Moments With God

Exodus 1:22-2:1-10

God demands our total surrender. We must acknowledge Him alone as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He must be Lord over every area of our lives. Yet there are many nations, leaders, and individuals who rebel against the Lord and His authority. Psalm 2:1 reminds us that nations and individuals who rebel against the Lord "plot in vain."

The ancient Egyptian Pharaoh spoken about in the book of Exodus was a king who "in vain" tried to set himself up in rebellion against the Lord and His people. At this time in history God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, found themselves living in the foreign land of Egypt. The Egyptian Pharaoh of that time became alarmed at the growth in numbers of God’s Old Testament people. So Pharaoh subjected God’s people to slave labor, and later unsuccessfully tried to order the Hebrew midwives to kill all the baby boys of God’s people. When Pharaoh saw that all his plans were failing, he devised yet another plan. He made a law that every Israelite boy that was born must be thrown into the Nile River. He was hoping in this way to prevent these Israelite boys from growing up to become men who would rebel and make war against him in the future.

During this very difficult time in the lives of God’s Old Testament people a baby boy named Moses was born. The parents of Moses did not want to obey the Pharaoh’s command to throw their precious baby boy into the Nile River. They also saw that Moses "was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edit." (Hebrews 11:23b) Hence, the parents of Moses acted in faith and without fear, and they hid baby Moses for three months. Because of the courage displayed by the parents of Moses they are listed in Hebrew 11 with the other Old Testament heroes of faith! Let us also live our lives with that same kind of faith and trust in the Lord that the parents of Moses exhibited. Let us say with the Psalmist of old, "The Lord is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid.?" (Psalm 27:1b)

After three months Moses’ mother could no longer hide him, so "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." (Exodus 2:3) This papyrus basket was like a miniature seaworthy boat. After a space of time the Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile River to bathe. The Princess spotted the baby Moses among the reeds. Realizing it was one of the Hebrew babies the princess felt sorry for baby Moses, and she decided to raise him as her son. At this point Moses’ sister approached the princess and said, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" (Exodus 2:7) The princess agreed to this, and so Moses’ mother was able to take Moses home and raise him the first few years of his life without fear. During this time Moses’ mother was probably able to instruct Moses in the ways of the Lord. Later the mother of Moses, however, had to bring Moses to the palace to live as the son of the princess. This must have caused heartache for the mother of Moses, but she had the confidence that Moses was safe. Because the parents of Moses also realized that Moses "was no ordinary child," (Hebrews 11:23), they probably knew God would use Moses in great ways for the cause of their Lord God and God’s people some day. That is exactly what happened. Because of the faith and faithfulness of the parents of Moses their child would be used many years later as God’s instrument in leading God’s people out of Egypt and out of slavery. Moses’ parents may not have fully understood God’s plans and workings in their lives, but the Lord did indeed work out His plan for His own glory and for the good of His people! The Lord does the same for us as His children today! (Romans 8:28) May we find confidence and joy in that awesome promise!