Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
If you were to pick a time in history in which you would like to have been born and live, OTHER than your current lifetime, I wonder when you’d pick? Certainly the days of Egyptian pyramid building and the reign of the Pharaoh’s must have been one of those remarkable times in history. I don’t think I’d want to live then, but it must have been remarkable. . . and very, very painful, at least for one huge group of people: the Israelites.
We’ve begun a new and very exciting series in our “Walking with Jesus” journey, the story found in the Bible book of Exodus. As we discussed yesterday, the glory days of Joseph and the bounty of living in Egypt became enslaving through the complacency that Jacob’s descendants lived in. They were totally unaware that their destiny was rapidly changing, until suddenly they were enslaved. Exodus 1:11-14 tells us the Israelite slaves were ruthlessly used and abused in hard labor building Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh, and in all their work in the fields.
But still their population grew, to the point the Pharaoh took even more drastic action… infanticide! He ordered that all Israelites baby boys would be killed at the time of their birth! But for some Hebrews, this was anathema, unthinkable, and they were willing to risk their lives in disobedience of the Pharaoh! So may I ask, how protected and valued are children, both the unborn and the infants, in your society, wherever you live in our world? I am ashamed to say that in the country where I currently live, America, the slaughter of children, both unborn and born, is horrific and is often supported by the government! It is an abomination for us who seek to live our lives in a God-honoring way…but sadly, it is the law of our land, nonetheless!
The Exodus record says: “The Hebrew midwives feared God and did not do what the Pharaoh of Egypt had decreed; they let the baby boys live… So God was kind to the midwives and the Israelites increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.” (Ex. 1:17-21) Isn’t that a wonderful example of God honoring courage, to stand up for what HE has defined as right and holy? Who are those standing up to protect the unborn and infants in your society my friends? But evil keeps looking for ways to accomplish its evil intent and so Pharaoh passed a specific decree, especially for those Hebrews who lived near the great river… “Every baby boy that is born to the Israelites, you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” (Ex. 1:22)
Now friends, imagine that in those days you and your spouse are Israelites, and you happen to live near the Nile river, and you find yourselves pregnant! Of course you have no way of knowing if your baby will be male or female, but the new law is clear! What will you do? You know you won’t be able to hide your newborn baby indefinitely and if it is found that you are hiding your baby boy, you and your spouse may be killed by the Egyptians, as well as your baby! Exodus 2 begins the remarkable story of one of the greatest men of all time. “Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son… and she hid him for three months.” Can you imagine the stress in this little family? They already had a little girl (Ex. 2:4) who we will later meet as Miriam, and they had a son Aaron, who was three years older than this newborn baby (Ex. 7:6) Death to the parents, if found hiding a baby boy, would likely also mean death to these other two children. Oh my, what a terrible predicament!
As we continue reading in Exodus 2 we find this dear couple finally comes to the conclusion they simply can’t hide their baby boy any longer. With great care they make a waterproof basket and with tears flowing down their cheeks they kiss their baby for a last time, put him in that basket, and set him afloat on the great Nile river, entrusting him to God’s providence and God’s Sovereign protection. Can you imagine their pain my friends? Evidently they asked their little daughter to walk along the river bank, keeping an eye on the basket for as long as she is able. How did these young parents explain to their other children their refusal to obey the horrible infanticide’s law? How did they now explain their trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as they put their baby afloat on the river?
I think let’s pause right here, watching the basket float along the edge of the river, occasionally caught by the reeds along the river bank, then breaking free and continuing its journey, guided by an invisible hand… the hand of God. If you are a parent or grandparent, have you entrusted your children and grandchildren to the providence and sovereignty of God? Do you pray often for God’s hand of protection and blessing upon them? Listen to the power of one generation influencing the younger generation about our great God in Psalm 145:4-6 “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend Your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and I will meditate on Your wonderful works. They will tell of the power of Your awesome works, and I will proclaim Your great deeds…”
For centuries, my friends, these have been the words of young adults, as they have reflected and given thanks to God for the spiritual influence of their parents in their young lives! As little Miriam watched that basket float down the great Nile that day, I wonder if she was talking to God, saying something like this: “Oh God of our ancestors, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Here we are still in Egypt, and now all the adults are slaves. I too will be a slave one day, unless somehow oh God, You do as our ancestor Joseph said, and You come and rescue us from this place. Please oh God, protect my little brother. The Pharaoh says he should be killed, but my parents have told me You made my brother and You will watch over him. Please bring my brother to a family that will not kill him but raise him to be a fine man, and please God, would You maybe allow us to meet again someday when both he and I are adults? I trust him to Your care, O God…”
Tomorrow I’ll show you the miracle that God did to save that little boy from death, and for the next few weeks we’ll walk with him and see the great things God did in his life. For today, let’s spend some time praying for our children and grandchildren, wherever they are around the world. I wonder if young Miriam, watching from the reeds along the river bank, might have been softly singing a song? Maybe a song like this one, as she prayed over her little brother, floating down the river in the basket. As we listen to the children sing, let’s pray my friends for all the children in our extended families, no matter where they are, for these are dangerous times to be a child, anywhere in our world!
Today’s Scripture is Exodus 1:17-2:4.
Choose below to read or listen.
Exodus 1:17-22
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Exodus 2:1-4
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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