Bloody Intercession (Zipporah & Jehosheba)

Posted on October 14, 2015 by My Berean Life

Kingdom Greetings!

You know, the answers are in God’s Word (really, they are!). Jehosheba pulled the lone survivor and heir to the throne from the bloody remains of Athaliah’s slaughter. Zipporah circumcised her son with a stone to save Moses’ life.

Both were intercession.

I offer these examples for us to consider that sometimes intercession requires we get our hands bloody (not just dirty) to advance God’s cause. Today of course, this may not mean literal blood, but extreme cases of danger or sacrifice for the helpless and ignorant. Or, even the traumatized.

JEHOSHEBA: When wicked people terrorize and leave massive carnage behind (like Athaliah, the wicked queen mother), God allows Jehosheba the opportunity to save the king. He was the youngest and now only surviving heir to the throne. He was a child and now king. His protection was paramount. The kingdom’s future and necessary relationships depended on a sitting king…in position…on the throne. With her husband the priest Jehosheba hid and raised this child king. At the right moment, they pulled a coup and restored the kingdom’s order.

ZIPPORAH: She was Moses’ Midianite wife. Her father Jethro gave her to Moses. Moses was a man on the run — not much different from many men of God today. Moses killed a man, and ran when Pharaoh threatened his life. Damaged yet built to serve, Moses helped Jethro’s seven daughters water the camels and access the well. Without argument he took a wife — he was not ready, able or healed for his provider and covering roles. Moses was caught between identities — Hebrew and Egyptian — and battled with God’s introduction to his divine purpose. After detailed instruction Moses moved out to obey God. On the way, God tried to kill Moses. Zipporah discerned, took a stone and circumcised their son (likely Gershom) to satisfy God’s wrath. God pulled back and Moses began his journey with God to deliver His people from Egypt.

SATISFYING GOD: Our dispensation differs, but the principle remains that sacrificial blood satisfies God’s wrath. Today we exercise spiritual authority because of Christ’s finished work. He was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice who shed blood FOR GOD on our behalf. His blood satisfied God and kept God from exacting right penalty on us all. Glory to God! Bloody intercession then, is mercy ministry. This kind of intercession is the Gospel in action in prayer.

Holy Spirit who leads us into the gap as advocates for person-place-cause and releases through us perfect prayers to satisfy the Father. He connects our heart with God’s heart to cry out and offer intercession OR snatch lives out of danger and be intercession. These two women show us how.

Remember, as Holy Spirit develops us in this precious ministry, intercession remains His domain. If we choose to box it in, then we limit ourselves unnecessarily and create more chances for confusion than clarity. Make some time to read about these women and other powerful intercession examples in scripture.

Images: knife, Jehosheba