Daily Devotional

“Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he Zipporah his daughter to Moses” (Exodus 2:21). 

Research has shown clearly that people who face prejudice continue to carry the effects of that discrimination for a long time, even after their circumstances have changed. People who have been discriminated against tend to have trouble making decisions. They are more likely to lack self-control, be more aggressive, and eat larger quantities of unhealthy foods. 

Zipporah, the Midianite wife of Moses, faced discrimination from Moses’s own family. Although she served the true God and had a gentle, compassionate nature, she wasn’t a Hebrew, and she had darker skin. 

Moses had met her when, as a fugitive, he stayed at the home of the priest of Midian. One of the priest’s seven daughters, Zipporah, was given to Moses as his wife. Although she accompanied Moses to Egypt, at some point prior to the exodus Zipporah returned to her father’s house for a short time. 

After Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt, his father-in-law brought Zipporah and their sons to him in the desert, and the family was reunited. 

Zipporah probably didn’t completely understand the reasons that Miriam and Aaron were not accepting of her—which boiled down to pride and jealousy—but she could certainly see their icy stares and sense their unfriendliness toward her. They seemed to be doing their best to make her feel different and unwelcome; Miriam especially made her life miserable. 

Although Miriam and Aaron later repented of their envy and complaining—after Miriam was struck by leprosy—the Bible doesn’t tell us whether Zipporah was ever fully accepted into the family. 

Discrimination based on race or other unchangeable factors is not part of God’s plan. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). God treats everyone—even unbelievers—with unconditional love. If we truly belong to Him, we will do the same. 

Dear Jesus, help me to treat others—especially those who are different from me—with Your kindness and mercy.