Exodus 2:1-10 If we do our part, God will do His

Exodus 2:1-10 If we do our part, God will do His

1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 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?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl 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. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

Background

In the thick of despair and utter hopelessness, God is actively working out His plan for Israel’s deliverance. The working out of God’s salvation requires the partnership of faithful, compassionate and god-fearing people. Even though God is all powerful, His power is manifested through ordinary people who are faithful to Him. The midwives, the mother, the sister, Pharaoh’s daughter and Jethro… all play an important part in bringing Moses to the fore. Without the partnership of faithful and compassionate people, there will be no salvation. Today’s devotion teaches us: If we do our part, God will do His.

Observation

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.

These were dark days for Israel. And in the thick of it all, the focus suddenly falls on a Levite family. A boy was born. His mother who saw him as no ordinary child (beautiful) hid him from the authorities for three months. When that was no longer feasible, she prepared a basket in which to set the child out into the River Nile. The text gives no mention of how she came to such a decision. Did she decide to abandon the child in resignation? The intense care with which the basket was prepared and the watchful presence of the sister who followed from a distance proved otherwise. Perhaps it was the mother’s way of releasing the child into God’s hands being assured of His sovereign control over the boy’s destiny.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile.

The appearance of the daughter of the Pharaoh in perfect timing underscores God’s providence and universal control over all things. Having caught sight of the basket, and upon retrieving it, she was immediately touched by the sight of the crying baby. Recognising that he was one of the Hebrew children, she offered it protection as if in defiance of her father’s edict. At this point, the sister was at the vicinity to negotiate a nurse. The child was not only rescued, but returned to his mother with wages for taking care of her own child. In a twist of events, the slave child who was slated to be drowned, has become a prince of Egypt.

Once again Pharaoh’s plan was thwarted, this time by his very own daughter. Who would imagine that a Hebrew child would be preserved, adopted into the royal household and groomed to become Israel’s deliverer all under the nose of the great Pharaoh.

Truth

If we do our part, God will do His

The Israelites are but sitting ducks without a shred of hope in sight. For the Egyptian military is just too powerful for them. However, there is no problem too big that God cannot solve it. There is no mountain too tall that God cannot move it. Or storm too dark that God cannot calm it. And there is no sorrow too deep that He cannot soothe it. Therefore, let us be at peace and do our part for the deliverance of the people. And God will do His part to fool the wise and destroy the powerful.

What part should we play while looking to God’s deliverance?

We should not be passively looking to others for deliverance. For God uses not one, but many to accomplish His salvation plan. In Moses’s case, God used…

• the god-fearing midwives to preserve the boy,
• the mother who was not afraid of the king’s edict but kept him for three months,
• the quick-witted sister who negotiated a way for his mother to nurse him,
• the compassionate daughter of the Pharaoh who defied her father by adopting the boy,
• the mother who raised Moses in the ways of God, and
• the wise Jethro who provided a safe harbour in the wilderness for Moses, the fugitive.

Notice each party cannot see the full picture, and each does not know how it will eventually turn out. But God is working it out by joining the dots towards our eventual deliverance. Each dot by itself may not be significant. But when they are joined together, they complete the picture of God’s salvation plan. Therefore, we must never underestimate ourselves in what God can do through us. We must do our part in actively protecting the weak, in teaching the young the ways of God by moulding them to fulfill God’s call. You’ll never know that you may actually have a Moses under your wings.

Application

Do you have a habit of waiting for others to volunteer to fulfill a task or a ministry? Works that are done out of goodwill for the benefit of others will be rewarded in heaven. Volunteer to help the marginalised by offering your finances, skill and time. Many volunteered for tasks that are exciting and when the novelty wears off, they quit. Indeed, God rewards those who are faithful, compassionate and god-fearing.

Dear Lord, I commit myself in doing my part to bring salvation to the marginalised. Show me how I can serve as one of the “dots”. And I will serve faithfully, compassionately and courageously in making a difference in the community. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.