How does Exodus 2:3 demonstrate faith in God's protection and provision? Setting the Scene - Pharaoh’s death decree against Hebrew boys hung over every household (Exodus 1:22). - Moses’ parents hid their infant for three months, but “when she could no longer hide him” the crisis peaked (Exodus 2:3). - The next action—placing him in a tar-sealed basket on the Nile—was not surrender to fate but a deliberate step of faith. A Mother’s Daring Act of Faith - Practical obedience and spiritual trust met in one moment: • “She got him a papyrus basket” —choosing the best materials she could find. • “Coated it with tar and pitch” —echoes Genesis 6:14; the same waterproofing God prescribed for Noah’s ark, hinting at divine rescue. • “Placed the child inside” —releasing personal control and entrusting her son to God’s care. • “Set it among the reeds” —situated where Pharaoh’s daughter might come; faith looks for, but does not dictate, God’s means of deliverance. Layers of Trust Revealed - Confidence in God’s covenant promises: descendants would become a great nation (Genesis 15:13-14). - Willingness to obey civil authority only until it demanded disobedience to God (compare Acts 5:29). - Acceptance that God can use unlikely places—the very Nile intended for death—to preserve life. - Hope that the God who opened the Red Sea later could surely guard one tiny “ark” now. God’s Protection Foreshadowed - Same Hebrew word (tevah) for Moses’ basket and Noah’s ark: both vessels of salvation amid judgment. - Psalm 91:1-2 affirms the truth his mother relied on: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” - Psalm 121:7 underscores the outcome: “The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.” Provision Woven Through the Details - Physical resources: reeds, papyrus, tar, pitch—all provided in Egypt’s environment. - Strategic timing: Pharaoh’s daughter arrives, heart moved with compassion (Exodus 2:5-6). - Unexpected employment: Jochebed is paid to nurse her own child (Exodus 2:8-9), a testimony that God “is able to do immeasurably more” (Ephesians 3:20). Echoes Elsewhere in Scripture - Hebrews 11:23: “By faith Moses’ parents hid him… and were unafraid of the king’s edict.” - 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” Jochebed cast Moses; God caught him. - Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” Literal river, literal promise. Living the Lesson - Faith acts: it builds baskets, seals cracks, and places the future in God’s hands. - Faith releases: genuine trust surrenders what it loves most, believing God loves even more. - Faith anticipates: it expects God’s protection and provision in ways beyond human planning. |
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