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Moses Is Born
1A man from the Levi tribe married a woman from the same tribe, 2 and she later had a baby boy. He was a beautiful child, and she kept him inside for three months. 3But when she could no longer keep him hidden, she made a basket out of reeds and covered it with tar. She put him in the basket and placed it in the tall grass along the edge of the Nile River. 4The baby's older sister stood off at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5About that time one of the king's daughters came down to take a bath in the river, while her servant women walked along the river bank. She saw the basket in the tall grass and sent one of them to pull it out of the water. 6When the king's daughter opened the basket, she saw the baby crying and felt sorry for him. She said, “This must be one of the Hebrew babies.”
7At once the baby's older sister came up and asked, “Do you want me to get a Hebrew woman to take care of the baby for you?”
8“Yes,” the king's daughter answered.
So the girl brought the baby's mother, 9and the king's daughter told her, “Take care of this child, and I will pay you.”
The baby's mother carried him home and took care of him. 10 And when he was old enough, she took him to the king's daughter, who adopted him. She named him Moses because she said, “I pulled him out of the water.”
Moses Escapes
11 After Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were hard at work, and he saw an Egyptian beating one of them. 12Moses looked around to see if anyone was watching, then he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.
13When Moses went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting. So he went to the man who had started the fight and asked, “Why are you beating up one of your own people?”
14The man answered, “Who put you in charge of us and made you our judge? Are you planning to kill me, just like you killed that Egyptian?”
This frightened Moses because he was sure that people must have found out what had happened. 15 When the king heard what Moses had done, he wanted to kill him. But Moses escaped and went to the land of Midian.
One day, when Moses was sitting by a well, 16the seven daughters of Jethro, the priest of Midian, came up to water their father's sheep and goats. 17Some shepherds tried to chase them away, but Moses came to their rescue and watered their animals. 18When Jethro's daughters returned home, their father asked, “Why have you come back so early today?”
19They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds, and he even watered our sheep and goats.”
20“Where is he?” Jethro asked. “Why did you leave him out there? Invite him to eat with us.”
21Moses agreed to stay on with Jethro, who later let his daughter Zipporah marry Moses. 22And when she had a son, Moses said, “I will name him Gershom, since I am a foreigner in this country.”
23After the death of the king of Egypt, the Israelites still complained because they were forced to be slaves. They cried out for help, 24 and God heard their loud cries. He did not forget the promise he had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 25and because he knew what was happening to his people, he felt sorry for them.
Reflect
When my oldest daughter was ten months old she became frighteningly ill. I had worked for doctors and determined that when I had children I was not going to bother a doctor over a simple runny nose or diaper rash. So, when Natalie’s runny nose turned into a thick green/grayish discharge and her vomiting persisted through the night turning into a high fever the next morning, instead of calling a doctor I called a nurse friend. She wisely advised me that five minutes of embarrassment was better than a lifetime of regret.
It just so happened:
- when I arrived at the doctor’s office that I was escorted immediately into an examining room
- my doctor came in to check her mail and saw Natalie and
- after examining Natalie she arranged for Natalie to be seen by a pediatrician an hour away
- the pediatrician was able to see us immediately
In fact, he made it to the nearby hospital before we did where he stood ready with his critical care team where Natalie was promptly diagnosed with spinal meningitis, was treated, and thankfully, has since fully recovered.
Our story could have had a much different ending had God not put people in the right place at the right time to respond. Moses’ story could also have been much different had God not intervened in the same way.
It just so happened:
- the princess was taking a bath at the river when Moses’ basket floated by
- Miriam had stayed close by to keep an eye on the basket’s whereabouts
- Miriam knew just where to go to find a nurse for Moses
And just think—Moses’ mom goes from a grief-stricken mother to a paid nurse!
Even the mishaps that led Moses from murderer to missionary were no accident where God was concerned!
What do you think? Are the things that happen in your life accidental or providential? Are they co-incidence or God-incidents?
Respond
Sovereign God, thank you that there are no accidents where you are concerned. Nothing happens to us unless it first passes your approval. Thank you that you know all and see all. Thank you that you bring your sovereignty into the chaos of our lives because you love us that much. Amen.
Lisa Elliott
Lisa Elliott is a popular inspirational speaker and award-winning author of The Ben Ripple; Choosing to Live through Loss with Purpose and Dancing in the Rain. Born and raised in Toronto, ON, Lisa is a graduate of Ontario Bible College (Tyndale). She is a pastor’s wife of over 25 years and mother of four children (3 on earth, 1 in heaven). She has written for Just Between Us Magazine and writes a column for Word Alive Press’s website entitled, Straight from the Heart. Lisa’s passion is to share the life changing truths and principles from God’s Word straight from the heart. She and her husband, David are presently serving the Lord in London, Ontario.