1 “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took 2 to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, 3 she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and 4 laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood 5 afar off, to know what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river side; and she saw the ark 6 among the flags, and sent her handmaid to fetch it. And she opened it, and saw the child; and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, 8 that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's 9 mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And 10 the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.”
Golden Text.—“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Prov. 22:6.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What is said of a certain man and woman of the house of Levi? What were their names? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What was one result of this marriage? What did the mother do to preserve the child's life? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) What did she do when she could no longer hide the child? Verse 3. (4) Who was set to watch what would become of the little one? Verse 4. (5) Who discovered the ark in the flags? Verse 5. (6) How was she affected when she saw the child? What did she say? Verse 6. (7) How did she decide what to do with the child? Verses 7, 8. (8) What arrangement was made for the care of the child? Verse 9. Note 3. (9) In course of time, what further disposition was made of him? Verse 10. Note 4.
NOTES.
1. The name of this man was Amram, and the woman whom he took to wife was named Jochebed.
2. The child was hidden three months because of the king's decree that all the male children of the Israelites should be killed at birth. See Ex. 1:15-19.
3. God had heard the mother's prayers; her faith had been rewarded. It was with deep gratitude that she entered upon her now safe and happy task. She faithfully improved her opportunity to educate her child for God. She felt confident that he had been preserved for some great work, and she knew that he must soon be given up to his royal mother, to be surrounded with influences that would tend to lead him away from God. All this rendered her more diligent and careful in his instruction than in that of her other children.
She kept the boy as long as she could, but was obliged to give him up when he was about twelve years old. From his humble cabin home he was taken to the royal palace, to the daughter of Pharaoh, “and he became her son.” Yet even here he did not lose the impressions received in childhood. The lessons learned at his mother's side could not be forgotten. They were a shield from the pride, the infidelity, and the vice that flourished amid the splendor of the court.
How far-reaching in its results was the influence of that one Hebrew woman, and she an exile and a slave! The whole future life of Moses, the great mission which he fulfilled as the leader of Israel, testifies to the importance of the work of the Christian mother. There is no other work that can equal this. To a very great extent, the mother holds in her own hands the destiny of her children. She is dealing with developing minds and characters, working not alone for time, but for eternity.—Patriarchs and Prophets.
4. At the court of Pharaoh, Moses received the highest civil and military training. The monarch had determined to make his adopted grandson his successor on the throne, and the youth was educated for this high station. “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.” His ability as a military leader made him a favorite with the armies of Egypt, and he was generally regarded as a remarkable character. Satan had been defeated in his purpose. The very decree condemning the Hebrew children to death had been overruled by God for the training and education of the future leader of His people.—Id.
