The fear of a nation brought thousands into slavery, but the faith of one woman put that same nation on the path to freedom.
I teach a weekly group of tweens at our church. In this unit we’re talking about the Passover, and are actually doing a messianic Passover with them. I was teaching last night on the Children of Israel and how they got into slavery, and as I was God began to show me some things in the story I never saw before. I thought I’d share them in a blog today.
God brought the children of Israel to Egypt to bring them provision. There was a
horrible time of famine in the land and it just so “happened” that Joseph was 2nd in command next to pharaoh. It was not God’s will that they generations later become slaves to the Egyptians. It says in Genesis 47 That Pharaoh showed them favor. They were a blessed bunch of people.
But as we know, the story goes on generations pass and there comes a pharaoh on the scene in Exodus 1:8-10 that didn’t know Joseph. In says in verse 9 that the pharaoh says, “There are way too many of the Israelites for us to handle. We’ve got to do something. Let’s devise a plan to contain them, lest if there’s a war they should join our enemies or just walk off and leave us.” So from that the Egyptians put the Israelites as slaves. I want you all to notice something here. The Egyptians put the Israelites in slavery because their afraid of them. The Bible talks about how prosperous they were, how they flourished in Egypt. The Egyptians were afraid of the Israelites so they put them as slaves. Did you ever think what would have happened if the Israelites would have decided once they saw the evil intent of the Egyptians to just move? Why didn’t they just leave? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but if I had to venture an opinion it would be that they got too comfortable in Egypt and didn’t want to leave. They were too afraid to leave where they knew God had sent them before to move on to what He wanted for them
now.
That’s an easy place to find yourself in some times. You know God called you somewhere so you hold on tight with everything you have. But later God wants to move you forward and you struggle with it. The old way is safe. You’ve grown comfortable there. The old way brought you provision before. You argue with God. You argue with yourself. Eventually before you know it you’re in bondage and that was never God’s will. God moves you from glory to glory. If you feel yourself growing stagnant maybe you need to take a long look at yourself, and ask God what’s going on.
Moses’ mother is an awesome woman of God and the older in the Lord I’m getting the more respect I’m learning for her. It was her faith that set her people onto a road of freedom. It was through her the deliverer was birthed. The Bible says in Exodus 2 :1-3 that she hides Moses for three months because the Egyptians were killing all the male babies. It’s so easy to think about that, and think, “awe how sad.” But we’re thinking of a cartoonized version that we can emotionally detach ourselves from. Think
about that for a moment. The Egyptians are afraid of the numbers of Israelites so their ordering all the male babies be murdered. It’s their population control. So their ripping these children from the womb and murdering them. Piercing screams of mothers tattoo
the sky and the ground drips with blood. Innocent lives are wasted. But not Moses. His momma hid him for three months. Did you ever think about how you would hide a three month old? She had wisdom. I’m sure there were those around them that knew of Moses. Aaron and Miriam knew about their brother. I’d guess somewhere there was a father in this that knew. I’d bet neighbors heard Moses’ cries at night. I would guess some threatened even to turn her in. What would her punishment be for hiding her son, her own death? But she didn’t care.
She chose to make a basket and hide Moses in it and put him in the Nile. The Nile is full of crocodiles and other animals. She had to trust that her son was in the hands of the Almighty. Sometimes in life, the very things you know your called to do, you must let go of so God can do what he must with it. Supernaturally God’s hand was on that basket and got it with precision into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Then not having anyone to nurse the baby, long story short, she hires Moses’ mom to raise her own son.
So let’s get this straight, Moses’ mother trusts the Lord, and she not only gets to raise her
son, but she gets paid to do it.
So which camp are you in? Are you so afraid to let God move you on in your life that you’re holding onto the old? Are you seeing the Egyptians in your life to come and
enslave you, but you still won’t let go? Or are you like Moses’ momma whose faith brought her and an entire nation into freedom? If you see yourself more as the nation of Israel have a talk with God today. Ask Him what He wants you to do, and just do it. For He loves you so very much. And yes, He can get you out of your slavery, but He doesn’t want you there in the first place. Talk to him today. Talk to Him just like you would talk to your best friend. He and only He can bring you life.
