“By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
Hebrews 11:23 NIV
The book of Hebrews is written by an unknown author. Hebrews is written to second generation Hebrew Christians that were possibly experiencing persecution for their faith and considering returning to Judaism. The writer of Hebrews is sharing why believing in Jesus is better. So, we are reading what our faith in Jesus gets us access to.
Moses is shared as an example of faith. His parents are believers and find themselves enslaved and being oppressed. Why did this oppression happen? Joseph (one of The Twelve) made a way for his family to go to Egypt to escape the famine. The Israelites multiplied and grew in Egypt. Then a new pharaoh who became insecure and threatened at their growth enslaved them. The Israelites still continued to grow. Pharaoh ordered that all boy Israelites be killed at birth.
What can these things represent? Israel can be any one of us. Our faith in God causes us to grow and mature. From the Bible, we can read the story of Moses in Exodus as God shares how to make exits from places that want to oppress and harm us, because our growth makes them insecure.
But…back to faith!
“The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”
Exodus 1:15 NIV
Pharoah has ordered that the midwives that help the Israelite women give birth should kill all boy babies at delivery.
“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because they feared God, he gave them families of their own.”
Exodus 1:17;20 NIV
The midwives believed in God. Their belief in God made them choose to directly disobey the king and do the right thing. This lead to favor in the lives of the midwives.
The Israelites are still growing too. Why? Because nothing stops God’s will. If He is allowing harm to exist, it’s because we have something we need to get from it.
“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 he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.”
Exodus 2:1-2 NIV
This is the story of the birth of Moses. Moses’ mom hid him for three months following his birth, instead of killing him as was the law.
“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 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 walked 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.
‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.”
“Then his sister asked Pharoah’s daughters, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’ ”
” ‘Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and the 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.”
Exodus 2:3-10 NIV
By faith, Moses’ mom had to trust in God, only, during this process. She puts baby Moses in a makeshift raft and puts him on the river. Pharaoh’s daughter sees him, knows he is Hebrew, and feels sorry for him. Moses’ sister by faith steps forward to find someone to nurse the baby. Moses’ mom is paid to feed and take care of the baby.
Moses is us, defenseless against something that wants to harm us. God used his enemies to not only rescue Moses, but to pay his mom to raise her own child. We never have to worry or fear. God’s provisions are complete and miraculous.
Moses shows us that we should have faith; even when things are coming to kill us. The God of everything will rescue us. Even, if that means causing our enemies to keep us safe and give us our provisions.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks