Daily Devotional | The Birth of Moses

I have been privileged to be present at the births of my four children, each one a joyful miracle! And every person involved, from family to friends to medical staff, wanted these babies to grow and thrive. I cannot imagine facing what Moses’ parents faced—a powerful government that wanted to murder their newborn son (Ex. 1:22).

Thankfully, God was watching over this special baby boy. After his birth, Moses’ parents hid him for three months. “They saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict” (Heb. 11:23). In today’s passage, the fact that his mother “saw that he was a fine child” seems to imply that the Lord gave them some kind of indication that Moses was special or chosen.

His parents are not named here. Later they’re identified as Amram and Jochebed of the tribe of Levi, however, because of the way genealogies are recorded these might also be his ancestors rather than his immediate parents (Ex. 6:20). We do know that Moses had a brother, Aaron, and a sister, Miriam (Num. 26:59).

When hiding the baby was no longer possible, his parents put Moses in God’s hands, placing him in a basket and floating it down the Nile River. The basket was found by an Egyptian princess who, despite Pharaoh’s decree, took pity on the baby and adopted him into her family. She named him “Moses,” which sounds like the Hebrew for “draw out,” since she’d drawn him out of the water (v. 10).

Even when Moses was still a baby, the sovereign, protective hand of God was clearly at work! Through the boldness of Miriam, the baby’s own mother was hired to nurse him (vv. 7–9). Since at that time he would likely have been nursed for 3 to 4 years before being weaned, there is no doubt how Moses first learned of his Israelite heritage.

>> Like Moses’ parents, we, too, can trust the Lord with the children in our lives, be they our children, grandchildren, or friends. We encourage you to say an extra prayer for them today!