Zipporah: When Obedience Matters

In a recent reading of Exodus, I was struck again by Moses’s wife, Zipporah. She’s easy to overlook because she’s only mentioned three times, and we know very little about her.

Her story is part of the larger story of Moses—his calling, his leadership, his obedience. And yet, right in the middle of it, we see that everything hinges on her.

The scene feels abrupt and unsettling. God confronts Moses over disobedience and is on the verge of taking his life. It is sudden and severe.

And Zipporah steps in.

No hesitation. No long explanation. She acts.

She circumcises her son, and in doing so, she preserves the life of the man God called to lead His people. It is not a gentle moment. Her words carry intensity—tension, perhaps confusion, maybe even resistance.

But still, she obeys.

Zipporah was not an Israelite. She was the daughter of Jethro, the priest of Midian. She did not grow up within the covenant the way Moses did. And yet, in this critical moment, she responds with clarity and urgency.

She sees the threat to her husband, and she acts. Her obedience was costly. It was immediate.

I think about how often we wait to obey until we feel ready. We wait until we understand everything. We wait until obedience feels easier, softer, more comfortable. She doesn’t sort through her feelings first.

Zipporah didn’t have that luxury.

She reminds me that delayed obedience is still disobedience.

Her story is brief, but it speaks.

And in the moments that matter most,

God gives the grace to step in and obey.