Introduction
In the land of Egypt, where the Hebrews lived as strangers, their numbers grew and filled the land. The blessing of their proliferation, however, turned into their curse when a new Pharaoh, who knew not of Joseph’s good deeds, ascended to the throne. Fearing the Hebrews’ burgeoning numbers might align with Egypt’s enemies, Pharaoh subjected them to cruel bondage, appointing taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. Yet, the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied, fulfilling the promise made to their forefathers.
The Pharaoh’s Decree
Pharaoh’s fear of the Hebrews’ increasing numbers led him to a dark decision. He commanded the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill every Hebrew boy at birth, but to let the girls live. These midwives, however, feared God more than Pharaoh and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them. They let the boys live. When questioned by Pharaoh, they replied that the Hebrew women were vigorous and gave birth before the midwives could reach them. God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very strong.
In his wrath, Pharaoh issued a more dire decree, commanding all his people, saying, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”
The Birth of Moses
During this time of sorrow and fear, a man from the house of Levi took a Levite woman as his wife. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She placed the child in it and put it among the reeds by the river bank.
The child’s sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her servant to get it. When she opened it, she saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said.
Then the baby’s sister approached Pharaoh’s daughter. “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, and the girl fetched 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 brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
Moses: The Early Years
Moses grew up in the palace of Pharaoh, educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He was mighty in words and deeds. Yet, his heart was with his people, the Hebrews. As a young man, he went out to his people and saw their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. The next day, he went out again and found two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?”
The man replied, “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 matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. In Midian, he was welcomed by Jethro, the priest of Midian, whose daughters he helped water their flock. Moses was given Zipporah, one of Jethro’s daughters, as his wife, and they had a son named Gershom, for he said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land.”
Conclusion
The story of Moses’ birth and early years is a testament to God’s providence and protection. It underscores the theme of deliverance and sets the stage for the great deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt. Moses’ journey from a child hidden in the reeds to a prince of Egypt, and then to a fugitive in Midian, demonstrates the mysterious ways in which God prepares His chosen instruments for His purposes. Through every trial and tribulation, the hand of God was upon Moses, guiding him towards his destiny to lead the Israelites out of bondage and into the Promised Land.
This narrative not only recounts the miraculous preservation of a child who would grow up to be one of the most important figures in biblical history but also reflects the enduring faith of a people under persecution. It reminds us of the power of faith, the importance of obedience to God’s will, and the ultimate triumph of God’s plans over the designs of men.