The Birth of Moses
In the land of Egypt, the Israelites had multiplied greatly, and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, grew fearful of their growing strength. He feared that they might rise up against him, so he devised a cruel plan to control the Israelites.
He ordered that every Hebrew boy born be thrown into the Nile River, hoping to stop their population from growing. However, one mother, a woman from the tribe of Levi, gave birth to a son and decided to defy the king’s decree.
She kept the baby hidden for three months, but as he grew, it became harder to hide him. So, she took a basket made of papyrus reeds, coated it with tar to make it waterproof, and placed the baby inside.
She then placed the basket in the tall reeds by the banks of the Nile River, where the child would be safe. The baby's sister, Miriam, stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.
At that moment, Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe. She noticed the basket among the reeds and had her servant bring it to her. When she opened the basket, she saw the crying baby and took pity on him.
Miriam, watching from a distance, approached and asked Pharaoh's daughter if she wanted her to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, and Miriam quickly ran to find the baby’s mother.
The child’s mother was reunited with her son and was paid to nurse him by Pharaoh’s daughter. When the child was older, he was brought back to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her own son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Exodus 2:1-10 (NIV)
"Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said. Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’
‘Yes, go,’ she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’”
Moses Flees to Midian
Many years later, Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s household, living as a prince in the palace. He knew he was an Israelite, but he was raised as an Egyptian. One day, when Moses was about 40 years old, he went out to observe the suffering of his people, the Israelites, who were enslaved by the Egyptians.
He saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew slave, and in a moment of anger and injustice, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
The next day, when Moses went out again, he saw two Hebrews fighting. He tried to intervene, asking why they were fighting. One of the men turned to him and said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses was afraid and realized that his crime had become known.
Pharaoh heard about it and sought to kill Moses. Fearing for his life, Moses fled Egypt and went to the land of Midian. In Midian, Moses sat down by a well, and the daughters of the priest of Midian came to draw water.
Some shepherds tried to drive them away, but Moses stood up and helped them. The girls went back to their father, Reuel, and told him about the man who helped them. Reuel invited Moses to stay with him, and Moses agreed.
He later married one of Reuel’s daughters, Zipporah, and they had a son named Gershom.
Exodus 2:11-22 (NIV)
"One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, ‘Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?’
The man said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?’
Then Moses was afraid and thought, ‘What I did must have become known.’ When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
When the girls returned to Reuel, their father, he asked them, ‘Why have you returned so early today?’
They answered, ‘An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.’
‘Where is he?’ he asked his daughters. ‘Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.’
Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, ‘I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.’”
Lesson:
A valuable lesson from the story of Moses' birth and his early life in Egypt can be drawn for anyone who believes in God: God's providence and purpose often unfold in unexpected ways, and He can use ordinary people for extraordinary purposes, even when they feel unworthy or out of place.
In the case of Moses, despite the fear and oppression surrounding his birth, God protected him and guided his journey, even through the most difficult circumstances.
His mother’s courage in saving him and Pharaoh's daughter’s compassion in adopting him were part of a divine plan that would eventually lead Moses to become a key figure in the liberation of the Israelites.
This story shows that God works through people who may not seem like obvious choices and that His plans are always greater than what we can understand.
For those who believe in God, this story encourages us to trust that no situation is beyond God’s control, even when it seems like everything is falling apart.
It teaches us that our own struggles, or the things that seem like setbacks, may be part of God’s plan to shape us for something greater. Just as Moses was placed in a position of power to eventually fulfill his purpose, so too can God place us in unique situations to carry out His will.
Ultimately, the lesson is that God is always present, working behind the scenes, and His purpose for us is bigger than we can imagine. When we trust in His timing and guidance, He can use us in ways that may surprise even us.