Moses' Protectors

Welcome

We’re heading into family season with Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming—and I guess we have Children’s Day, where we’ll be flying kites on the field this weekend.

I wanted to take us into, what I think is an interesting series for this season. I have never heard anybody do anything like this. So, we’re blazing new trails here.

We’re going to look at several influential women and mothers and sisters in the Bible leading up until Mother’s Day. And guys, don’t you go thinking this isn’t relevant to you, because many of the greatest men in Bible history had some really awesome women supporting them and guiding their development. We’ll follow up after Mother’s Day with a series on some great fathers who turned history with their leadership.

Now, I know this seems a bit topical, and you all know that I really like to dig deep into scripture. However, my hope is that by looking at some of these great figures is that we can expose their ways of thinking and by looking at their character, we can reveal what scripture might teach us regarding how we can take action on behalf of our own families.

We’ll start first with looking at the family of Moses, one of the great fathers of Israel, who led the Hebrew people out of Egypt, into the wilderness, and to the edge of the Promised Land. Because of Moses, we have the first five books of the Bible, called the Pentateuch, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

We’ll be looking at Moses’ birth today in the book of Exodus and at the actions that his parent’s, his sister and one other significant woman in his life, took to preserve his life at a time when the king of Egypt (called Pharoah) had a Hebrew immigration problem, he grew fearful of the number of Israelites in their land moved to enslave the Hebrews and told the midwives to kill the male children...

Exodus 2:1–10 CSB

1 Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, 6 opened it, and saw him, the child—and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you?” 8 “Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

[pray]

The Hebrew Midwives Protected the Babies

Moses’ parents were named Jochebed and Amram. At a time when male children were being killed at birth, they took action to save their son’s life. We also see that a group of Hebrew midwives resisted Pharaoh’s edict to kill the male children. Additionally, Moses mother, Jochebed, and his sister, Miriam, sought to find a way to keep him safe. And finally we’ll look at Pharaoh’s daughter, who saved Moses and brought him into the court of Pharaoh.

Let’s look back at Exodus 1 and get the context of what was happening in Egypt at the time of Moses’ birth...

Exodus 1:8–22 CSB

8 A new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and powerful than we are. 10 Come, let’s deal shrewdly with them; otherwise they will multiply further, and when war breaks out, they will join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.” 11 So the Egyptians assigned taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly 14 and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives—the first, whose name was Shiphrah, and the second, whose name was Puah—16 “When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them as they deliver. If the child is a son, kill him, but if it’s a daughter, she may live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. 21 Since the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Pharaoh then commanded all his people, “You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

These Hebrew midwives resisted Pharaoh’s plan by sparing the lives of the boys that they were ordered to kill at birth. While it would have been easy to let the newborn males die due to natural causes, it seems that the midwives “helped the male children live.” Their fear of God was greater than their fear of government.

While the text does not say this explicitly, we can surmise that God is at work in Egypt among his people. Even when they are found in dire circumstances: being oppressed and enslaved...

Exodus 1:12–13 CSB

12 But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 They worked the Israelites ruthlessly

Even when the Egyptians began to kill the children, God still loved his people and provided for them...

Exodus 1:20–21 CSB

20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very numerous. 21 Since the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

This is a resistance of the Hebrew Midwives. Only two are mentioned in the text, Shiprah and Puah. We cannot say if they were the only two midwives or if they were representatives. But these two spokeswomen for the midwives decided to resist the edict of the king.

We can look to other resistance movements to see that there are times that God uses his people to protect what he holds dear. We generally encourage you all to follow the laws and rules of our government. However, there are times, we have seen in history that governments take actions that work against humanity. We have seen genocide and oppression proliferate throughout history and there are always those who will resist what they consider to be immoral and wrong behavior.

This is one of those times when Pharoah sought to solve his immigration problem by enslaving the refugees in their land and controlling the population by killing off the male children.

We know that God can work in these situations, in fact...

Principle: God will use his people to preserve and protect that which he wishes to be protected.

We see this story and in the overview, after we see how God uses Moses, when we reflect on the impact that Moses had upon the Hebrews and the history of Israel, we can see clearly that God was working to protect Moses and give him a chance to free his people and guide them through the wilderness and to the edge of the Promised Land.

Amram & Jochebed - Moses’ Parents

Moses was born to Amram and Jochebed, both of the Levites. The account in Exodus tells that Jochebed hid Moses from the Egyptian authorities in order to protect him.

I have never met a mother that was not completely and head over heels in love with their baby. As a matter of fact, many fathers are just as completely in love, but mothers are purpose-built for the job of caring for and protecting their children. Jochabed was no different. She saw something special in her son.

Exodus 2:2 CSB

2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.

While the account in Exodus indicates that this was Jochebed’s action, in collusion with her daughter, Miriam, we can see in the New Testament book of Hebrews that both parents are named for their faith in God.

Hebrews 11:23 CSB

23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.

The pharaoh’s initial plan was enslavement of the Hebrews, but he later involved the midwives in his plan by forcing them to kill the male children. When these Hebrew midwives resisted by saying that the children were being born before they could get there to take action, Pharoah upped the stakes by demanding that all male children be drowned in the Nile. This law of genocide was intended to limit the strength and growth of the Hebrews. By focusing on the male children, they were effectively stripping the power base from the Hebrews.

While Jochebed resisted an unjust government for as long as she could, she came to a moment when she could not hide her son any longer. She came up with a plan to live up to the letter of Pharaoh’s edict while working for the protection of her son, Moses.

