Jer 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
First must come the background of this passage. The previous chapter describes the things God is going to do with Judah and Jerusalem. These things were sure promises. The verse of that chapter is, The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.
Yet, the first verse of chapter of 31 is, 1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 2 Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
What is God saying to Israel? You are going to greatly suffer for your disobedience: this is a given. Yet, in all of this horror, I will be with you. Even though I will put you behind my back, I still care for you. Or, as it states in Jer 4:27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. This was earlier stated at the end of the book of Leviticus. Here are a couple of verses that affirm this. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.
With this background, I want to concentrate on many ways in which God has drawn us to Himself. Before the world began is a good place to begin. this is the "first" time that it has been used. Ephesians chapter 1 teaches what this is, 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
So far there a lot of quotes from the Bible concerning this drawing power of God. Before He created the universe, He determined our destiny as well as what it would be like: we are going to live with God when this life on earth is over. He set everything into motion that would make this happen. Then through time, each of these were accomplished at the time He had set before the beginning.
One of these involves the Holy Spirit. It is He that places the Spirit of Christ in our souls, quickening us into Spiritual life. At this time we have the laws of God written in our hearts and minds. This verifies that we are in the new covenant described in Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is later described in Hebrews 8:10,11. Why does all of this happen? It is because of God's great love that He does all the things that He accomplishes for us. This love drives His purposes and His determination to do all of His good pleasure.
At this point we are only babes in Christ in need of Spiritual nourishment from the sincere milk of the word so we can grow thereby. It is as this point that we can only begin to respond to the drawing of the loving kindness of the LORD. In fact, this power is what God uses to draw us to His Son, Jesus. Otherwise, we could not come to Him.
The major application of God's everlasting love is in the Spiritual lives of His children. We have already mentioned the time up to the Spiritual birth of the child of God. It is the period from needing the sincere milk of the word to the time he or she is called home to Glory.
Early Spiritual life
There are so many lessons that need to be learned by newly Spiritual children. This especially includes diligence, valor (excellence), knowledge, temperance (self discipline), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Obviously, for a young child, this is going to take years. For physically older ones, This needs to be done in a shorter period of time. And yet, these areas will need to be revisited throughout one's life time. Specifically, diligence is needed to be a habit before one can add valor their faith. The rest of the list need to be added in succession. (These are found in 2 Peter 1:5-7).
Another source of things to learn are found in Proverbs. There the emphasis is on getting knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. There are others mentioned there as well: prudent and discretion for example. There is strong emphasis on obtaining wisdom and understanding. These are needed to direct one's lifestyle.
Years ago, I had a bad attitude toward others. (This was despite my having read the Bible through more than 30 times. You see, all of this reading was not having any visible effects on that attitude.) In His loving kindness, God changed that in what I would call a pleasant way. He used someone against whom I had hated. Perhaps this might not be a strong enough emotion.
She contacted me out of the blue insisting that she needed to meet with me. Given some of things she had done, my flesh immediately wanted to have anything to do with her. She could not be trusted. And yet I knew that I had to agree. When we did, she apologized for all the things she had done even going further in doing so for some of her actions that had done harm.
What should I do? Every reason in the world would point to the need to refuse to accept it! This is when the influence of my Bible reading came to the for front. Regardless of what reason I had for refusing her, it made my conscious mind well aware of why I had to forgive it all. This was so strong that it drowned out all other thought: I had to forgive!
Then as we continued to talk, another thought came to my mind. One week I had completed my autobiography which included some of her actions. Somehow, and I did not yet know how, the things I had written about her had to be changed. (Again, this came from the influence from my Bible reading.)
Since she had mentioned some of her bad actions were not deliberate, I asked if she would like to know what I had written about her. She said, “Yes.” So, this led to an email correspondence resulting in these written events being rewritten.
With the discussion of what would be written about her, talk of the compete biography size cam up since I was thinking of publishing it. At 135,000, it was too large for one book. (It got broken down into three books. This led to my rereading what I had written. Within the first three paragraphs, I saw the same pattern of angry, hate, grudges, etc. about someone else. Here come in influence from my Bible studies: this had to be rewritten as well. It was not long before I knew that the who project needed this as well! My attitude toward others had to change: I had no choice in the matter. God taught this, and I had to obey Him!
