Moses’ life was in danger from the moment he was born. He was an Israelite—a descendant of Israel (Jacob)—living in Egypt after Jacob’s family had moved there, seeking food during a famine.
Jochebed hid her baby boy as long as she could—about three months—before she put him in a basket among the reeds of the river. She couldn’t have known that Pharaoh’s daughter would find him and want to raise him as her own, or that the princess would let Jochebed care for him until he was old enough to be raised as an Egyptian prince. She couldn’t have known that her son would grow up to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. But God knew. All along, God had a plan for Moses and His people.
Four hundred years later, this family had grown and multiplied. Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, likely lived in fear of the pharaoh who ruled Egypt and took drastic measures to oppress the Israelites. Could God’s promises for His people stand against such opposition?
God appeared to Moses years later. Moses was a shepherd then, having grown up in Egypt’s royal household only to flee as a murderer to Midian. There, Moses started a family and worked as a shepherd, perhaps never imagining he would see Egypt again.
But one night, God drew a curious Moses to Himself and spoke through a burning bush. You see, God remembered the promise He made to Eve in Genesis 3. He remembered His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, which He repeated to Isaac and Jacob. So many years had passed, but God remembered His promises.
Moses was inadequate for the task of rescuing the Israelites, but God promised His power and presence. So in the early chapters of Exodus, we see Moses return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh—acting as a mediator between the Israelites and their burdensome king.
As you consider Moses’ calling, look forward to an even greater calling and rescue—the call of Jesus to come to earth to save God’s people from their sin. Jesus is greater than Moses. Moses delivered God’s people from physical captivity; Jesus delivers God’s people from captivity to sin and death.
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