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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Two thoughts on the story of Moses

Exodus 2:1 Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews' children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” (ESV)

A familiar story. My two thoughts are these:
First, Miriam must have been quick-witted, and God-directed, when she suggested that she would find a wet-nurse for Pharaoh's daughter. I have trouble believing that her mother foresaw this turn of events, and told her what to say in advance, if it happened. I have no trouble believing that God guided Miriam in this case.

Second, the Bible here reads as if Moses was an Egyptian name. I checked, and, apparently, that is true. (See link at the beginning of this paragraph.) So the most important of the descendants of Abraham (until Christ) had an Egyptian name? Remarkable!

Thanks for reading.

3 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

Well - - - Greg can access our bank accounts from his computer, and I don't pay bills online or keep any financial records on here. I may at some point give my number one daughter my password - - - but mostly so she could update my blog in the event of my sudden departure for heavenly realms.

i am Grateful... Kerry i am. said...

Great insights Martin. Thanks for sharing your deep thoughts with us.

Martin LaBar said...

Comments from two K's. Thanks.

That should work, Keetha. I need to leave instructions to somebody as to how to tell anyone who reads this blog, etc., that I have departed this life.

Deep, maybe. Maybe not. Thanks, Kerry i am.