Saving Moses | Exodus 2:1-10

I invite you to turn to Exodus 2. We’ll be giving our attention to Ex. 2:1-10. It was Feb. 22, 1980. I was driving through the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul, MN, where I was serving as a pastoral intern in an inner-city church. And my heart was just pounding with adrenaline as I listened to the radio broadcast of the Olympic hockey game between the mighty Soviet Union and our own Minnesota dominated roster of the United States. The pre-game speech by coach Herb Brooks, has been immortalized in the movie Miracle – where he charged his young players with this phrase: “Great moments are born from great opportunity.” There is a lot of wisdom in that sentence. Over and over in history we’ve seen that principle played out. Without a Goliath, young David’s victory would not have seemed as great. Without the Russians, there wouldn’t have been the urgency or initiative to put a man on the moon. Without a diminishing supply of oil, there might never have been the kind of creativity to make a Tesla. Without a virtual famine for the Word of God, Emmaus Road Church might never have been planted. Without Pharaoh, and all his narcissistic neurosis, there might not have been the Exodus. And without the Exodus, there would not have been such a poignant foreshadow of the greatest miracle in all history.

Great moments are born from great opportunity. And our text today drops us into one of the greatest of all great moments. So, for the sake of God’s praise, and for the sake of our eternal soul-pleasure, let’s give our attention to God’s voice through Moses in Ex. 2:1-10. Please stand for God’s Word.

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrew children.”

 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So, the girl went and called the child’s mother. And 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.

 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

—Exodus 2:1-10

May God bless the reading and the hearing and the preaching of His Word. Let’s pray.

It is vitally important, I believe, for us to remember that Moses wrote the book of Exodus for a generation of people who had lived their entire lives in a desert wilderness. All they knew was emptiness. All they knew was the land in between – that is, the land between Egypt and enslavement to a tyrant, and the place God had promised where they would enjoy His fullness and blessing. Just imagine that. A lifetime lived in emptiness. A lifetime of waiting – waiting for a desirable and blessed future. But there is no discernible sign of it on the horizon. How do people persevere in “the land in between”? How do people keep on hoping? How do people keep on living when every day is as barren, and as fruitless as the day, and the weeks, and the months, and the years before? Will this meaninglessness ever give way to passion and purpose?

And into this emptiness, Moses, records and recounts God’s holy history. And Moses’ purpose is to engender hope. Moses’ aim is to feed their faith, and embolden their confidence that God is faithful – faithful to His people, faithful to His purpose, and faithful to keep His promise.

And in this chapter of the storyline of God and His people, Moses speaks to his wilderness-bound followers and communicates this fundamental truth, namely, that – “God Uses the Faithful Efforts of His Humble Servants to Save His People from Certain Destruction.”

How do the people of God persevere in the land in between? How do we persevere in the time between God making us His own, and the time we enter our eternal promised land? A crucial truth to sustain us is the truth that God uses the faithful efforts of His humble servants to save His people from certain destruction. And in Ex. 2:1-10, God’s people are on the precipice of certain destruction. We know it because of what Moses wrote in 1:22.

 “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

—Exodus 1:22

It’s a legal mandate for every person under his rule. “If you discover a Hebrew baby boy, you shall kill him.” Drown him. Feed him to the crocodiles. And into this setting and system of legalized infanticide, the next verse and a half are utterly horrifying. Ex. 2:1, “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son.”

The emphasis on the line and lineage of Levi leave no doubt we’re talking about Hebrew parents. This not an Egyptian couple. This is not some other foreign, expatriate household. The husband and wife are Israelites. And we can be certain that under the circumstances, the nine months of gestation were not attended with eager anticipation, but rather dread. Because, as this mother was showing, people were watching. And when the baby is born, their greatest fears are realized. The gender is male. And in Ex. 2:2, it says, “And when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.”

And as we know, o so well, infants are only soft-spoken for so long before their little diaphragms and vocal chords can “outkick the coverage” of our best attempts to control their volume. And so, for his original readers, Moses sets a hopeless scene of certain and more than likely gruesome destruction.

But Moses also means to teach his readers that God uses the faithful efforts of His humble servants to save His people from certain destruction. And Moses shows us the faithful efforts of God’s humble servants in vv. 3-4.

“And when she (Moses’ mother) saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the riverbank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.”

—Exodus 2:2b-4

The reason that only the sister waited to see what would happen, is more than likely, because the mother would have been forced to return to her slave labor. One of the remarkable things about this text is that no names are mentioned until v. 10. We do not know that Moses’ biological mother’s name is “Jochebed” until Ex. 6:20. We do not know that Moses’ sister’s name is “Miriam” until Ex. 15:20. We neverknow the name of Pharaoh’s daughter. Their names are not important. What matters is that a baby is saved from certain destruction because someone acted with courage and conviction.

