Exodus 2:1  And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink.
4  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5  And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6  And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.
7  Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother.
9  And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it.
10  And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

Marriage is God’s design for man. It is the normal thing for a son to become a man and a daughter to become a woman. God works to draw a couple together. Too many couples are drawn together in the flesh, but they have no consideration for what the Lord would want. In our text we read of a man who was of the house of Levi. The tribe of Levi would be named by God later on as the tribe from which the priests were to be chosen. God would also state that the tribes should marry within their own tribe. This couple was following God’s order before He had even made it a law.
It is natural for a married couple to have children. Sometimes God closes the womb or keeps the man from being able to do his part in child bearing. In our text the woman conceived and bare a son. This woman walked in the fear of the Lord. She did not follow the evil designs of the king. She was a woman who loved her son. She saw he was a goodly child and she hid him three months. That would have been quite the task, under normal circumstances. God watched over His people and He helped this young mother to be able to hide this young child for three months. Any crying he would have done was such that the enemies of the Lord did not hear it.
In verse 3 we read that she could no longer hide the child. God had other plans. It is normal for a child to cry at times. They develop their voice in that manner as a young child. Later on they learn to speak and crying is not necessary unless they are genuinely hurt.
This woman made an ark of bulrushes and covered that ark with slime and pitch and put the child into that ark. She then laid that ark in the flags at the river’s brink. She protected that child as much as she could. God guided her in her actions. She was not seeking to destroy that son, but rather she was seeking to protect him.
We read in verse 4 that his sister stood afar off, but close enough to see what would happen to this brother of hers. In verse 5 we see God’s hand in this matter. Pharaoh’s daughter came to wash herself at the river. She chose this particular place to take her bath. It could be that the mother of this child had observed this in the past. We know it was God directing both the mother and this daughter of Pharaoh in this situation.
It is important to know the Lord and to walk in the fear of the LORD. We do not need to know the details of the future. We just need to walk each step of the way in the fear of the LORD. He will open a way for us according to His will.
We read that while Pharaoh’s daughter was washing herself, her maidens walked along the river’s side. Pharaoh’s daughter saw the ark among the flags or reeds. She called upon her maid to go and fetch that ark. Pharaoh’s daughter was curious as to what was in that ark. In verse 6 we read that when she opened that ark she saw this child inside and the babe wept. Of course, the child would be startled by this stranger and possibly also hungry. Whatever the reason, God was at work here. Even though Pharaoh’s daughter was raised in paganism, she still had compassion upon this child. She was not like her father. It is natural for a woman to have compassion on a child. It takes a hardened woman to want to murder her child.
Pharaoh’s daughter realized this was one of the Hebrew’s children. This did not stop her from having compassion on this child. She knew her father’s command, but that was not top of mind here. This child’s sister was close enough to make the next move. She offered to find a nurse from among the Hebrews that could look after this child for Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh’s daughter was in agreement with this suggestion. This allowed this child to be brought back into the arms of its rightful mother. God was working here is a wonderful way. The mother had no idea how this matter would work out, but she did what she could for this blessing from the Lord. The Lord was at work through the whole time.
Not only would the mother now be privileged to look after her child, but she would also be paid by Pharaoh’s daughter to do so. This was not a mother who was abandoning her child to a secular daycare so she could go and pursue her selfish endeavours. This was a mother who loved the Lord and loved her son and wanted to see him grow up to be a man of God.
She poured her life into that young son for the time that she would have him. Godly mothers spend much time with their young children. They learn to sing to them when they are troubled. They learn to teach them godly songs to occupy their time. They teach them Bible lessons, etc. A godly mother is busy with her children when they are young. It is very important to give that young child a right foundation upon which to build.
This mother raised that child to the specified age and then brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter. God had granted the mother the time needed to lay a right foundation. Under the circumstances Pharaoh’s daughter could now take over raising this son. He had the necessary training to guard him against adopting the paganism of Pharaoh’s court.
We do not take from this the modern idea that children will be safe in the public school system if they are trained right in the home prior to formal school age. We are not yet living in a country that has demanded control over our children. We are moving in that direction, but we still have the freedom to choose how we will raise them. Our society tells us that it takes two parents to provide for a family. That is not true, but too many people have accepted that lie. In a godly household, the father goes off to work and provides for the material needs of the family. The mother stays at home and looks after the children and the household. It may be that she can find time to do some custom sewing or some other thing to bring in some income, but not at the expense of raising her children.
Children should not be deprived of that motherly care that is so important in their lives. They need to see their mother working in the kitchen and mending clothing, etc. That is a mother’s work and her daughters need to be taught that and her sons need to understand this is what they should expect from a godly woman when it comes time for them to marry.
Pharaoh’s daughter took this young son and she named him Moses. Pharaoh was a hardened man, but he allowed his daughter to bring this Hebrew boy into his household. She named him to remind her of where she found him.
God was at work here. He was looking after His chosen people. The wickedness of Pharaoh would not prevent Him from doing His work. The nation of Israel would be a strong nation. They needed to learn the importance of walking in the fear of the LORD. God gave them many lessons in the importance of this.
It is important for us to know the fear of the LORD as well. God is well able to bless those who walk humbly before Him. He is still looking for individuals who will put Him first. He does not need an army. He does not need any one of us. He desires to bless those who will know Him and walk humbly before Him. Choose wisely in your life today.
Pastor Bartel