Moses was born in a foreign country — the land of Egypt. He was born during a time when his people were pressed into unbelievable slavery.
When he was born, there was a sentence of death hanging over his head. The Pharoah was concerned about how rapidly the Hebrew people were multiplying so he gave an edict that all male Hebrew babies were to be thrown into the Nile River.
In Exodus 2:1-4 we read, “About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.”
Note: Perhaps you are wondering where the father was while all of this was taking place. In Hebrews 11:23 we read – “It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.”
Note: Moses was placed in that basket and fastened in the reeds along the Nile River.
· The Pharoah’s daughter, along with some of her maids, came down to the river to wash. The princess saw the basket and had her maid get it. We read in Exodus 2:6, “When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying and she felt sorry for him. This must be one of the Hebrew children.”
· At this point, Moses’ sister stepped forward and asked the princess if she would like her to find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby.
· The princess said, “Yes, do!” So, Miriam went and got the baby’s mother.
· In Exodus 29 we read “Take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you for your help.” So, the woman took her baby home and nursed him.”
Note: We don’t know for sure how long his mother nursed him, cared for him, and taught him. It was probably 3-5 years.
In Exodus 3:10, we read “Later when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharoah’s daughter, who adopted him as her son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained ‘I lifted him out of the water.’”
Note: For the next 30-35 years Moses was given the very best that Egypt had to offer — education, socially, security, future — he was in line to become a Pharoah! But he never forgot that he was Hebrew. In Exodus 2:11-12, we read “Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. 12 After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand.”
The next day, he went out again, and this time he saw two Hebrews beating each other and he wanted to know why. One of the men replied “Who appointed you to be our prince and judge? Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?” (Exodus 2:14)
All of a sudden, all of the best he had received and enjoyed in Egypt didn’t matter. He knew that he would be toast as soon as the Pharoah found out, so he fled. I am sure he felt like a failure. He thought he was doing a good thing when he killed the Egyptian. He let his anger get the best of him.
In time, Moses wound up in Midian. He sat down by a well to rest. Seven young ladies came there to water their father’s camels. Some shepherds came and tried to chase them away. Once again, Moses rose to the occasion and protected the girls. He even helped them water the camels. When the daughters got home sooner than usual, the dad wanted to know how that happened and they told him how an Egyptian, Moses, had defended them and helped them. When Revel, also known as Jethro, heard the story he wanted to know why they hadn’t brought him home. So, they went back and brought him to their father. When he heard Moses’ story, he invited him to live with them and Moses accepted. He married into their family and became a shepherd caring for his father-in-law’s flocks. For forty years this was his life. Little did he know that God was using those years in Midian to equip him for the largest role of his entire life — to go back to Egypt and lead his people out of slavery into the land that God was going to give them.
One day, while Moses was caring for Jethro’s flocks, he saw something unusual — a bush caught fire. It should have been consumed in moments, in that hot desert heat, but it just kept burning, so Moses went to check it out and when he got closer, God spoke to him. Folks, God knows who we are, what we are and where we are. He has a plan for each of our lives.
His plan for Moses was to have him return to Egypt and lead his people out of terrible bondage into a land of freedom.
Exodus 2:23-25 we read, “Years passed and the king of Egypt died. However, the Israelites continued to groan under the burden of slavery. They cried out for help and their cry rose to God. God heard their groaning and He remembered his covenant (promise) to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.”
Dear one, God sees your situation. He hears your cry for help and will intervene at just the right time. He may send a Moses to help you, but, one way or another, He will be there for you.
It took God eighty years of training to get Moses to a place where he could use him for one of the greatest missions ever. Getting his people willing to leave was not easy for Moses and Pharoah did not want to let them go, but God prevailed and the day of the exodus came. Again and again, the Hebrews complained and griped about many things, but Moses had learned how to listen to God and lean on Him. God can take our failures and turn them into triumphs if we will listen to him and lean on Him. How would He use your life and mine if we would learn to let him lead?