And listen. In the “land in between”, in a wilderness without hope, in a cultural landscape that is intolerant of any view except the view that takes a stand on Biblical convictions, courage that rises from the fear of the Lord is the only thing that will sustain us in face of such insurmountable darkness. And such courage – selfless courage – un-named courage – is a victory in and of itself.

Last week, Matt drew our attention to the Hebrew midwives in Ex. 1. Those women expected to be killed for their actions. But they stood against Pharaoh because it was the right thing to do. N.D. Wilson writes,

 “Sometimes taking a stand against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heroes stand firm because it is right to do so, not because they believe they’ll walk away with their lives.”

—N.D. Wilson

We are living in the land in between. And you know it. The days are coming – in our workplaces, our neighborhoods, even in our own families – when we’ll have to a stand with conviction. We’ll have to stand because it is right thing to do, not because we have any hope of walking away with our lives. And where does such courage and conviction come from? Ex. 1:17, “The midwives (and presumably Moses’ mother) feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded.”

It was faith and the fear of the Lord that engendered such courageous acts. According to Ex. 2:2, Moses’ mother, “She saw that he was a fine child.”

 We might conclude that Moses’ mother is simply making a physical observation. “Hey! We got a good-looking kid. Look at all that hair.” Or we might assume it has to do with the absence of a disability. “He’s got 10 fingers and 10 toes. No issues. He’s a keeper.” No. This baby is not just cute and healthy. The word translated, “fine” is the Hebrew word, “good.” She saw that he was good. It’s not a statement of physiology. It’s a statement of theology. It’s the same word used in Gen. 1 regarding God’s creation - of life. And it was good. This baby is God’s creation. This life is a blessing – a gift from God. And it is this conviction which leads to taking courageous steps.

So, when it became impossible to keep him hidden any more, it says she made a basket. And the word translated here as “basket” is not the normal Hebrew word for a kitchen or gardening container. It’s not Longeberger, or Rubbermaid. It’s actually the word translated, “ark.” And the only other place in the OT where this word is used is in Gen. 6, where God commands Noah to build a really, really big Longaberger basket.

And what happens when God’s people go into that big basket? God saves! God rescues from judgement! God delivers His people from what otherwise would be certain destruction. And just as that first ark delivered Noah and his family from the waters, and provided a fresh start for humanity, so here, in Ex. 2, a second ark would deliver Moses from the waters, and provide a fresh start for the people of God.

 But clearly, Moses’ mother could not have foreseen such a miracle happening. No. The crafting of a small “ark”, and setting that baby boy adrift in that river was a profound act of faith. Her options were limited. But she took the one step she could to maybe save his life. Can you imagine? Parents, what would it take to do this? Every “mama bear” impulse screams against it. Where did Moses’ mother find the faith to do this? From the fear of the Lord! From the knowledge that God saves!

Now in v. 5, Pharaoh’s daughter just happens to come down to that part of the river at that particular time. And when she discovers the baby in the basket, she immediately knows what’s going on. This is a Hebrew baby boy. She knew her father’s edict. If this child were discovered, the finder was obligated to kill it. But rather than keep her father’s command, v. 6 says, “She saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him" (Exodus 2:6).

She felt compassion and mercy. Something in her heart was warm toward this child. And while she’s still “oohing and aahing” over the newborn, Moses’ sister takes a quick, bold, brilliant step, and volunteers her mother to care for the baby. And here’s what no one could have seen coming. Moses is saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. You see the irony?

Again, Pharaoh fails to get what he wants. He sees himself as the most powerful force on earth. But at every turn, his purpose and resolve are thwarted. Is he stopped by some other great geo-political superpower? Nope. He’s foiled by a slave woman, a 9-year-old girl, and his own daughter.

We can imagine a million Israelites in the Sinai wilderness reading this amazing story, and letting out a thunderous round of applause. This is God’s doing! This is the God we are meant to know. This is the Lord and there is no other. This is who He is. And this is how He works. Trust Him! Rely on Him! Respect Him! Wait for Him! Follow Him! He is faithful! He is faithful to His people, and to His purpose, and will keep His promise. And He uses the faithful efforts of His humble servants to save His people from certain destruction.

In the book of Genesis, Moses introduces us to the “fathers of the faith” – Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. But here, in the early part of Exodus, God uses women - faithful women – humble, unnamed women - to save from certain destruction, the one whom God would use to save a nation from certain destruction. Commenting on these vv., Philip Ryken writes, “With all these women against him, perhaps Pharaoh should have worried as much about the Hebrew girls as he worried about the Hebrew boys!”