We don’t know what happened to Moses’ mother. The Bible doesn’t even give her a name. But her mark is forever left onto history. Her steadfast trusting in the Lord is something we can all learn from.
God brought the children of Israel to Egypt to bring them provision. There was a
horrible time of famine in the land and it just so “happened” that Joseph was 2nd in command next to pharaoh. It was not God’s will that they generations later become slaves to the Egyptians. It says in Genesis 47 That Pharaoh showed them favor. They were a blessed bunch of people.
But as we know, the story goes on generations pass and there comes a pharaoh on the scene in Exodus 1:8-10 that didn’t know Joseph. In says in verse 9 that the pharaoh says, “There are way too many of the Israelites for us to handle. We’ve got to do something. Let’s devise a plan to contain them, lest if there’s a war they should join our enemies or just walk off and leave us.” So from that the Egyptians put the Israelites as slaves. I want you all to notice something here. The Egyptians put the Israelites in slavery because their afraid of them. The Bible talks about how prosperous they were, how they flourished in Egypt. The Egyptians were afraid of the Israelites so they put them as slaves. Did you ever think what would have happened if the Israelites would have decided once they saw the evil intent of the Egyptians to just move? Why didn’t they just leave? The Bible doesn’t tell us, but if I had to venture an opinion it would be that they got too comfortable in Egypt and didn’t want to leave. They were too afraid to leave where they knew God had sent them before to move on to what He wanted for them
now.
That’s an easy place to find yourself in some times. You know God called you somewhere so you hold on tight with everything you have. But later God wants to move you forward and you struggle with it. The old way is safe. You’ve grown comfortable there. The old way brought you provision before. You argue with God. You argue with yourself. Eventually before you know it you’re in bondage and that was never God’s will. God moves you from glory to glory. If you feel yourself growing stagnant maybe you need to take a long look at yourself, and ask God what’s going on.
Moses’ mother is an awesome woman of God and the older in the Lord I’m getting the more respect I’m learning for her. It was her faith that set her people onto a road of freedom. It was through her the deliverer was birthed. The Bible says in Exodus 2 :1-3 that she hides Moses for three months because the Egyptians were killing all the male babies. It’s so easy to think about that, and think, “awe how sad.” But we’re thinking of a cartoonized version that we can emotionally detach ourselves from. Think
about that for a moment. The Egyptians are afraid of the numbers of Israelites so their ordering all the male babies be murdered. It’s their population control. So their ripping these children from the womb and murdering them. Piercing screams of mothers tattoo
the sky and the ground drips with blood. Innocent lives are wasted. But not Moses. His momma hid him for three months. Did you ever think about how you would hide a three month old? She had wisdom. I’m sure there were those around them that knew of Moses. Aaron and Miriam knew about their brother. I’d guess somewhere there was a father in this that knew. I’d bet neighbors heard Moses’ cries at night. I would guess some threatened even to turn her in. What would her punishment be for hiding her son, her own death? But she didn’t care.
She chose to make a basket and hide Moses in it and put him in the Nile. The Nile is full of crocodiles and other animals. She had to trust that her son was in the hands of the Almighty. Sometimes in life, the very things you know your called to do, you must let go of so God can do what he must with it. Supernaturally God’s hand was on that basket and got it with precision into the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Then not having anyone to nurse the baby, long story short, she hires Moses’ mom to raise her own son.
So let’s get this straight, Moses’ mother trusts the Lord, and she not only gets to raise her
son, but she gets paid to do it.
So which camp are you in? Are you so afraid to let God move you on in your life that you’re holding onto the old? Are you seeing the Egyptians in your life to come and
enslave you, but you still won’t let go? Or are you like Moses’ momma whose faith brought her and an entire nation into freedom? If you see yourself more as the nation of Israel have a talk with God today. Ask Him what He wants you to do, and just do it. For He loves you so very much. And yes, He can get you out of your slavery, but He doesn’t want you there in the first place. Talk to him today. Talk to Him just like you would talk to your best friend. He and only He can bring you life.
We don’t know what happened to Moses’ mother. The Bible doesn’t even give her a name. But her mark is forever left onto history. Her steadfast trusting in the Lord is something we can all learn from.
Comments
Post a Comment