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The Egyptians worked the children of Israel extremely hard. Their burden was severe, and their suffering was intense. (Remember God renamed Jacob Israel. It's his descendents who are called children of Israel, or Israelites.) They remembered a time when they were not slaves. The Israelites cried out to their God.

When Pharaoh ordered all the boy babies to be thrown into the river, a Levite woman (child of Israel in the clan of Levi) gave birth to a son. She saw he was a fine boy and had to find a way to save him from drowning.

She hid the boy for three months. Then she found a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Placing the infant inside, she hid the basket with reeds along the banks of the Nile River. The boy’s sister watched as Pharaoh’s daughter discover her brother.

Pharaoh’s daughter knew it must be one of the Hebrew boys, but she loved him on sight. The baby began crying and his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter if she could bring a woman to nurse the infant. That was how the baby’s mother got to nurse her son.

Pharaoh’s daughter named the boy Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”

Moses was raised as a member of Pharaoh’s family. But he knew he was a Hebrew. As Moses grew older, he saw how his countrymen were suffering under hard labor. He felt guilty for living such a charmed life when his people lived in extreme bondage. He watched an Egyptian beat a Hebrew. His anger burned so intensely that he killed the Egyptian. Hiding him in the sand, Moses, had a terrifying thought, What if I’m found out?

Pharaoh did find out. He ordered Moses to be killed. Moses fled to Midian., in Ethiopia. He came to a well. Some girls were trying do draw out water for their father’s flock. Shepherds interfered and Moses came to their rescue. Their Father invited Moses into their home. He grew to love Moses and offered one daughter, Zipporah, to Moses in marriage.

Take Home Nugget
God heard His children’s cry for relief. He remembered the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. God’s timing is perfect, although we often think He’s slow. When we wait for the Lord to answer prayer, we learn patience. God is faithful, and when He answers our prayers, it is better than we imagined. Ask Moses.

How long, Lord, how long?
We’ve suffered after having done wrong.
Our attention in You is caught.
Out of bondage we’ll be brought.