(Exodus 1:14) And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage; in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.

 

 

(Exodus 1:15) Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; {16} and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live." {17} But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.

(Exodus 1:18) So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?" {19} And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively [vigorous niv & nasv], and give birth before the midwives come to them."

 

 

(Exodus 1:20) Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. {21} And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households [families] for them.

 

So the next attempt to subdue the people:

 

(Exodus 1:22) So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive." – So ends chapter 1. 

 

(Exo 2 NKJV)  And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. {2} So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.

 

(Heb 11:23 NKJV)  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.

 

(Exo 2:3) 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 river's bank. {4} And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.

 

(Exo 2:5) Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.

 

“The daughter of Pharaoh” – Probably the only person in the world who could do this.  If a Hebrew had done this, she would undoubtedly been ordered to throw him into the river.  If most Egyptians had found him, they would likely have felt they had to obey the law.  But this one woman – Pharaoh’s daughter, had the “pull” with her father to make it work.—God’s providence!  God’s answer to their faith!

 

(Exo 2:6) And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."

 

(Exo 2:7) Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"

 

 

Another passage also come to mind:

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18 NKJV)   -- She loved her little brother!

 

Above all else:  God’s providence!  God’s Care!

 

(Exo 2:8) And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother. {9} Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.

 

(Ex 2:10) And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."

 

 

(Ex 2:11) Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.

(Ex 2:12) So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. {13} And when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, "Why are you striking your companion?" {14} Then he said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" So Moses feared and said, "Surely this thing is known!" {15} When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well.

 

It had to be a low point in Moses’ life.

 In the land where he sat down, he will spend the next 40 years of his life. 

Some have called this God’s school for Moses.

  A school where he learned the long hard way that he could not do it by himself. 

Even in “training,” God will provide, and things will get better!

Stephen speaks of the rejection of Moses!

(Acts 7:20-28 NKJV)  "At this time Moses was born, and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. {21} "But when he was set out, Pharaoh's daughter took him away and brought him up as her own son. {22} "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds. {23} "Now when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. {24} "And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended and avenged him who was oppressed, and struck down the Egyptian. {25} "For he supposed that his brethren would have understood that God would deliver them by his hand, but they did not understand. {26} "And the next day he appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and tried to reconcile them, saying, 'Men, you are brethren; why do you wrong one another?' {27} "But he who did his neighbor wrong pushed him away, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? {28} 'Do you want to kill me as you did the Egyptian yesterday?'

 

(Ex 2:16) Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew water, and they filled the troughs to water their father's flock. {17} Then the shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. {18} When they came to Reuel their father, he said, "How is it that you have come so soon today?" {19} And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he also drew enough water for us and watered the flock." {20} So he said to his daughters, "And where is he? Why is it that you have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread."

 

(Ex 2:21) Then Moses was content to live with the man, and he gave Zipporah his daughter to Moses. {22} And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land." {23} Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.

 

 

(Ex 2:24) So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. {25} And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.

 

 

Bible Study with Harley  Scripture quotations marked "NKJV™" are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.