At times the silence or secrecy of Scripture is most beautiful. This has been observed as to the genealogy of Melchisedec. Indeed, the Spirit Himself has so referred to it in Hebrews 8. But the same thing occurred to me a day or two ago as to Zipporah in Exod. 18
We know that the meeting of the Gentile family there with the Israel of God on the mount is the type of the communion of the heavenly and earthly families in the coming days of the glory. But having accomplished this purpose, Zipporah is seen and heard no more. She retires, she shrinks, as it were, instinctively into the shade, and from that moment disappears. This is surely like everything perfect in its place because, though in the old dispensation the heavenly family might show itself for a moment, or flit across the scene, yet they were not to be detained, or occupy the foreground, for more than an instant. They might glow for the twinkling of an eye, but then they must vanish into heaven. And so with the Gentile wife of Moses, the type of the heavenly bride—she glitters before the eye just as it were to awaken inquiry after the mysterious stranger, or to attract with a sudden brightness beyond the common measure, or out of the way, and then she retreats. (Asenath, Joseph's wife, in like manner appears for a little moment to serve as a beam of heavenly light [Gen. 41], and then vanishes, for she was also a type of the Church.) She could not but be hid. The Church, the heavenly bride, was still a mystery.
I might say the two appearances of Zipporah have this character. She appears for a moment when Israel had rejected Moses, but disappears as soon as Moses begins to act again for Israel (Exod. 2; 4), and reappears only on Israel's redemption and arrival at the mount of God. The first of these short visions of this Gentile bride presented the Church, or heavenly family, as now gathered during Israel's unbelief; the second presented her as by-and-by glorified, while Israel is saved and blessed. Is not her zeal against circumcision a pattern? (See Exod. 4:2525Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. (Exodus 4:25); Gal. 5:44Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4).)