Daily Scripture Reading Exodus 2:5-22
There are people living today who have committed such grave sins, they believe God can never forgive them nor use them. However, God is a gracious and forgiving God, as proven by the life of Moses.
In an attempt to control the Hebrew population, the king of Egypt told his people to kill any baby boys who were born to the Israelites. There was a Hebrew woman of the house of Levi who gave birth to a baby boy. In order to protect him from death, she made a little ark, put her son in it, and placed it among the reeds of the Nile River.
Ex. 2:5 ¶ And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her young women walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the ark among the reeds and sent her maidservant, and she took it to her.
Ex. 2:6 Then she opened it and saw the child. And behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”
Notice the words “pity” and “Hebrews”. Pharaohs daughter could not bring herself to obey her father’s command.
Ex. 2:7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?”
Ex. 2:8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother.
Ex. 2:9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.
Look at the clause “I will give you your wages.” Sometimes God works in humorous ways. Pharaoh had ordered the Egyptians to kill all the males born to the Hebrews, but his own daughter paid this Israelite mother to keep her baby boy alive.
Ex. 2:10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she named him Moses and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
The name “Moses” and the word “drew” are translations of the same Hebrew word.
Moses grew up as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He lived a life of privilege, education, and wealth. The Bible does not tell us how much contact Moses had with his biological family. Nor does the Bible tell us the extent to which the rest of Pharaoh’s family either accepted or rejected Moses in light of him being a Hebrew.
Ex. 2:11 ¶ Now it happened in those days, that Moses had grown up. And he went out to his brothers and looked on their hard labors. And he saw an Egyptian striking a Hebrew, one of his brothers.
At least a dozen or so years transpired between verses 10 and 11.
Take note of the word “brothers”. Even though Moses grew up as Pharaoh’s daughter, he knew he was a Hebrew, and that the Hebrew slaves were his relatives.
Ex. 2:12 So he turned this way and that, and he saw that there was no one around. So he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
This is astounding. Moses certainly knew Pharaoh’s court would value the life of an Egyptian over the life of a slave. For some reason Moses had such compassion for his relatives who were slaves that he was willing to commit murder.
Moses committed murder, but eventually God used him to accomplish great things. Today, Moses is remembered as a great man, not as a murderer. There are people in the 21st century who have committed such grave sins they doubt God can ever forgive them or use them. However, the fact that God used Moses proves God is willing to use anyone who humbles himself before God.
Ex. 2:13 Then he went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were struggling with each other; and he said to the wicked one, “Why are you striking your companion?”
Ex. 2:14 But he said, “Who made you a ruler or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.”
Verse 12 tells us Moses looked around before he killed the Egyptian to see if anyone was watching. The Bible does not say how Moses’ murderous act became known. Perhaps the Hebrew slave Moses was protecting told what Moses did.
Ex. 2:15 And Pharaoh heard of this matter, so he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well.
Ex. 2:16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to give water to their father’s flock to drink.
Ex. 2:17 Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses rose up and saved them and gave water to their flock to drink.
Moses seems to have had a passion for helping the oppressed and downtrodden.
Ex. 2:18 Then they came to Reuel their father, and he said, “Why have you come back so soon today?”
Ex. 2:19 So they said, “An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he actually even drew the water for us and gave water to the flock to drink.”
Ex. 2:20 And he said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why is it that you have left the man behind? Call him so that he may eat bread.”
Ex. 2:21 And Moses was willing to settle down with the man, and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Ex. 2:22 Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”
The Bible does not tell us how many years elapsed during the course of verses 21-22. There may have been years between the time Moses settled with the man and the time Moses married Zipporah.
Moses knew Pharaoh’s court would value the life of an Egyptian over the life of a slave, but Moses had such compassion for his relatives who were slaves that he was willing to commit murder. Even though Moses was a murderer, eventually God used him to accomplish great things. Today, Moses is remembered as a great man, not as a murderer.
There are people in the 21st century who have committed such grave sins they doubt God can ever forgive them or use them. However, the fact that God used Moses proves God is willing to use anyone who humbles himself before God.
What is the gravest sin you have ever committed?
How does God’s willingness to use a murderer like Moses encourage you?
Thanks for visiting Bible Mountain. If you have already joined my email list, thank you and please tell others about Bible Mountain. If you have not joined my email list yet, please do so now. In order to join, go to Bible Mountain dotcom, click on subscribe, and that will take you to a page where you can sign up. Your email address will not be sold nor given away. Once again, thanks for visiting Bible Mountain.
“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”