How hard was this? It was quite easy. But then again, without knowing it, I was using the power of God to overcome my flesh. But does this mean I never become angry about things that others do? No, I have notice that once in a while I have fallen back to doing that. However, I have also come to realize this and again do something about it But what is the key to doing this? It is always the reasons I have for being angry. I have learned that when the reasons have changed, the anger goes away.
Jesus had every reason for being angry with the Sadducees and Pharisees. Yet on the cross, He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” These were the very people who should have known, but that did not mean anything. They flat did not know! We would do well to wonder how often people do things when they do not know what they are doing.
And furthermore, we also have this admonition from Ephesians chapter 4: 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
I add that reading from the beginning of this chapter will point out things that we should be doing in our relationships with other people and with God.
As I look back at this lesson that changed my life so completely, I see the influence of the Scriptures I have read, the power of God, the armor He has provided me, and the everlasting loved of God drawing me closer to me. Life has been amazing, truly amazing!
What about the experiences of others? Remember Saul of Tarsus? As he headed toward Damascus, he deserved to be be destroyed by Jesus for the horrors inflicted upon God's children. Yet, God's loving kindness had a different lifestyle in mind, and drew him into it. We are all far better off because of this.
The cripple that lay at the gate called Beautiful could have survived with some money from Peter. But God's loving kindness drew Peter to provide him with what he needed to have a far better life. There are so many examples in the Scriptures of the drawing power of God’s loving kindness just as there are of personal experiences that make wonderful memories.
Yet, the first verse of chapter of 31 is, 1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 2 Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
What is God saying to Israel? You are going to greatly suffer for your disobedience: this is a given. Yet, in all of this horror, I will be with you. Even though I will put you behind my back, I still care for you. Or, as it states in Jer 4:27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. This was earlier stated at the end of the book of Leviticus. Here are a couple of verses that affirm this. 44 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.
With this background, I want to concentrate on many ways in which God has drawn us to Himself. Before the world began is a good place to begin. this is the "first" time that it has been used. Ephesians chapter 1 teaches what this is, 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
So far there a lot of quotes from the Bible concerning this drawing power of God. Before He created the universe, He determined our destiny as well as what it would be like: we are going to live with God when this life on earth is over. He set everything into motion that would make this happen. Then through time, each of these were accomplished at the time He had set before the beginning.
One of these involves the Holy Spirit. It is He that places the Spirit of Christ in our souls, quickening us into Spiritual life. At this time we have the laws of God written in our hearts and minds. This verifies that we are in the new covenant described in Jeremiah 31:31-34. It is later described in Hebrews 8:10,11. Why does all of this happen? It is because of God's great love that He does all the things that He accomplishes for us. This love drives His purposes and His determination to do all of His good pleasure.
At this point we are only babes in Christ in need of Spiritual nourishment from the sincere milk of the word so we can grow thereby. It is as this point that we can only begin to respond to the drawing of the loving kindness of the LORD. In fact, this power is what God uses to draw us to His Son, Jesus. Otherwise, we could not come to Him.
The major application of God's everlasting love is in the Spiritual lives of His children. We have already mentioned the time up to the Spiritual birth of the child of God. It is the period from needing the sincere milk of the word to the time he or she is called home to Glory.
Early Spiritual life
There are so many lessons that need to be learned by newly Spiritual children. This especially includes diligence, valor (excellence), knowledge, temperance (self discipline), patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. Obviously, for a young child, this is going to take years. For physically older ones, This needs to be done in a shorter period of time. And yet, these areas will need to be revisited throughout one's life time. Specifically, diligence is needed to be a habit before one can add valor their faith. The rest of the list need to be added in succession. (These are found in 2 Peter 1:5-7).
Another source of things to learn are found in Proverbs. There the emphasis is on getting knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. There are others mentioned there as well: prudent and discretion for example. There is strong emphasis on obtaining wisdom and understanding. These are needed to direct one's lifestyle.
Years ago, I had a bad attitude toward others. (This was despite my having read the Bible through more than 30 times. You see, all of this reading was not having any visible effects on that attitude.) In His loving kindness, God changed that in what I would call a pleasant way. He used someone against whom I had hated. Perhaps this might not be a strong enough emotion.
She contacted me out of the blue insisting that she needed to meet with me. Given some of things she had done, my flesh immediately wanted to have anything to do with her. She could not be trusted. And yet I knew that I had to agree. When we did, she apologized for all the things she had done even going further in doing so for some of her actions that had done harm.
