We couldn’t let Black History Month end without celebrating at least one Black (s)hero in the Bible. That person is Zipporah, wife of Moses. Zipporah was a Cushite, from the ancient Kingdom of Cush which was in Africa, located along the Nile River in what is now Sudan and Egypt. Yes. Moses – The Prince Of Egypt, the deliverer of Israel was married to a Cushite – aka a Black woman. How did this happen?
Well, Moses was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter after she found him as a baby, floating in the Nile river while she was taking a bath. His birth mother had the opportunity to nurse him and he was brought back to Pharaoh’s daughter and she officially adopted him. He had to flee Egypt because he allegedly killed a man (that’s another story). After wandering in the land of Midian, he meets a man, Reuel, who had a bunch of daughters. He worked for Reuel for a while and then Moses chose one of Reuel’s daughters, Zipporah, to be his wife. In Exodus chapter 4, while Moses was preparing to return to Egypt and rescue God’s people, he was traveling through the desert with his family and neglected to circumcise his young son. Now, that is considered a cardinal sin to God. It’s like breaking a covenant with Him. It was such a big deal to God that he sought to kill Moses over it. Zipporah wasn’t having none of that. Exodus 4:25 says, “So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet.” Because she took control of that situation, she was able to spare her husband’s life from the hands of God and allowed him the opportunity to continue on the road to becoming the deliverer of Israel! Zipphorah, a Cushite from Africa, a Black woman, wife of Moses, a (s)hero in the Bible. We celebrate her this Black History Month and beyond!
With Agape Love,
Willie Mae