1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
3 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 put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
5 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
7 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
9 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 women took the child, and nursed it.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.
15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
16 Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
17 And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
20 And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.
21 And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.
22 And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
The book of Exodus is the second book of the Old Testament in the KJV Holy Bible. It is a continuation of the story of the Israelites, who were enslaved in Egypt under the rule of the Pharaoh. In chapter 2, we see the birth and early life of Moses, who will later become the leader of the Israelites and lead them out of Egypt. This chapter also introduces us to the theme of God's faithfulness and His plan for His people.
The chapter begins with the introduction of a man from the tribe of Levi, who marries a woman from the same tribe. The woman gives birth to a son, and when she sees that he is a "goodly child," she hides him for three months to protect him from Pharaoh's decree to kill all male Hebrew babies. When she can no longer hide him, she puts him in a basket and places it among the reeds of the Nile River.
Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby and takes pity on him. She decides to raise him as her own and names him Moses, which means "drawn out." The irony of this name is evident as Moses will later become the one who will lead the Israelites out of Egypt, "drawing them out" from their bondage.
Moses' sister Miriam watches from a distance and offers to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for Pharaoh's daughter. Miriam brings Moses' own mother to nurse him, and Pharaoh's daughter pays her to do so. This is a beautiful example of God's providence, as He uses Pharaoh's own daughter to save the life of the one who will bring about the downfall of Egypt.
As Moses grows up in Pharaoh's palace, he becomes aware of his Hebrew heritage. One day, he sees an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and he kills the Egyptian in anger. The next day, Moses sees two Hebrew men fighting, and when he tries to intervene, one of them asks, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?" (Exodus 2:14). This question reveals that Moses is aware of his destiny, but he is not ready to fulfill it yet.
When Pharaoh learns of Moses' crime, he seeks to kill him, and Moses flees from Egypt to the land of Midian. There, he meets a priest named Jethro and marries his daughter Zipporah. Moses starts a new life as a shepherd, and it seems like his destiny to lead the Israelites out of Egypt is forgotten.
Meanwhile, the Israelites continue to suffer under the harsh rule of Pharaoh. But God has not forgotten them. In verse 23, we see that "the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage." This cry for help reaches God, and He remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God's plan for the redemption of His people is about to begin. He will use Moses, a man who was once a prince of Egypt but now is a humble shepherd in Midian. He will use Moses, a man who has been running away from his destiny, but will eventually embrace it and fulfill it with great faith and courage.
The chapter ends with a beautiful parallel between Moses and the Israelites. Just as Moses was saved from death by the Nile River, the Israelites will be saved from death by the blood of the Passover lamb. Just as Moses was raised up by Pharaoh's daughter, the Israelites will be raised up as a nation by God.
Chapter 2 of Exodus is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and His plan for His people. It shows us that even when we are unaware of it, God is working behind the scenes to fulfill His promises and bring about His plan. It also reminds us that we may try to run away from our destiny, but God will always find a way to bring us back to it.
The birth and early life of Moses also foreshadows the birth and life of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses was hidden to protect him from Pharaoh's decree, Jesus was hidden in Egypt to protect Him from Herod's decree to kill all male children. Both Moses and Jesus were called to fulfill a specific purpose and bring salvation to their people.
The theme of God's faithfulness is also evident in the fact that He uses unlikely and unexpected people to fulfill His plan. He chose Moses, a man who was once a prince of Egypt, to lead His people out of slavery. He chose a humble shepherd, David, to become the greatest king of Israel. And He chose a simple carpenter, Joseph, to be the earthly father of Jesus.
Furthermore, the story of Moses' birth and early life teaches us the importance of trusting in God's plan, even when it seems impossible. Moses' parents trusted in God's protection and hid him for three months. Pharaoh's daughter took a risk by defying her father's decree and raising Moses as her own. And Moses himself had to trust in God's plan when he fled from Egypt and started a new life in Midian.
In conclusion, chapter 2 of Exodus is a powerful reminder of God's faithfulness and His plan for His people. It teaches us to trust in God's plan, even when we may not understand it, and to embrace our destiny with faith and courage. It also foreshadows the birth and life of Jesus Christ, who was also chosen by God to fulfill a specific purpose and bring salvation to His people.
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