How did you get here?
How did you get to where you are right now? As you read this, where are you and how did you get here? I am sure the place you are reading this is not the EXACT place that your mother gave birth to you, so I ask how did you get here?
Join me in Exodus chapters 1 and 2.
As we start here we might as well dig into who Moses was as a person. Moses was a Hebrew boy born in Egypt and eventually ends up in an area outside of Egypt called Midian. Because of that, he gets identified as an Egyptian. Confusing right? Moses is Hebrew, and is not located at this time in Egypt, so how does he get labeled as an Egyptian? How did he get here?
Let’s back up – Exodus 2:1
A man from the family of Levi and a woman from Levite got married and had a son. The mother understood from the moment she held her newborn son, that he was special and kept him hidden for three months. When she realized that she could no longer hide her son, she made a basket from papyrus, waterproofed the basket and hugged and kissed her child and laid her son in the basket and sent him down the Nile river. The baby had an older sister who witnessed this, and ran down the banks of the river watching as her baby brother floated down the stream. Other than a Child Protection Case what do you see happening here? Let’s try to make this make more sense -Why did Moses’s mother act this way? How did he get here?
Let’s back up – Exodus 1
The Israelites were fruitful and increased rapidly among the area leaving the land full. These people then came to Egypt and one of their own, Joseph rose to power reuniting the families. But because we are dealing with humans in the story, the ample flourish ends there when a new king, who did not know or care about Joseph came to power in Egypt. The new king separated out the Egyptians and the Israelites and was threatened that there were more Israelites than Egyptians. So as you can guess, the new king ordered tasks over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. The Egyptians worked the Israelites miserably giving them awful and daunting tasks in the field. As the oppression and slavery went on, this did not stop the rapid growth of the Israelites. The more oppressed the Israelites felt, the more they followed God’s will for the world and continued to reproduce. Leaving the king making a choice, I am sure we all hate reading about. He assigned the Hebrew midwives with the task to assist the women in labor but should the Israelite woman give birth to a boy, the boy should be killed and thrown into the Nile river. The midwives feared God if they carried out the task asked of them so they did not do it. When questioned by Pharaoh the midwives told him that the Hebrew woman gave birth before the midwives would get to them, leaving them unable to complete the task of killing the males. As a reward, God blessed the midwives with a family of their own. Pharaoh then created a law that said any Hebrew baby that is a male, shall be thrown in the river. I can now see why, Moses was kept a secret and eventually sent away in a basket down the river.
Pharaoh’s daughter was bathing in the Nile river when a basket floated near her. She asks her servant to get the basket for her, and when the princess opens the basket she finds a crying baby boy. Feeling sorry for him she said, This must be one of the Hebrew Children, knowing that Hebrew children were sent to be thrown in the river. The baby’s sister approaches the Princess and says, “Can I take his baby from you and find a Hebrew woman who can nurse him for you?” Obviously having her mother in mind. The Princess responds, and agrees with that idea and offers to pay the mother to nurse the child. When the child gets older the mother brings the boy to the Princess to be adopted and that is when she named him Moses because he was drawn out of the water.
Fast forward, Moses grows up and goes out to meet his people. I am sure Moses was confused by the hardship and slavery that he saw. Or maybe the intense labor he saw the Egyptians inflicting onto the Hebrews. While doing this, he came across an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. Moses looked both ways to ensure no one was watching and struck the Egyptian and killed him. Pharaoh found out about this and was furious and had planned to kill Moses. Moses did what I think a lot of us would do. He ran, and that’s how he ended up in Midian.
Moses was a product of circumstance. Moses was brought into a situation that he did not choose or pick. It obviously was not an ideal home to raise a baby boy in. Moses refused to be defined by his circumstances in life. Moses refused to let other people’s choices rule his legacy in life. Now I don’t know the life you have had thus far, you may be reading this and have areas in your life that you have suffered because someone else made a choice for you. Maybe you feel pressure from somewhere leaving you to live your life differently that you want. Maybe you are currently in a life situation where you never get a say in the direction you go. You just have to follow along so you don’t have to fear repercussions. What are the chains around your wrist that are keeping you from a life that you dream of? How did the chains get there, who put them there? Whatever that pain is that is keeping you in slavery, know the Israelites felt what you are feeling now.
Moses was drawn out of the water to enter to a greater life and you can too. It does not matter how you got here, what matters is how you now can see how to get out of here and move forward in God’s grace in your life.
