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8 A new king came to power in Egypt who didn't know Joseph. 9 He spoke to his people in alarm, "There are way too many of these Israelites for us to handle. 10 We've got to do something: Let's devise a plan to contain them, lest if there's a war they should join our enemies, or just walk off and leave us." 11 So they organized them into work-gangs and put them to hard labor under gang-foremen. They built the storage cities Pithom and Rameses for Pharaoh. 12 But the harder the Egyptians worked them the more children the Israelites had - children everywhere! The Egyptians got so they couldn't stand the Israelites 13 and treated them worse than ever, crushing them with slave labor. 14 They made them miserable with hard labor - making bricks and mortar and back-breaking work in the fields. They piled on the work, crushing them under the cruel workload. 15 The king of Egypt had a talk with the two Hebrew midwives; one was named Shiphrah and the other Puah. 16 He said, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the sex of the baby. If it's a boy, kill him; if it's a girl, let her live." 17 But the midwives had far too much respect for God and didn't do what the king of Egypt ordered; they let the boy babies live. 18 The king of Egypt called in the midwives. "Why didn't you obey my orders? You've let those babies live!" 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, "The Hebrew women aren't like the Egyptian women; they're vigorous. Before the midwife can get there, they've already had the baby." 20 God was pleased with the midwives. The people continued to increase in number - a very strong people. 21 And because the midwives honored God, God gave them families of their own. 22 So Pharaoh issued a general order to all his people: "Every boy that is born, drown him in the Nile. But let the girls live." 1 A man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. 2 The woman became pregnant and had a son. She saw there was something special about him and hid him. She hid him for three months. 3 When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile. 4 The baby's older sister found herself a vantage point a little way off and watched to see what would happen to him. 5 Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe; her maidens strolled on the bank. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it. 6 She opened it and saw the child - a baby crying! Her heart went out to him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies." 7 Then his sister was before her: "Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?"8 Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes. Go." The girl went and called the child's mother. 9 Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I'll pay you." The woman took the child and nursed him. 10 After the child was weaned, she presented him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses (Pulled-Out), saying, "I pulled him out of the water." (Exodus 1:8-2:10 The Message)
Happy Wednesday to you, dear Friend! I pray the length of today's passage not scare you from reading it, for it is a complete story of the Hebrews and how they came to be enslaved in Egypt. But, I pray this finds all of you doing well today.
If you have not yet done a DNA test on yourself, I would highly recommend it. No, I don't own stock in any of the companies that do that sort of testing, but you will be truly amazed at what is in your lineage. The only person that I know whose blood is "pure" or so he claims, is Conan O'Brian. If you don't know who Conan is, he's a late show host on TBS. He's a tall, redheaded gentleman, quite funny, and absolutely Irish. And, believe it or not, I have Irish blood in my veins too. And Jewish blood, and quite a mixture of what we used to lovingly and jokingly called our mixed doggies, "The Heinz 57 Variety," well, that would be me, and probably you, unless you're related to Conan. I begin with that because of what we learn about our relatives the Jews in today's passage.
If you start with verse one of chapter one, you get the complete story that basically says that Joseph and all his brothers and family died, and from the survivors came a heap of Hebrews, so numerous that the new Pharaoh says, "Whoa! There be too many Hebrews and if we ever get into a scrap with some enemy, they might just change sides and whoop us!" So, the descendants of the governor of Egypt became slaves to the new ruling class in Egypt. And guess what ruling classes get from slaves? A lot of free labor and as the scripture says, these slaves built the storage cities of Pithom and Rameses, and as verse 12 says, in a very honest way, the more they worked in the hot sun, the more children they had. Or, as this author words it, "children everywhere!" So many children that the Egyptians could not stand the Israelites any more. They got treated worse and piled on the work. And the new Pharaoh went and had a talk with the two (only two?) midwives who were told how to treat the newborns; if they're male, kill them; if they're female, let them live. What a nice king, no? But thank God, these ladies were God-fearing ladies and they made up an excuse for the number of boy Jews that were being born. And this prompts the king to say to all the people, if you see a baby Hebrew, drown him, but let the girls live. Then a certain woman became pregnant and had a son. "She saw there was something special about this and hid him." For three months. And the mom made a water proof basket in which to float the baby for his own good. Long story short, that was Moses, who was found by Pharaoh's daughter who claims him as her own, and seeks a wet nurse to nurse him, and who do they find? His own mother! And when the boy was fully weaned, his mom presents him back to the princess who adopted him as her own son, even naming him Moses, meaning, "Pulled Out" or "Drawn out" for he was pulled out of the water.
A couple of weeks ago we addressed the reality of families and we know there are no perfect families, but thank God there are some good moms and dads out there, and this, the mother of Moses, was just such a good mom, who did all she could to save his life and to make sure that he was guaranteed a good life. Keep in mind that after weaning him, she no longer had custody of him. I can almost bet that during that short time she had him under her care, she tried to impress in his soul who he was, where he was from, and who was his God. We already know of his great leadership and the important role he played in the freeing and forming of God's people in that massive event we know as The Exodus, and it came as a result of his mother's faith. I don't mean to downplay Dad, because I know he played a role too, and whatever his role, he blessed the work of God in that baby, not knowing that one day the people of Israel would still be around because of what that baby was able to do once he was grown. We should never underestimate the importance of a kind and uplifting word to a young one; it may be the word that stays with them and allows them to shine for such an hour as may be needed. I saw a video yesterday from a Harvard professor who did not drop out of school because of what one high school teacher said to him on a day when he needed to hear such a word. And so, that professor found the teacher's phone number and called him and the old man wept to hear the professor say that it was because of his interest and the words shared with him that he became a professor in one of the world's finest institutions of higher education. The two got together that Christmas holiday and it was in person that the high school teacher said,, "You called me on the very day that I was retiring and the school had a nice farewell but I was feeling sad that perhaps I had not reached any student in a good way, and then the phone rang.
Words have power on their own, and so I encourage you my dear friend, use your words wisely and carefully, and use them to build the cathedrals of tomorrow by building up the little ones now.
PRAYER: Awesome Father, we the world over are blessed by the actions and faith of Moses. I know that perhaps the mother and father may not have even seen what their son was able to do because of what they had done; much in the same way, we may not know what our little ones might do because of what we have shared with them. So, allow us to share faith and hope in ways that nothing nor no-one can take it away from them; and when that hour comes when they have to shine, may they shine brilliantly and mightily as only those with You in them can. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May we truly bless someone today with a strong, solid word!
Receive my blessings of hope and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
