What is the meaning of Exodus 2:9? Pharaoh’s daughter said to her – God works through unexpected agents. The same royal household that had decreed death for Hebrew boys (Exodus 1:22) now shelters one. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, “The king’s heart is a watercourse in the hand of the LORD; He directs it wherever He pleases,” and Psalm 33:10-11 shows that human plans bow to divine purpose. Pharaoh’s daughter isn’t aware she’s fulfilling God’s plan, yet her compassion becomes the hinge on which Israel’s future leader is preserved. Take this child – Moses is identified as a distinct, valuable person, not an anonymous infant. Psalm 127:3 declares, “Children are a heritage from the LORD.” His tiny life carries covenant destiny just as Jeremiah 1:5 affirms God’s foreknowledge of every child. The command “take” grants legal, protective custody, reversing the sentence of the Nile (Exodus 1:22) into a commission to guard life. and nurse him for me – The princess entrusts Moses’ nurture to his own mother. What looks like coincidence is providence. God provides a safe space and maternal care so early faith can be formed at home (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Isaiah 49:23 pictures Gentile royalty nursing Israel’s children—here it literally happens as an Egyptian princess bankrolls Hebrew motherhood. The phrase “for me” signals stewardship: Jochebed will nurture, yet the child belongs to a higher purpose, echoing Hannah’s vow in 1 Samuel 1:27-28. and I will pay your wages – The Lord rewards faith-driven obedience in surprising ways. Jochebed, who risked her life hiding Moses (Hebrews 11:23), now receives royal wages to do what she longed to do anyway. Genesis 15:1 announces God as “your very great reward,” and 1 Timothy 5:18 affirms, “The worker is worthy of his wages.” In this scene, divine justice overturns oppression: the empire that enslaved Israel now finances Israel’s deliverer. So the woman took the boy and nursed him – Jochebed acts immediately, illustrating faith that expresses itself in concrete care. James 2:17 notes that faith without works is dead; her action pulses with living trust. By nursing Moses, she has precious years to imprint God’s promises, preparing him for the destiny summed up in Acts 7:25. As in Psalm 34:8—“Taste and see that the LORD is good”—Moses literally tastes covenant faithfulness at his mother’s breast. summary Exodus 2:9 showcases God’s sovereign care woven through human choices. A royal decree could not drown His plan; instead, He turns a river of death into a channel of provision. Pharaoh’s daughter, moved by compassion, commissions Jochebed to rear the child who will one day confront Pharaoh himself. The Lord rescues, remunerates, and readies His servant, proving again that nothing can thwart His purposes or limit His extravagant faithfulness. |
    |