What should I do? Every reason in the world would point to the need to refuse to accept it! This is when the influence of my Bible reading came to the for front. Regardless of what reason I had for refusing her, it made my conscious mind well aware of why I had to forgive it all. This was so strong that it drowned out all other thought: I had to forgive!
Then as we continued to talk, another thought came to my mind. One week I had completed my autobiography which included some of her actions. Somehow, and I did not yet know how, the things I had written about her had to be changed. (Again, this came from the influence from my Bible reading.)
Since she had mentioned some of her bad actions were not deliberate, I asked if she would like to know what I had written about her. She said, “Yes.” So, this led to an email correspondence resulting in these written events being rewritten.
With the discussion of what would be written about her, talk of the compete biography size cam up since I was thinking of publishing it. At 135,000, it was too large for one book. (It got broken down into three books. This led to my rereading what I had written. Within the first three paragraphs, I saw the same pattern of angry, hate, grudges, etc. about someone else. Here come in influence from my Bible studies: this had to be rewritten as well. It was not long before I knew that the who project needed this as well! My attitude toward others had to change: I had no choice in the matter. God taught this, and I had to obey Him!
How hard was this? It was quite easy. But then again, without knowing it, I was using the power of God to overcome my flesh. But does this mean I never become angry about things that others do? No, I have notice that once in a while I have fallen back to doing that. However, I have also come to realize this and again do something about it But what is the key to doing this? It is always the reasons I have for being angry. I have learned that when the reasons have changed, the anger goes away.
Jesus had every reason for being angry with the Sadducees and Pharisees. Yet on the cross, He prayed, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” These were the very people who should have known, but that did not mean anything. They flat did not know! We would do well to wonder how often people do things when they do not know what they are doing.
And furthermore, we also have this admonition from Ephesians chapter 4: 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
I add that reading from the beginning of this chapter will point out things that we should be doing in our relationships with other people and with God.
As I look back at this lesson that changed my life so completely, I see the influence of the Scriptures I have read, the power of God, the armor He has provided me, and the everlasting loved of God drawing me closer to me. Life has been amazing, truly amazing!
What about the experiences of others? Remember Saul of Tarsus? As he headed toward Damascus, he deserved to be be destroyed by Jesus for the horrors inflicted upon God's children. Yet, God's loving kindness had a different lifestyle in mind, and drew him into it. We are all far better off because of this.
The cripple that lay at the gate called Beautiful could have survived with some money from Peter. But God's loving kindness drew Peter to provide him with what he needed to have a far better life. There are so many examples in the Scriptures of the drawing power of God’s loving kindness just as there are of personal experiences that make wonderful memories.
Patience: Moses a study
Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
1. Introduction:
How Moses was able to do everything during those 40 years In the wilderness that he did? Obviously, God played a very
important part in directing and instructing him. God also providing him with the abilities needed when faced with all of the
incidents he faced.
Patience was one of them; there are so many more of them. So why am I just considering Patience? If I were to write an
article like this, why not use Job as my example? (Job was and is known for his patience.)
The length of time for which Job let patience have its perfect work was in terms of days or perhaps even weeks. This much
time can truly be a long time. Now consider Moses. His trials began shortly after he returned to Egypt and continued until the
day he died a little more than 40 years later. Seemingly, there was always someone finding fault, and he was the one who had
caused it. Sometimes it was the whole congregation. They were stubborn and set in their ways. Yes, he always had the need
for patience!
God gives us the ability to be patient: it is our responsibility to first learn how to use it and second apply it when the time
comes. The same is also true for the other assets I have referred to but not named specifically. These were especially
important for for his development during the first 40 years of Moses’ life. Because of their importance in his how he acted in
the last 40 years, they will be mentioned along with patience as we study his life.
What is my purpose in writing this? Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. And, this learning includes practice in applying what
is learned. I desire that those who read this article will also use what is written to apply the lessons taught for their own
betterment. Our well being depends upon it.
To age 3 months
A baby was conceived in troubled times in Egypt. The decree had already gone out that every male Hebrew baby that was
born must be killed. Would its parents be able to keep and raise this baby without fear of having it killed? They did not know
yet. But we do now as did God even before its conception.
He knew everything about this baby including what it would need throughout its life. He loved this individual and would
protect him, guide him.
