"So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the rivers bank."
God’s hands were on Moses throughout his life, even before he was born. Moses should have been killed, like many other Hebrew boys were, but God had a greater plan for him.
In Exodus 1:22, you find Pharaoh commanding that, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river.” Moses’ mother hid him as long as she could, but knew what she had to do. This doesn’t seem like a very motherly thing to do, but God was in control of the situation. However, in order for Moses to be used as mightily by God as he eventually was, his mother had to be willing to give up what she loved—her very own son. It cost her a lot. Still, just to make sure Moses would be okay, she sent her daughter down the river to watch over him. It just “so happened” that Pharaoh's daughter was at the river exactly when Moses came floating in. I don’t think this was a mere coincidence. It was God leading everything. Pharaoh’s daughter had compassion on Moses, and wanted to save his life from out of the water. Moses’ sister, watching this, called out asking Pharaoh's daughter if she needed a Hebrew woman to nurse him. She made an agreement with Moses’ mother to pay her to raise her very own son.
When Moses was older, his mother had to give him up again. Pharaoh's daughter took Moses as her own son. She then named him Moses, which means, “He who draws out,” because she drew him out of the water. How true this name becomes of Moses as he later delivers the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery, and through the waters of the Red Sea.
Throughout the whole story of Moses you can see how God was in control of every detail. God had a greater plan for Moses, just as He has a plan for us. We have to be willing to give up certain things that we love, and accept God’s plan for our lives—no matter the cost. Have a blessed Christmas.
~ Jillian Krauser
