A few weeks ago the nation was told that a certain man was indispensable to fill the position of Secretary of Treasurer. Since that time the nation’s economic woes have only increased and now calls are made from the senate and congress for this same individual who was once deemed indispensable to resign immediately. It is a humbling position for the secretary no doubt. His experience should serve to remind all people that no one is indispensable—not even Moses.

There is a remarkable short story found in Exodus 4 that illustrates this truth. Simply summarized, on the night before Moses was to stand before Pharaoh and demand the release of the children of Israel from the bondage of slavery, the Lord sought to kill him. The Lord did not merely seek to punish Moses or discipline him, the Lord was going to terminate his life. Moses was about to die a sin unto death. Only the immediate though reluctant intervention of an offended wife allowed Moses to survive.

At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it and said, "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!" So he let him alone. It was then that she said, "A bridegroom of blood," because of the circumcision (Ex 4:24).

It is not difficult to discern that the great controversy God had with Moses was a matter of obedience. Moses had neglected to give his child Gershom the sign of his covenant relation with God. Having married outside the sphere of common faith, Moses and Zipporah disagreed over the issue of circumcision. The matter was set aside until the night that God sought to kill Moses. Suddenly, gospel obedience was deemed very important and Zipporah—who deeply resented being involved in the act—performed the bloody ritual.

While many spiritual lessons can be derived from this narrative one of the most important is this: no one is indispensable, not in the secular world and not in the spiritual world. In order to avoid such severe circumstances as Moses found himself in, it is best to be diligent in matters of gospel obedience. Only then is there true freedom to serve the Lord. God’s work must be done God’s way or not done at all.