Back in His Mother’s Arms: The Miraculous Rescue of Baby Moses

Today’s Passage – Exodus 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Proverbs 20; Psalms 96 – 100)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121

Read the “0120 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Growing Through Affliction,“ and “The Call of God.“

“1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. 4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. 5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. 7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? 8 And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. 9 And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. 10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.” (Exod 2:1–10)

Have you ever looked back on events in your life and realized that God was working in them to orchestrate His divine plan? Even those painful, scary, and troubling times were used by the Lord to bring you to where He has you now. The story of Moses’ early life in Exodus 2:1–10 is one of the clearest pictures in Scripture of God’s hidden, sovereign care over one of His children and ultimately over His entire plan of redemption for Israel’s from their bondage in Egypt.

A Quick Recap of the Story:
  • A Levite couple has a son during the period when Pharaoh decreed to kill all Hebrew baby boys.
  • The mother hides him for three months, then places him in a basket among the reeds of the Nile.
  • Miriam, his sister, watches from a distance.
  • Pharaoh’s own daughter comes to bathe, discovers the basket, recognizes the baby as a Hebrew, and yet takes pity on him.
  • Miriam boldly offers to find a Hebrew nurse; the princess agrees, and the baby is returned to his own mother to nurse—paid wages by Pharaoh’s daughter—until he is old enough to be adopted into the palace.
  • The child is named Moses (“drawn out”), because he was drawn out of the water.
  • God not only spares this child’s life but orchestrates circumstances so that Moses is protected, provided for, and—even more remarkably—raised for a season in the arms of his own mother.
Thoughts from the Passage
  • God works behind the scenes, often through ordinary human actions. The mother’s act of faith—building the basket and placing her son in the Nile—was an act of both obedience and heartbreak. She could not have scripted what happened next. Yet God was already moving the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter, directing her steps to that exact spot at that exact time. Even the heart of a pagan princess is turned by God’s quiet providence.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Prov 21:1)

  • God preserves the deliverer in the very household of the oppressor. The irony is thick: the one who will one day lead Israel out of Egypt is raised in the court of the one trying to destroy Israel. God places Moses under the protection of the enemy’s own roof—and even has the enemy pay Moses’ mother to care for him and nurture him in those crucial very early years when his character is being formed. This is divine humor and divine sovereignty at work.
  • God honors a mother’s love and faith. Jochebed (named later in Exodus 6:20) gets her son back for the crucial early years. She is able to nurse him, teach him, sing to him, pray over him—all while being compensated through the Egyptian government’s payroll. Those formative years in a Hebrew home, not an Egyptian nursery, shaped Moses’ identity in ways that would later surface when he chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;” (Heb 11:25).
  • This small story points to the larger story of redemption. A helpless child is hidden from a wicked king’s murderous decree, and adopted into a royal family. Sound familiar? Centuries later, another wicked king (Herod) tries to kill Hebrew babies; another child is hidden and rescued; and this true Deliverer survives to save His people. Moses’ preservation foreshadows Christ’s.
Application:
  • Where in your own life have you seen God’s protection in ways you didn’t recognize until later?
  • When have you had to release something precious into God’s hands (like Jochebed releasing the basket), trusting Him to care for it better than you could? Jochebed had to release her son into God’s hands (literally). What precious thing might God be calling you to entrust fully to Him?
  • Pharaoh’s own daughter became the instrument of deliverance. How has God used unlikely people or circumstances in your life to show His care?
Closing Thought for Reflection:

God is never hurried, never late, and never limited by circumstances – He is sovereign over them. The same God who watched over a helpless baby in a basket is watching over His children now, weaving even the darkest threads into a tapestry of deliverance. Romans 8:28 tells us:”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

This passage is a beautiful reminder that no child (and no situation or problem) is ever outside His sovereign, loving care.

Share your thoughts – Leave a comment!


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Why Christians Suffer: Lessons from 1st Peter

Today’s Passage – 1 Peter 1 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Matthew 6:33

Read the “1223 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1 Peter 1:6 & 7)

Have you ever wondered why God allows suffering in the life of believers? And, did you notice all of the references to suffering in this first letter from Peter?

Suffering in the Early Church

Christians in the first-century Roman Empire were indeed put to the test often due to their allegiance to Jesus Christ. Look back in the text and notice the following verses:

  • “But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;” (1 Pe 3:14)
  • “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:” (1 Pe 4:12)
  • “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Pe 5:10)

In fact, the word “suffer” appears 11 times in 1 Peter. These first century Christians certainly knew what it was like to bear the cross of the Lord Jesus. Today, there are people in other parts of our world who also are well acquainted with suffering for the Lord. They know what it is like to be persecuted, and in some cases prosecuted or even executed, simply for living out their Christian faith.

Suffering (or lack thereof) in America Today

In America, however, there is very little suffering being experienced by believers. We live in a land of freedom. We can still worship the Lord without fear of reprisal. We know little of “counting the cost” for our relationship with God. Yes, there can be cultural and family pressure here in our part of the world, and sometimes believers experience workplace discrimination, but generally the price we pay here for our faith in Christ is mild compared to what Christians are facing in some other parts of the world. Here, we are well fed, we are warm in the winter and cool in the summer, we sit on cushioned seats; we have it made. Yet, if you were to carefully examine the hearts and attitudes of many believers today, you would find that we really do not fully appreciate the freedom and luxury that we have. We don’t recognize the wonderful place of liberty that God has given us here in the good ole U.S. of A. This is not to say that we haven’t experienced other forms of suffering, such as illnesses, etc.; but I am merely trying to point out that we are not suffering at the hands of our neighbors or the government for worshipping Christ. Maybe it’s because we are very carnal here in America. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12 that all that live godly lives shall suffer persecution. Maybe we are not as godly as those first century Christians. This isn’t to condemn us, but to challenge us—perhaps our comfort has made us complacent.

The Real Battle: Fleshly Lusts

There is something that Peter wrote in this epistle that I think we can all identify with, however:

  • “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” (1 Pe 2:11)

Though I do not know any Christians here in our land that are being tortured for their faith, I do know of many that are tormented because of the battle going on in their own flesh. I know that for me, the flesh is my number one enemy. I can certainly identify with the Apostle Paul when he said that the things that he does not want to do, he does, and vice versa. Maybe that is why Satan isn’t attacking us with the frontal assault of persecution. He doesn’t need to because we are already losing the spiritual battle in our flesh and our lusts are keeping us from having the effectiveness and impact in the world that we could and should be having.  See the list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19 – 21 if you don’t know what I am referring to.

A Call to Spirit-filled Living
  • “16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. … 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal 5:16, 25)

Maybe if we really started walking in the Spirit, and putting to death the lusts that are wreaking havoc in our lives, then we just might get the wicked one’s attention. Don’t misunderstand, I am not inviting, nor looking forward to suffering at the hands of the devil or the world, but I do wish I was living more of a “Spirit-filled life” that is worthy of their attention.

An Added Thought Regarding Suffering

As unpleasant as suffering is for believers, God uses it at times to glorify Himself in this dark world when the sufferer remains faithful to Christ through it. Peter tells us that God purifies the believer’s faith through trials and persecution:

  • “6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” (1Pe 1:6-7)
Questions to Ponder

Have you experienced any real persecution because of your faith in Christ?

Do we truly appreciate our religious freedom?

What fleshly lusts are warring against your soul today?

Leave a comment below and let us know what battles you are facing today as you serve Christ.

[Post revised on 12/23/2025]


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