Preserved by the Persecutor

God’s Sovereign Hand in the Life of Moses

Exodus 2:1-10 "And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.  And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.  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.  And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.  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.  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.  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?  And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go.  And the maid went and called the child’s mother.  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.  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.”

A Prophecy Moving Toward Fulfillment

This remarkable passage proves that God is always in control.  The narrative takes place eighty years before the completion of the 400 years prophesied to Abraham when God set up the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15.  Although the birth of Moses may appear to be a mere moment in history, it marked the beginning of the fulfillment of that great prophecy.

One statement in that prophecy is especially important: the nation formed by Abraham’s descendants would go into Egypt, become subservient to that nation, and suffer affliction there.  This affliction intensified after the rise of a Pharaoh who did not personally know Joseph.  Alarmed by the growing number and strength of the Hebrew people, Pharaoh subjected them to cruel labor in construction and agriculture and commanded the midwives to kill every male child born to the Israelites.

Pharaoh intended to weaken and humiliate the people.  Yet they were God’s chosen people, and He was preparing Abraham’s descendants to become His instrument nation.  Pharaoh’s efforts therefore failed.  The Hebrew midwives found ways not to obey his command, and the people continued to multiply even under heavy bondage.

God Provides the Future Deliverer

Not only were Pharaoh’s efforts ineffective, but God was also providing the future leader who would liberate His chosen people from Egypt.  The record of Moses’ birth fittingly appears near the beginning of the book that recounts that liberation.  Several details in the meeting between Pharaoh’s daughter and the infant Moses reveal the direct intervention and control of God.

Protected in His Earliest Days

During the first three months of Moses’ life, the Egyptians did not discover him.  His mother and family clearly did everything within their human power to hide him, as verse 2 records.  Yet the presence and protection of God must also have been clear to the family.

An Appointment at the River

The meeting between Pharaoh’s daughter and the infant Moses was an act of divine intervention.  Moses’ mother prepared an ark and placed it among the flags at the river’s brink—the shallows.  This was not an ordinary plan for protecting a baby.  His sister watched over him, but the idea itself had to have come directly from God.

The ark was placed in the river at the very time the princess passed that exact location.  This was no simple coincidence.  That moment was marked on the celestial calendar in the same way a person marks an appointment.  It was God’s appointed time and place.

A Cry That Stirred Compassion

The baby Moses cried just as the princess opened the ark, and his cry stirred her heart with compassion.  One might say that Moses received a divine pinch that provoked the cry, while the princess experienced a divine touch of compassion for the Hebrew child.  Instead of summoning soldiers to conduct her father’s command, she assumed responsibility for the child’s care.

A Mother Restored to Her Son

Moses’ own mother was then called to care for him.  She nursed and cared for her son without fear, enjoying freedom and joy.  Not only was she allowed to care for him, but she was also paid wages to do so.  Amid the hardship endured by the Hebrew people, Moses and his family received what they needed under the protection of the king of Egypt.

Prepared in Pharaoh’s Own House

When Moses reached a certain age, he was taken into the household of Pharaoh’s daughter and became her adopted son.  He received not only material provision but also the privileges of education and honor.  Moses became a person of importance and was prepared for leadership.

Remarkably, these advantages were supplied through the very ruler who was persecuting the Hebrew people and seeking their annihilation.  God made the persecutor, Pharaoh, the provider and preparer of Israel’s future liberator.

God Is Always in Control

This account is one of many biblical examples of God’s sovereign control, and it should encourage every believer in Jesus Christ.  Though this world is determined to persecute and destroy God’s work and His people, every attempt of the enemy ultimately serves to carry forward the work of God.

The death of five missionaries in Ecuador became a step toward the conversion of a tribe known to be dangerous to outsiders.  In many cases, the loss of a job has opened an opportunity to present the Gospel to people who later carried forward the work of God in a marvelous way.  Most importantly, the accomplished plan of the Jewish leaders to kill the Son of God became the means of full pardon and reconciliation with God offered to all humanity.

In the darkest night, the believer can always know that a brilliant light is already shining at the dawn of the new day.