Exodus 1 ended with the defiance of the two Hebrew
midwives who refused to kill the Hebrew boys at birth. Pharoah, enraged by
their defiance and the continuing strength of the Israelite nation despite his
best efforts to subjugate them, ordered that all Hebrew boys should be cast
into the Nile river.
During these troublous times, a young woman from the
tribe of Levi gave birth to a son. Seeing that he was a handsome child, she hid
him three months and when she could no longer hide him, she put him in an ark
of bulrushes lined with pitch and left him in the bulrushes along the river.
The young boy’s older sister watched protectively over him from afar off to see
what would become of her beloved brother. (Ex 2:1-4)
It wasn’t long before Pharoah’s daughter came to bathe
along the river Nile and on finding the young child, she had compassion on him.
His sister seized the opportunity to ask if she see should find him a nurse and
his mother was brought to him. Not knowing that the “nurse” was his own mother,
Pharoah’s daughter offered her wages to care for him and he was adopted into
the palace as her own son. She called him Moses, which means “to draw out.” (Ex
2:5-10)
During the time of great tribulation among the
Israelites, God was working His Plan of deliverance. Just as He did with Noah,
He used an “ark” in his plan. It is not coincidental that the little ark was
dabbed with pitch, which in the Hebrew language means “atonement.” You will remember that the Ark in the Genesis
flood account was also dabbed with pitch! (Gen 6:14)
God made provision for Moses to be raised in the palace
of Pharoah, in the very house of the man who sought to destroy Israel. He
received the best international education of the times, as Egypt was the
greatest superpower of the time. This education would stand him in good stead
when he would be chosen by God to lead Israel out of Egypt.
However, it was not long before Moses was expelled from
the palace after showing sympathy to the Israelite nation by killing an
Egyptian who strove with an Israelite. He sought refuge by fleeing to the
desert of Midian where he settled, marrying a priest’s daughter who gave birth
to his first son. (Ex 2:11-22)
Moses did not know it, but God’s Plan was slowly coming
to pass. Moses was an educated, intelligent man. Now God sought to teach this
future leader humility by making him a shepherd in the desert. God first
entrusted him to the keeping of his father-in-law’s flocks before He would
entrust to him the keeping of His people, Israel. (Ex 2:23-Ex 3:1)
God heard the cry of the Israelites and raised up a
deliverer to lead them out of slavery in Egypt. In like manner, He gave us
Jesus Christ to lead us out of the slave-house of sin. The Ark of our salvation
is sealed not with pitch, but with the
blood of Christ Himself. Our salvation is sure!
