Moses: Day 3

Wednesday, September 1

A Sister and a Momma

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 it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His siter stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:3-4

Suggested reading: Exodus 2:1-10

Since Pharoah’s plan “A” involving the midwives was not working, he constructed plan “B”:

all baby boys were to be tossed into the Nile River. Unthinkable!

Scripture takes us into one of these Hebrew homes; fretful parents of a beautiful baby boy were trying to hide their son. When it became impossible to do so, a Levite momma had her own plan. Rather than throwing her baby into the Nile to drown, she gently placed him in a basket, chose a specific spot on the river, and sent his older sister to watch the hopeful plot unfold…and it did.

Pharoah’s daughter who “happened to be” bathing in this particular place, saw the basket, opened it, and felt immediate compassion for the child. The sister (Miriam) saw her moment and seized it. This young female slave approached the prominent Egyptian princess and said, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (v. 7). Miriam knew just who to go and get!

Amazingly, the baby’s mother (Jochebed) was now being paid to nurse her own son! (I think she may be the ONLY woman in existence who has ever gotten paid for the selfless role of mothering.) Oh, what a “give-back” story! Can you imagine the deep sorrow of letting her baby go, only to be met with abundant joy of receiving him back in her arms to nurse again? I’m sure, knowing her time was limited, she held him even tighter, and prayed for him even more fervently, all the while trusting God for the things that lay ahead in his future.

When the child grew older, she took him to Pharao

h’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water” (v.10).

Thoughts:

As we are looking at yet two more heroines in Exodus, is there something in my life and yours today that requires a bold faith like that of Moses’ mother and sister? Is it to speak truth in love to someone or to share the gospel with a friend? Or is it to step out into unknown territory for the sake of another human being--at work, at home, or in your community?

May we each be called, challenged, and changed as we meditate on and then act like our dear

Soul Sisters of long ago: the midwives, a sister, and a momma.

Going deeper and sweeter: Psalm 31:24; Hebrew 11:23; 2 Timothy 1:7

Dear Lord,

Speak to us. Where do you want us to step out in courageous faith? Give us a heart’s desire to obey you and the feet to follow you wherever you want us to go, for the good of your people and the glory of your name. Amen.