The Essentials Of The Bible: Part 33 -- God Delivers The People – Moses Is Born

A man from the house of Levi takes a wife from the daughters of Levi and they have a son during this turbulent time of Pharaoh.  The mother hides her son for three months until she can no longer hide him.  Taking a basket and coating it with pitch, she places the baby in the basket and launches the little basket among the reeds near the bank of the Nile River.  The baby’s sister watches a little ways away.

Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the river to bathe.  When she sees the basket, she sends a maid to bring the basket to her.  Recognizing the crying baby to be a Hebrew child, she has pity on him and sends his sister to bring his mother to come and nurse him.  Pharaoh’s daughter sends the mother and child away, paying the mother to nurse him.  When the child grew up, the mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter.  She had named him Moses, because she drew him out of the water. 

Exodus 2:9-10 ESV And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.  (10)  When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

Thus Moses was raised under the protection of Pharaoh’s daughter and lived among both Pharaoh’s court and his own Hebrew people.

We can only imagine the pain of a mother nursing her son to be another woman’s child.  But, her condemned baby was saved by her own ingenuity to place him in a water tight basket before, “throwing him in the river,” as per Pharaoh’s command.  On the other side, there is Pharaoh’s daughter, who for what ever reason didn’t have any children, who claimed another woman’s baby as her own.  Knowing that he couldn’t nurse, at her own breast; but was bonding with his true mother; had to be equally difficult. 

Living between two worlds was a challenge for the growing boy.  His blood line called out to him from the bondage of slavery.  As Pharaoh’s son, he was helpless to do anything for his people.  There must have been ridicule from Pharaoh’s court because of his heritage.  Moses was claimed by two peoples; the rich and free on one side and the poor and oppressed on the other.  Later we will find that Moses is “slow of speech,” in other words, he was timid and maybe even stuttered.  While his circumstances made him uncertain and timid; his Hebrew blood must have drawn him to his people and burned boldly in him.

One day when he went out among the Hebrews, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his people and he slew the Egyptian and hid the body.  This act sealed his fate.  At that moment, Moses was choosing between the life of riches with Pharaoh and the poverty of slavery with the Hebrews.  His crime became known and Pharaoh sought to kill Moses.

Exodus 2:11-15 ESV One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.  (12)  He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.  (13)  When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, "Why do you strike your companion?"  (14)  He answered, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."  (15)  When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

Moses fled to the land of Midian.  Sitting by a well; the seven daughters of the priest of Midian came to water their father’s flock.  When the shepherds came to drive the women away; Moses stood up against the shepherds and the daughters were able to water their flock.

This act was very appreciated by the priest of Midian and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah  as a wife.  Moses was content to live in Midian.  He named their first son Gershom because he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."  Back in Egypt, things grew worse for the Hebrews and God saw their continual suffering and heard their cry.

Exodus 2:23-25 ESV During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God.  (24)  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  (25)  God saw the people of Israel--and God knew.

God never forgets His promises.  He is faithful in everything.  When we suffer unjustly, God sees all.  We forget that God has a plan and sometimes our plan is not in agreement with God’s plan.  We want things as we want them.  Sometimes; we need to search our souls and examine our lives; seeking God and being willing to see and align our lives within His will.   Sometimes, we bring the suffering upon ourselves because we are not living within God’s will.  Other times, we suffer to prepare ourselves for greater service to God; to grow in the character that can be entrusted with the matters of God.  Either way, nothing escapes God’s eyes.  We must be patient and trust in God.  He will not let us down.

Matthew 10:29 ESV Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Psalms 37:7 KJV Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Prayer:  LORD God Eternal Father. You know all of my needs before I even come to you.  Hear my prayer and accept my love and worship and praise.  Thank you LORD for all that you do.  Help me to walk with you in Faith, in Jesus’ name, Amen.






Copyright © 2006, 2011  Thomas C. Blake