Mar 28, 2026
Exodus 2 marks a significant point in the narrative of Scripture, as we read of baby Moses being born. Moses will be a central figure in the Exodus account, so much more will be said about his life and faith in the weeks to come. For now, keep in mind the context in which he was born. Pharaoh had just demanded that all Hebrew baby boys be killed, so Moses’s death was all but certain the moment he came out of his mother’s womb. But for the faith of his parents and the providence of our heavenly Father…
Hebrews 11:23 notes that, upon his birth, his parents hid him for three months, as they did not fear Pharaoh (presumably because their trust in God outweighed their circumstances). But when Moses’s mother “could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank” (Exodus 2:3). Moses’s sister watched at a distance to see what would happen to Moses, and soon the basket came to rest among some reeds in sight of Pharaoh’s daughter.
The basket was retrieved, and it was discovered that inside it lay a Hebrew baby boy. Rather than comply with his father’s orders, Pharaoh’s daughter directs her servant to go find the baby’s mother to nurse him for her. But that’s not all, as Pharaoh’s daughter offered to compensate Moses’s mom for her efforts, to which the woman agreed. As Moses grew older, and presumably weaned from his mother, he was brought back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him into her family (vv. 5-10).
Can we stop for a moment and consider how all of these “coincidences” of Moses’s early life connect with God’s providence over each detail? Note the following:
· Moses was born into a family that did not fear Pharaoh, so his life was preserved.
· Moses’s parents were willing to trust God with the outcome of his life by putting him in a basket and sending him down the river.
· Pharaoh’s daughter happened to see the basket in the distance, and when it was discovered that there was a baby Hebrew boy inside, she defied her father’s edict to save Moses’s life.
· Moses’s mother, who had given up any semblance of control of her baby’s life, was reunited with Moses and paid for the quality time spent with him.
· Moses was adopted into the same family whose leader wished to marginalize (some may say, eradicate) the Hebrew population in Egypt.
Brothers and sisters, I know from experience how hard it is to see God working in the details of our lives as we are going through them. However, time and time again, as we reflect on our circumstances, it’s evident that God is at work. Use that knowledge of God’s faithfulness to propel you to wise living as you go about the moments of your day.
The latter half of chapter 2 skips forward in Moses’s life to a time when he “had grown up” and become aware of the plight of his fellow Israelites. One day, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, so when he thought that no one was looking, he struck the Egyptian and killed him. “When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, ‘Why do you strike your companion?’ He answered, ‘Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid, and thought, ‘Surely the thing is known’” (vv. 13-14).
Fear drove Moses into the land of Midian, where he quickly earned the favor of a father of seven daughters. The man (Reuel) invited Moses to dwell with his family, giving one of his daughters, Zipporah, to him in marriage. The two conceive and a son, Gershom, is born to them (vv. 16-22).
Our reading closes today with another comforting truth about God: “During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew” (vv. 23-25). Child of God, our Creator sees you. No matter where you are. No matter what you are going through. God sees you, God hears you, God cares for you, and God remembers the covenant He has made with you through the blood of Jesus. Cry out to Him in confidence that He knows, and He can empathize with your every weakness (Hebrews 4:15-16).
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· As Moses grew into an adult, his heart was set on justice and goodness. How can you keep your heart fixed on these same qualities, no matter where God has you?
· Of what comfort does it give you to know that God sees you, hears you, cares for you, and remembers His covenant with you?