Principle: It can be God’s plan for his faithful servants to resist an ungodly government in order to protect his servant.

Jochebed & Miriam Protected Moses

Again, Moses’ mother knew that she could not protect her male child indefinitely when he was marked for death.

Exodus 2:1–4 CSB

1 Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him.

Jochebed sought to fulfill the letter of the law while giving her child a chance at survival. She did put him in the Nile, but not so that he would drown. She made a little floating basket for him. She didn’t set it on a clear spot where it would float away. She put the basket among the reeds and his sister, Miriam, was waiting nearby, watching.

We cannot say whether Jochebed and Miriam’s intent was that Moses would be found so quickly, but we do know that they hoped to protect him from death.

And as God worked through this situation, he provided yet another protector to step in and preserve Moses’ life.

Pharaoh’s Daughter Saved Moses

Now to us in hindsight, it might appear that the location where the baby was placed was selected for the reason that they hoped the princess would find the baby. However, there was also a great risk that the baby could be found by an Egyptian and killed on the spot. However, that is not what happened, instead at the very place where Moses was hidden, the princess came with her servants to bathe in the river...

Exodus 2:5–6 CSB

5 Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds, sent her slave girl, took it, 6 opened it, and saw him, the child—and there he was, a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.”

God used the most unlikely of women to protect Moses. Pharaoh’s daughter is unnamed, but she found this baby in the river. She knew it was one of the Hebrew boys, who had been placed in the river to die. Even though she was aware of her father’s edict, she protected the baby who would grow to become the Redeemer of Israel, the one who would free the Hebrews from their life of slavery.

The Women Collaborate to Provide for the Baby’s Needs

We can see here why Miriam was waiting nearby to watch the basket floating in the river...

Exodus 2:7–9 CSB

7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you?” 8 “Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him.

Miriam was quick with a solution for the princess. Since the baby was still of an age to require mother’s milk, Miriam brought her mother to serve as the baby’s wet-nurse. The princess also provided a wage so that Jochebed would be able to continue to care for her child and stay healthy.

Pharaoh’s Daughter Adopted Moses

Finally, we can see that the princess continued to take an interest in Moses. After he finished nursing with his mother, the Princess adopted Moses...

Exodus 2:10 CSB

10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

The name “Moses” is an interesting play on words. משֶׁה Mosheh

The Hebrew word is a reference to the man, Moses, who became a great leader, prophet, and lawgiver. However, it is based on the Hebrew word: מָשָׁה mashah

…which means to draw, as in drawing the baby out of the water. The name is also a hybrid mix of the Egyptian word meaning “to be born.”

What Does it Mean?

This is not a story of these Hebrew women tricking Pharaoh’s daughter into adopting Moses. This is the story of God providing exactly what the baby needed to preserve his life at a time when his life was worthless and could have been wasted at any moment.

I like what one of my favorite authors said...

God used a baby’s tears to control the heart of a powerful princess, and He used Miriam’s words to arrange for the baby’s mother to raise the boy and get paid for it! The phrase “as weak as a baby” does not apply in the kingdom of God; for when the Lord wants to accomplish a mighty work, he often starts by sending a baby. — Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Exodus 2 - “The deliverer born (Ex 2:1019)”

I would add that God has often prepared the heart of a mother or sister to step in and protect that baby so that he might use that baby later in life to serve his purpose and his plan.

God had a already marked Moses to fulfill part of his plan, even at this young age. God used these women to preserve and protect a man that he had marked for his service. God had a plan for this baby Moses, who would preserve and protect the entire population of Hebrews.

We can look at what God told the prophet Jeremiah at the time he called him to service:

Jeremiah 1:5 CSB

5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

This same thing could be said of the baby Moses, or indeed any person who is called to serve God. God knows those whom he has called to his service and he will do whatever he needs to do to protect his servants and ensure that they are ready to fulfill his plan at the right time.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that the Bible was written from a male perspective.

It’s not hard for women today to feel like they take second place in the Bible and in the church.

But women have a very important place in the family and serve a great role in the Bible and in the church.

Mothers AND Fathers are of great importance.

In a section of 1 Timothy, Paul writes to the young pastor, Timothy, about widows and speaks about the good works that they have done in their lives...

1 Timothy 5:10 CSB

10 and is well known for good works—that is, if she has brought up children, shown hospitality, washed the saints’ feet, helped the afflicted, and devoted herself to every good work.

Both mothers and fathers play a great role in bringing up their children...

Proverbs 22:6 NASB95

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

They also serve as protectors, as Moses’ family did for him, so that he could fulfill his God-given purpose.

You know we each have our roles to fulfill in life. It is not about who is first or last, but about those who are humble to God’s purpose and willing to bring his plan into fruition.

Matthew 20:26–28 CSB

26 It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We know that Miriam, Moses’ sister, the same one that protected him and helped to secure a place for him in the household of Pharaoh, also served alongside him, as a prophetess and leader among the Hebrews, as did his brother Aaron, who served as a spokesperson and priest. Family is important in God’s eyes and family definitely has a place in working together in ministry, according to God’s plan.

Family at its best works together to provide for its members, to protect its members, and to serve God together.

I will grant you that there are families that do not do this well. Sometimes this is the result of dysfunction and sin that pervades the family environment. But when this is the case, all it takes is one generation to break the bonds of generational sin and dysfunction. Our God is a great God and he cares for each one of us as a father.