 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” (see Exodus 4:22–23). In the very next verse, we read, “It came to pass by the way in the inn, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill him.” What a startling statement! Why would God have such an intention? Based on what happened next, it becomes clear what caused God’s displeasure with Moses.
God called Abraham to leave his country and kindred to establish a new nation, through whom all the families of the earth would be blessed. God had given Abraham a sign of that covenant—circumcision. God gave very clear instructions that this sign was to be carried out by all of his descendants. It is obvious that Moses had failed to do this with his sons. This failure of Moses to fulfill the covenant of God through circumcision indicated an incomplete circumcision of his heart. If left unaddressed, this would have tainted his ability to represent the nation of Israel as “the firstborn” of God the Father or to speak forcefully to Pharaoh about his firstborn.
If we are to have perfect hearts, we must expose all secret desires and activities to the light of God’s truth and the washing of His Word.
Your Thoughts
Have you thought of another study question and answer related to this command? Share it with us.
This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 2, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.