77 exodus 4
PHARAOH ' S DAUGHTER
HER
S
STORY : EXODUS 2:5 – 10
he is the daughter of the king . She walks with her servant girls around her , her head held high . The girls offer privacy and protection . Her life has been one of luxury , all her demands immediately met . Her life has been . . . rather boring .
She steps into the water of the Nile River , and her servant girls begin to wash her . They giggle and chatter about nothing , trained to be always happy in her presence . Sighing , she glances with disinterest at her familiar surroundings .
When a basket floats nearby , she shushes the girls and realizes she hears a baby crying . She orders one of the girls to wade out to get the basket . The king ’ s daughter sees a Hebrew baby inside , one her father has ordered to be killed . When she picks him up and he keeps crying , a young Hebrew girl hesitantly approaches . “ Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you ?” ( verse 7 ). Not knowing until that moment that she plans to keep the baby , the king ’ s daughter answers yes . When the Hebrew girl reappears with her mother , the princess examines them closely . Does this all seem a little too predictable ? A baby boy who should be dead , a young girl , a nursing mother ? The princess realizes she doesn ’ t care . Perhaps this is the boy ’ s sister and mother . Who better to care for him ?
In a miraculous way , God uses a basket and a king ’ s daughter to arrange a royal upbringing and education for this baby boy . He will grow up to be Moses , the man who will lead the Hebrews out of their slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land . God is still in the arranging business . Whatever he calls us to do , he will also prepare us to do .
21 “ And I will make the Egyp tians favor ably dis posed to ward this peo ple , so that when you leave you will not go emptyhanded . 22 Ev ery woman is to ask her neigh bor and any woman liv ing in her house for ar ti cles of sil ver and gold and for cloth ing , which you will put on your sons and daugh ters . And so you will plun der the Egyp tians .”
Signs for Moses
4
Mo ses an swered , “ What if they do not be lieve me or lis ten to me and say , ‘ The Lord did not ap pear to you ’?” 2 Then the Lord said to him , “ What is that in your hand ?” “ A staff ,” he re plied . 3 The Lord said , “ Throw it on the ground .”
Mo ses threw it on the ground and it be came a snake , and he ran from it . 4 Then the Lord said to him , “ Reach out your hand and take it by the tail .” So Mo ses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand . 5 “ This ,” said the Lord , “ is so that they may be lieve that the Lord , the God of their fa thers — the God of Abra ham , the God of Isaac and the God of Ja cob — has ap peared to you .”
6 Then the Lord said , “ Put your hand in side your cloak .” So Mo ses put his hand into his cloak , and when he took it out , the skin was lep rous a — it had be come as white as snow .
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6 The Hebrew word for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin .