Exodus 2 - A Stay-At-Home Mom Gets Paid

 

A man of the house of Levi, married a daughter of Levi. Levi is the third son of Jacob and Leah. These two members of the house of Levi are very closely blood related, which we will discover as we continue our journey. The woman had a baby boy. When she saw that he was a beautiful child she hid him for three months. In Exodus 1, we learned that the king wanted the baby boys killed when they were born. Also, keep in mind that the houses in the Biblical days were not like our houses (big or small) now. So, she was more than likely hiding him in plain sight somehow. When the mother could no longer hide her son, she made a water-proof "baby carrier" of bulrushes daubed with asphalt and pitch. She put the baby in it and laid it in the reeds by the bank of the river. The baby's older sister stood afar off to see what would become of him.

Pharaoh's daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her maidens walked along the riverside and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent a maid to get it. When she opened the ark, she saw the child and he began to cry. Pharaoh's daughter had compassion on him as she realized that he was one of the Hebrew's children. The baby's sister asked Pharaoh's daughter if she should get a nurse for him from the Hebrew women so that she may nurse the child for her. Pharaoh's daughter told her to do so and the sister went and got the baby's mother. The mother was told to take the child and nurse him and she would get paid for it. So the woman took the child and nursed him. Wow! Look at God! Not only was the baby hidden for three months, but now the baby's mother is being paid to nurse her own child! Has God ever turned a situation that seemed very dismal in your life around so much so that all you could say is "Wow, look at God!"? The child grew and the mother took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son (Biblical adoption). She named him Moses, because she said that she drew him out of the water. Obviously, Pharaoh must have been fine with this "adoption".

One day after Moses was grown he went out and looked at the burdens his brethren bore. This indicates that Moses knew he was adopted and was, in fact, a Hebrew. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. When Moses figured nobody could see him, he killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. So, not minding his business, Moses has now become a murderer and tried to cover up the crime. When Moses went out on the second day, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. Not minding his own business again, Moses asked the one who started the fight why he was hitting the other man. The man responded asking "Who made you prince and judge over us?" Then he asked Moses if he was going to kill him like he killed the Egyptian. So, Moses was afraid as he realized that he didn't get away with murder after all. When Pharaoh heard about it, he sought to kill Moses. I'm guessing this is still Moses' adoptive grandfather since he still appears to be living in royalty. So, Moses fled to the land of Midian and sat down by a well. Now Moses is a fugitive. Sometimes intervening in a situation that probably should not be your concern, can be beneficial to you and the parties involved, especially if someone is being abused. However, oftentimes, minding your own business could be the best route to take, especially when you were not asked to intervene.

The priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water from the well to water their father's flock. Shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses intervened on their behalf and helped them. He watered their flock. When his daughters got back earlier than usual, their father, Reuel, questioned them. They told him that an Egyptian delivered them from the hands of the shepherds and he also drew water for the flock. So he asked where the man was and why did they leave him. He told them to get him, so that they may eat together. Moses was content to live with them and Reuel gave his daughter, Zipporah, to be his wife. This was a profitable intervention for Moses. Moses and Zipporah has a son whom they named Gershom, because Moses said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."

As time went on, the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel groaned because of their bondage and cried. God heard their cries because of the bondage and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God looked upon the children of Israel and acknowledged them. Have you ever cried out to God and He heard and acknowledged your cries because of your distress?

Our next stop is Exodus 3.

To God Be The Glory!

Click here to visit My Bible Reading Journal