Perhaps there was a certain amount of worry about the sex of this baby as the delivery date began coming closer. I
wonder how much this increased as Moses made his appearance. This was a boy! His life was in mortal danger.
Yet the parents were very determined to hide him from others especially from the Egyptians who seek to kill him. Perhaps
they were not even aware of the everlasting kindness of God which guided them in their actions during this period of time,
but it was there. It also even had effect on the behavior of Moses as a baby. This was to limit the length and loudness of his
crying so that it would not be heard for very far. So in essence, this helped in the hiding of him from his enemies.
Then again, this kindness had an effect upon those Egyptians who could and would have killed him because they might
come close to their home. None of them were seen near the home where Moses was staying that we know of. Even if they did,
they did not report or do anything else about it.
But what the parents were doing hiding him could not continue until Moses was grown: it was only temporary at best.
Beside, the task of hiding him was becoming harder each day that past. At three month, they tried something else: build an
ark of bulrushes, water proofed it as well as possible, place him in it, and placed it in the river. Miriam, their daughter, was left
to see what would happen, and then they left. Secretly, they hoped someone would find it, take him, and protect him. Perhaps,
there was also the fear that someone might kill him just because he was a Hebrew baby.
Another fear that may have been in the back of their minds was that had someone discovered Moses in their home, he
might be killed and the lives of the whole family might be in jeopardy. This action certainly made that possibility much less
likely.
3 months to beginning of education
God’s loving kindness was still at work. No water was allowed to seep into this ark, nor was Moses in it for a very long period
of time. His loving kindness had guided a specific princess and her hand maids to this very spot. So, this baby who had been
rather quiet for 3 month, cried louder than he ever had before. The princess heard him and had compassion upon him even
before she saw him. (God had made sure of this.) And so one or more hand maids went onto the river to where the ark was
floating, and brought it to the shore.
When they opened it, they witnessed a Hebrew baby crying. Now, they knew the decree about Hebrew babies, and yet no
one took it and threw it into the river where it would be drown if not first be eaten by a crocodile. Instead, they brought the
baby to the princess. Her care for him increased as she took him in her arms. So did the care of her hand maids. They were
much involved in the care of this baby from the time Moses was weaned until he was fully grown. Never during this time did
any one of them reveal the nationality of Moses. (God was still at work.)
And then the thoughts of these women interrupted by Miriam. It concerned a problem that they had not yet thought about.
This baby they were holding was still very young that required breast milk. So her question helped them realize this. It also
gave them them an answer. “Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?“
Problem solved. This made perfect sense to the princess, and she agreed. So she and her hand maids met Moses’ mother
(whether they realized this or not). There an agreement was made as to what the mother would receive in payment for
keeping him until he was weaned. Thereafter, he was to be given the princess as her son.
So this solved the problem of how could Moses be hid so that he would not be killed. He was now the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, not as a Hebrew: he was protected from the decree of her father. (God had used the court of Pharaoh, himself, to
protect Moses.)
How long would it be until the time when Moses could be weaned. Today this could be between six and twelve months, and
perhaps it is longer. History tells of earlier times that a child was not weaned for a few years. Considering the care, the love
that this princess had for Moses, I believe that she visited him from time to time. She became a small part in his life during
that time.
If it were in fact a few years, his mother had this time to begin his training in many different things, the basics. How much of
this included speaking of God? While the memories of this period gets lost as an individual continues to grow physically,
mentally, and emotionally, they still have an effect upon the actions of that person throughout life.
Finally, the time for her to take him with her to her home arrived. Now he was physically hers and under her control: she was
now his mother in every way except biologically.
Here is a thought: she had been picked by God for the purpose of giving Moses the education he needed. Mary and Joseph
were chosen by Him for the care they would provide Jesus. I’m also thinking that Elizabeth was also chosen in the rearing of
John the Baptist.
Whether true or not, this princess had a lasting effect upon Moses. This was a lady who had a mind of her own. It seems that
in those days, the girls of a ruler of a country were raised to become wives of other rulers. Yet, when suddenly the opportunity
presented itself, she adopted a baby boy as her family. Seems like she had different ideas from the traditions of the past. It did
not matter to her that this boy was suppose to be killed at birth. Not only did she rebel against this decree, but she made sure
that he received the training to become part of Pharaoh’s government! He had to have the opportunity to excel in this in her
thinking.
