Exodus 2:5-9

Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe at the river. Her maidens walked along by the riverside. She saw the basket among the reeds, and sent her handmaid to get it. She opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the baby cried. She had compassion on him, and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?”

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.”

The maiden went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.”

The woman took the child, and nursed it.

When we consider the future, we usually don’t consider the miracles that God will do. The fact is that God really does do miraculous things to help those who have faith in Him. That’s what happened here. The reason we know that faith was involved is because the Bible has commentary on this event in the New Testament. It tells us why this couple did what they did.

Hebrews 11:23 :

By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.

Notice that because they had faith, they were not afraid of the king of Egypt. It is interesting to note that from this faithful household would not only come the one who would lead the people out of Egypt to the promised land, but also Israel’s first priest. How could a person predict that? Faith is like a very small seed that when it is planted grows into something much larger and more beautiful.

Notice that God used what was natural once again. He used the crying of a baby and the natural affection of Pharaoh’s daughter. He also used the watchful eye of an older sister. What wasn’t natural here is that God arranged it so that a forbidden baby would not only be required to be kept alive, but that his mother would be paid to nurse him! That’s the kind of thing God does when people believe in what He says and who He is. I am sure that these godly parents still had to work hard in an abusive situation, but God was helping them through it, even protecting their children for a very important future that would end in the release of all of the Hebrews.