Exploring the Scripture

The Israelites, while living in Egypt, thrived. But today’s scripture passage begins with an announcement that a new king is taking the throne in Egypt. Pharaoh is threatened by the large Hebrew population and takes brutal steps:

• Enslaves the Israelites to work on construction projects
• Decrees that every Hebrew male child be killed

As a counterpoint to this horrific background, two heroic midwives refuse to kill the newborns. Their excuse is that Hebrew women are so healthy (unlike Egyptian women) that they give birth before the midwives arrive. When Pharaoh becomes aware of this, he commands that all the male Hebrew babies be thrown into the Nile.

A Hebrew woman named Jochebad hides her baby boy for as long as possible (estimated at three months). Then she makes a waterproof basket and floats the baby down the Nile near Pharaoh’s daughter under the watchful eye of the baby’s older sister Miriam. When the princess rescues the child (probably knowing he was Hebrew), Miriam suggests an available Hebrew nurse. Pharaoh’s daughter hires the baby’s mother to nurse the child. The princess names the baby Moses, which can be interpreted as “one who draws out.”

Because of the kindness and compassion of the royal princess, Moses grows up in the Egyptian court, at the same time nursed by his birth mother. Today’s text is a story filled with fearless and compassionate women, from the midwives to Moses’ mother and sister, to Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh is thwarted at every turn, ironically by those with little power. The stage is now set for the larger Exodus story—the Israelites will defy oppression and be led away from captivity by one of their own.

As Moses grows, we sense God’s faithfulness in preparing to answer the cries for justice voiced by those who are oppressed. God is working through events and people to free the Israelites in opposition to a powerful earthly king.

In our modern environment, there has been much oppression, from the local schoolyard bully to racial and gender discrimination. We trust in God’s faithfulness—not power-hungry humans—to propel creation toward freedom and hope.

Faith Unfiltered Podcast

Hosts Karin Peter and Blake Smith consider how this week's scripture connects to our lives today.

LISTEN

Central Ideas

1. God is faithful to God’s covenant people.
2. Those with power oppress others based on the fear that their power is in some way threatened.
3. Pharaoh’s power is reduced by the civil disobedience of brave and compassionate women.
4. God works through events and people to bring about justice.

Questions to Consider

1. In our impatience, we may question the years it took to set the stage for Israel’s flight from captivity. What is your understanding of God’s faithfulness in this story?
2. Do you know a woman or women who show courage and compassion like those in the story?
3. What ironies do you see in this story? For example, Pharaoh commands that Hebrew boy babies be thrown into the Nile—the river that Moses’ mother uses to float him toward the Pharaoh’s daughter.
4. What behavior do you see in today’s world that parallels Pharaoh’s behavior?
5. What can we do to stop bullying, oppression, and persecution?
6. How might God be working through events and people to bring about justice today?