Finding Moses in that ark was unexpected. So was her desire to make him her son. (Since she was the daughter of Pharaoh,
no one was allowed to refuse her requests!) It was likely after she had met Moses’ biologically mother that she had suddenly
greatly desired took root.
Probably soon after leaving Moses with his mother for the first time until he was weaned, she began planning their future
together. There was a lot of learning to do on her part. I’m thinking she visited her and Moses at times. Was there
conversations between the two of them? Did she seek advice from her own mother or others that she knew? And yes, God had
a way which He used to give her guidance as well.
What I don’t know but think is likely is that the training she received as she grew up was what she needed to begin to raise
Moses. Perhaps it covered more areas than I can imagine. God had made sure she had what she needed.
Questions:
Here is a hard question: Moses was a special person with expectation (of God) concerning his life. Are we special to Him? Do
we see the handy work of God in our lives? List an ability that God gave us and the event that led to the development of that
ability.
Period of education
Post schooling to age 40
Age 40 to 80
Moses learning of his heritage
Attempt at leadership
Fleeing Egypt
Settling down
Age 80 to Death
Mt. Sinai
Heading to Egypt
Moses & wife
Moses and Aaron
Meeting with the elders of Israel
Meetings with Pharaoh
First time
Second time
Third time
Fourth time
Fifth time
Sixth time
Seventh time
Eight time
Ninth time
Tenth time
Passover
Forced to leave Egypt
40 years in the wilderness
How Moses was able to do everything during those 40 years In the wilderness that he did? Obviously, God played a very
important part in directing and instructing him. God also providing him with the abilities needed when faced with all of the
incidents he faced.
Patience was one of them; there are so many more of them. So why am I just considering Patience? If I were to write an
article like this, why not use Job as my example? (Job was and is known for his patience.)
The length of time for which Job let patience have its perfect work was in terms of days or perhaps even weeks. This much
time can truly be a long time. Now consider Moses. His trials began shortly after he returned to Egypt and continued until the
day he died a little more than 40 years later. Seemingly, there was always someone finding fault, and he was the one who had
caused it. Sometimes it was the whole congregation. They were stubborn and set in their ways. Yes, he always had the need
for patience!
God gives us the ability to be patient: it is our responsibility to first learn how to use it and second apply it when the time
comes. The same is also true for the other assets I have referred to but not named specifically. These were especially
important for for his development during the first 40 years of Moses’ life. Because of their importance in his how he acted in
the last 40 years, they will be mentioned along with patience as we study his life.
What is my purpose in writing this? Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. And, this learning includes practice in applying what
is learned. I desire that those who read this article will also use what is written to apply the lessons taught for their own
betterment. Our well being depends upon it.
- Birth to age 40
To age 3 months
A baby was conceived in troubled times in Egypt. The decree had already gone out that every male Hebrew baby that was
born must be killed. Would its parents be able to keep and raise this baby without fear of having it killed? They did not know
yet. But we do now as did God even before its conception.
He knew everything about this baby including what it would need throughout its life. He loved this individual and would
protect him, guide him.
Perhaps there was a certain amount of worry about the sex of this baby as the delivery date began coming closer. I
wonder how much this increased as Moses made his appearance. This was a boy! His life was in mortal danger.
Yet the parents were very determined to hide him from others especially from the Egyptians who seek to kill him. Perhaps
they were not even aware of the everlasting kindness of God which guided them in their actions during this period of time,
but it was there. It also even had effect on the behavior of Moses as a baby. This was to limit the length and loudness of his
crying so that it would not be heard for very far. So in essence, this helped in the hiding of him from his enemies.
Then again, this kindness had an effect upon those Egyptians who could and would have killed him because they might
come close to their home. None of them were seen near the home where Moses was staying that we know of. Even if they did,
they did not report or do anything else about it.
But what the parents were doing hiding him could not continue until Moses was grown: it was only temporary at best.
Beside, the task of hiding him was becoming harder each day that past. At three month, they tried something else: build an
ark of bulrushes, water proofed it as well as possible, place him in it, and placed it in the river. Miriam, their daughter, was left
to see what would happen, and then they left. Secretly, they hoped someone would find it, take him, and protect him. Perhaps,
there was also the fear that someone might kill him just because he was a Hebrew baby.
Another fear that may have been in the back of their minds was that had someone discovered Moses in their home, he
might be killed and the lives of the whole family might be in jeopardy. This action certainly made that possibility much less
likely.
