God’s Hand in a Time of Trouble: The Birth of Moses (Exodus 1:8-2:10)
Sometimes, the hardest times prepare the way for the greatest stories. That’s exactly what we see in Exodus 1:8–2:10. Even though life became very hard for God’s people, He was quietly working behind the scenes to bring about something amazing — the birth of a leader who would one day rescue them.
Let’s take a closer look at how it all happened.
A New Pharaoh and Growing Fear
After Joseph’s time, a new king, or Pharaoh, came to power in Egypt. This new Pharaoh didn’t know anything about Joseph or the good he had done. All Pharaoh saw was that the Israelites had grown strong and were becoming very numerous.
Pharaoh became afraid. He worried that if enemies attacked Egypt, the Israelites might join the fight against him. So he decided to make their lives miserable. He forced the Israelites into slavery, making them work hard building cities and doing heavy labor. Life was bitter and harsh for God’s people.
Pharaoh’s Terrible Command
But Pharaoh’s fear kept growing. He wanted to stop the Israelites from becoming even stronger. So he gave a horrible order: every Hebrew baby boy must be killed at birth.
However, the Hebrew midwives — the women who helped deliver babies — feared God more than they feared Pharaoh. They bravely refused to kill the baby boys. God blessed them for their courage.
When Pharaoh saw that his first plan wasn’t working, he gave an even more terrible command: every Hebrew baby boy must be thrown into the Nile River.
It was a very dark time.
The Birth and Rescue of Moses
During this time, a baby boy was born into a Levite family. His mother saw that he was a special child and hid him for three months. But eventually, it became too dangerous to keep him hidden.
In a very brave act of love, she placed her baby in a basket, covered it carefully with tar to keep it afloat, and set it among the reeds along the riverbank. She didn’t just abandon him — she trusted God to protect him.
Then, something amazing happened. Pharaoh’s own daughter came down to the river to bathe. She saw the basket, opened it, and found the crying baby. She felt compassion for him and decided to adopt him as her own.
Moses’ sister, Miriam, who had been watching nearby, quickly spoke up. She offered to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. Pharaoh’s daughter agreed, and Miriam ran to get their mother!
Because of God’s perfect timing, Moses’ own mother got to care for him and be part of his early life. Later, Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace as a prince of Egypt — but he never forgot where he came from.
Key Lessons
There’s a lot we can learn from this part of the story:
- God Is Always Working: Even when everything seems dark and hopeless, God has a plan we might not see yet.
- Courage Makes a Difference: The midwives, Moses’ mother, and his sister all acted bravely. Their courage saved lives and changed history.
- God Uses Ordinary People: God didn’t use powerful kings or warriors here. He used faithful, everyday people to carry out His big plans.
Final Thoughts
Even in the middle of fear and suffering, God was preparing the way for salvation. The birth of Moses shows that God’s plans can never be stopped — not even by the most powerful rulers on earth.
Think about this: Could it be that God is working in your life right now, even if you can’t see it?
No matter how hard things seem, trust that God is with you and that He is always preparing something good.
Exodus 1:8-2:10 (WEB)
1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who didn’t know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 10 Come, let’s deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies and fight against us, and escape out of the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. They built storage cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. They started to dread the children of Israel. 13 The Egyptians ruthlessly made the children of Israel serve, 14 and they made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field, all their service, in which they ruthlessly made them serve.15 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah, 16 and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive. 18 The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing and saved the boys alive?”19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”20 God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and grew very mighty. 21 Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You shall cast every son who is born into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”2:1 A man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. 4 His sister stood far off, to see what would be done to him. 5 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 servant to get it. 6 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.”7 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?”8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.”The young woman went and called the child’s mother. 9 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. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”