Isn’t it safe to say, the forces of evil often underestimate women of faith? This text could hardly be interpreted as “patriarchal” or “misogynist.” There is no oppressive, demeaning, subjugation of women. Rather, these are noble and worthy women, full of strength, and unshakeable convictions that give rise to unflinching courage. And here they are – remembered 1000’s of years later, on account of the role they played in God’s saving purpose. They changed the course of history.

But neither does this text promote a feminist agenda. Moses is not suggesting that we cast aside the God-given roles that Scripture delineates for men and women. The females in this passage – each one of them – is oriented toward protecting life. That’s the agenda. These humble women of faith use their strength, and resourcefulness to preserve life, toward fostering family, toward nurturing and cultivating the next generation. One expositor says, “These are strong women, expressing femininity in uniquely courageous ways in the face of intense danger.”

I believe this would be a good time to say to you mothers – “be encouraged.” Do not buy into the lie that says, motherhood is a dry and empty land in between - that motherhood is simply a wilderness to endure, and that the pathway into the promised land of fulfillment and dignity, and worth is to cast off your God-given role - as a mother. Motherhood is a marathon. But it goes by real fast. And as taxing, and exhausting, and all-consuming as it is – its goal is the invaluable purpose of preserving, and protecting, and promoting relationship with Christ in your home. Your investment, your instruction, your example – day after day after day is being driven deep into the hearts of your children. You’re sowing seeds that you may not see the fruit of for years. And it requires faith to believe that the seeds of the gospel you have planted in the hearts and minds of your children will one day sprout, and flower, and ripen into maturity. But like the women of Ex. 2:1-10, your courage and labor will not be forgotten.

And listen. If you’re not a mother – for all the women here who are not mothers – find the example of the midwives in Ex. 1 an encouragement. They were dedicated to the same goal – the protection, and preservation of life – before God gave them families of their own. May the saving of Moses stir your faith because of the essential role all of you women play for the sake of the next generation.

Now, another thing that stands out in this narrative is the dramatic use of irony. It’s Pharaoh’s own daughter who saves the very one whom Pharaoh had aimed to kill. Pharaoh’s entire aim had been to eliminate any potential future enemy fighting force. And instead, he ends up with the future leader of that enemy force living safely and soundly in his very own house. And then there’s Moses’ mother, who rather than losing her child to the edict of a madman, instead gets paid by the madman’s daughter to raise her own child. Can’t you just imagine those Israelites in the wilderness squealing with delight. “Yes! Justice! Stick it to the man!” These things certainly engender great joy! But they are mainly meant to build in us the hopeful confidence that – “God Uses the Faithful Efforts of His Humble Servants to Save His People From Certain Destruction.”

And perhaps this is why Moses saves his biggest surprise for last. Up to now, his original audience is following the narrative with rapt interest. It’s an account of drama and intrigue. The names have all been withheld. So now imagine the utter amazement when they come to v. 10.

 “When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. (Here it comes) She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.””

—Exodus 2:10

 And the first readers, who had lived their entire lives in the wilderness, battling for endurance, as they followed, often times with impatience and profound criticism, this leader whose name was – wait. What? Did you say the child’s name was Moses? You’re Moses! Are you that Moses? You’re the baby in the little ark? You’re the child Pharaoh could not kill? Are you saying this is your story?”

Oh yes. And so much more. For this Moses is but a foreshadow of the better Moses. This Moses, and all the male infants were sought out in order to be killed for fear of his threat to Pharaoh’s rule and reign. And Jesus, and all the boys like him, 2 years old and younger, were sought out to be killed for fear of the threat they were to Herod.

Moses’ life was delivered and protected in Egypt. Jesus’ life was delivered and preserved in Egypt.

In Moses, God draws an Israelite son out of water and makes him an Egyptian son in order to defeat and destroy a tyrannical king. In Jesus, God sends his own son down from heaven to become a son of man in order to defeat the tyranny of sin Satan, and death.

In Exodus, God draws an Israelite son out of water. And God will use the life of this man to lead his people out of slavery, and into the Promised Land. In the gospel, God will use the life and death of the God man to lead His people out of slavery to sin and into everlasting life.

In Exodus, God miraculously delivers His chosen people. He redeems them for Himself through the blood of pure and spotless lambs. In the gospel, Jesus is the humble servant and the Lamb who was slain.  And by His faithful act, and through the shedding of His blood, He has ransomed and rescued people for God from not just one tiny nation, but from every tribe and language and people and nation. Jesus is an “ark” to save and deliver you and me from certain destruction, and to give us all a fresh start. He is the better Moses. He’s the better ark. He is worthy to be praised. He is worthy to be trusted. He is worthy to be followed. He is. He is. He is. Let’s pray.