3 months to beginning of education
God’s loving kindness was still at work. No water was allowed to seep into this ark, nor was Moses in it for a very long period
of time. His loving kindness had guided a specific princess and her hand maids to this very spot. So, this baby who had been
rather quiet for 3 month, cried louder than he ever had before. The princess heard him and had compassion upon him even
before she saw him. (God had made sure of this.) And so one or more hand maids went onto the river to where the ark was
floating, and brought it to the shore.
When they opened it, they witnessed a Hebrew baby crying. Now, they knew the decree about Hebrew babies, and yet no
one took it and threw it into the river where it would be drown if not first be eaten by a crocodile. Instead, they brought the
baby to the princess. Her care for him increased as she took him in her arms. So did the care of her hand maids. They were
much involved in the care of this baby from the time Moses was weaned until he was fully grown. Never during this time did
any one of them reveal the nationality of Moses. (God was still at work.)
And then the thoughts of these women interrupted by Miriam. It concerned a problem that they had not yet thought about.
This baby they were holding was still very young that required breast milk. So her question helped them realize this. It also
gave them them an answer. “Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?“
Problem solved. This made perfect sense to the princess, and she agreed. So she and her hand maids met Moses’ mother
(whether they realized this or not). There an agreement was made as to what the mother would receive in payment for
keeping him until he was weaned. Thereafter, he was to be given the princess as her son.
So this solved the problem of how could Moses be hid so that he would not be killed. He was now the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter, not as a Hebrew: he was protected from the decree of her father. (God had used the court of Pharaoh, himself, to
protect Moses.)
How long would it be until the time when Moses could be weaned. Today this could be between six and twelve months, and
perhaps it is longer. History tells of earlier times that a child was not weaned for a few years. Considering the care, the love
that this princess had for Moses, I believe that she visited him from time to time. She became a small part in his life during
that time.
If it were in fact a few years, his mother had this time to begin his training in many different things, the basics. How much of
this included speaking of God? While the memories of this period gets lost as an individual continues to grow physically,
mentally, and emotionally, they still have an effect upon the actions of that person throughout life.
Finally, the time for her to take him with her to her home arrived. Now he was physically hers and under her control: she was
now his mother in every way except biologically.
Here is a thought: she had been picked by God for the purpose of giving Moses the education he needed. Mary and Joseph
were chosen by Him for the care they would provide Jesus. I’m also thinking that Elizabeth was also chosen in the rearing of
John the Baptist.
Whether true or not, this princess had a lasting effect upon Moses. This was a lady who had a mind of her own. It seems that
in those days, the girls of a ruler of a country were raised to become wives of other rulers. Yet, when suddenly the opportunity
presented itself, she adopted a baby boy as her family. Seems like she had different ideas from the traditions of the past. It did
not matter to her that this boy was suppose to be killed at birth. Not only did she rebel against this decree, but she made sure
that he received the training to become part of Pharaoh’s government! He had to have the opportunity to excel in this in her
thinking.
Finding Moses in that ark was unexpected. So was her desire to make him her son. (Since she was the daughter of Pharaoh,
no one was allowed to refuse her requests!) It was likely after she had met Moses’ biologically mother that she had suddenly
greatly desired took root.
Probably soon after leaving Moses with his mother for the first time until he was weaned, she began planning their future
together. There was a lot of learning to do on her part. I’m thinking she visited her and Moses at times. Was there
conversations between the two of them? Did she seek advice from her own mother or others that she knew? And yes, God had
a way which He used to give her guidance as well.
What I don’t know but think is likely is that the training she received as she grew up was what she needed to begin to raise
Moses. Perhaps it covered more areas than I can imagine. God had made sure she had what she needed.
Questions:
Here is a hard question: Moses was a special person with expectation (of God) concerning his life. Are we special to Him? Do
we see the handy work of God in our lives? List an ability that God gave us and the event that led to the development of that
ability.
Period of education
Post schooling to age 40
Age 40 to 80
Moses learning of his heritage
Attempt at leadership
Fleeing Egypt
Settling down
Age 80 to Death
Mt. Sinai
Heading to Egypt
Moses & wife
Moses and Aaron
Meeting with the elders of Israel
Meetings with Pharaoh
First time
Second time
Third time
Fourth time
Fifth time
Sixth time
Seventh time
Eight time
Ninth time
Tenth time
Passover
Forced to leave Egypt
40 years in the wilderness