Hebrews 11:23 (HCSB)
By faith, after Moses was born, he was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict.
Moses was born in a scary time for the Israelites. Not only were they enslaved in Egypt, but they had also been reproducing so greatly that the Pharaoh had first commanded the Israelite midwives to kill any male babies as they were born, a command which they refused to obey (Exodus 1:15-21).
When that didn’t work, Pharaoh commanded that every male baby be thrown into the Nile. And it was under this edict that Moses was born.
Moses’ parents, both descendants of Levi, refused to comply with the edict. Instead, they kept Moses hidden for three months because they saw that he was a fine child, and they had an inkling that God had great plans for him. This was a demonstration of faith on their part, because they believed God’s promise to be with Jacob and his descendants in Egypt (Genesis 46:3-4), and that He would fulfill the promise He had made to Abraham to bring His people out of Egypt with great riches (Genesis 15:13-14, 48:21). And they believed that this boy would have a role to play in that deliverance.
Ultimately, when they could no longer keep the boy hidden, his parents obeyed Pharaoh’s edict, but only after a fashion. They “threw him into the Nile”, but they did it after putting him in a waterproof basket. They then floated that basket in the reeds along the banks of the river, where it was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. She adopted Moses as her own son, and as proof of God’s sovereign hand in the matter, she unwittingly hired Moses’ own mother to nurse the child until he was weaned, (Exodus 2:3-10), thus honoring and rewarding his parents faith.
Father, it is fascinating to see Your hands all over this whole event. Nothing was left to chance, and Your deliverer was preserved, and his faithful parents rewarded by Pharaoh’s family instead of being punished by them for their disobedience to the royal edict. Lord, the stories throughout history of Your guidance and care are too numerous to track. But the message is clear: if we obey You rather than men, You will be with us to continue to guide our steps and even to provide unexpected blessings. Thank you, Lord, for Your sure goodness and grace. Amen.