The Birth of Moses

Story: The Birth of Mosees

Passage: Exodus 2:1-10

Characters:  Moses, Pharaoh’s Daughter, Miriam

Summary:  A Levite couple had a son.  They hid him for three months and then placed him in the nile river in a basket.  Pharoah’s daughter found the boy and she kept him.  She hired Moses’ mother to nurse him.  When he was old enough he became an Egyptian and Pharaoh’s daughter named him Moses.     

Notes: In Hebrews we read that Moses’ parents hid him for three months out of faith in God.  They knew God wanted them to hide him.  I wonder if they freaked out when they saw Pharaoh’s daughter find him.  I doubt they thought she would adopt him!  Technically, his parents obeyed and they did put him literally in the river!  God was in control the whole time.  Not only did Moses’ mother end up raising her son herself, but she also got paid, and she knew her son would not be oppressed like the rest of the Hebrews were.  God was very much at work in this passage.  He had big plans for Moses and His protection was on him from the beginning.  I wonder why Miriam’s name is not mentioned in this passage.  She is only referred to as his sister.  I also find it interesting that Moses lived with his family for three months and then for longer, but he was apparently nameless over that time.  It was Pharaoh’s daughter who named him.  She did not give him an Egyptian name though, she called him Moses which sounds like Hebrew for draw out.  I wonder if this Egyptian woman was actually friendly towards the Hebrews?  This would be very significant considering that Egypt’s borderline racist attitude towards outsiders had only become more violent after Joseph died. 

Questions:  Why did Moses get a Hebrew name?  What did Moses’ family think of these events?  Did Pharaoh’s daughter know that Moses’ mother was the one she hired to nurse him? 

Lessons:  God is in control.  God had big plans for Moses and he had a plan to protect his childhood.  When things feel messed up and confusing and all hope is lost, God has a plan and we still are a part of it and we need to take comfort in that fact.