Originally published Friday, 09 October 2015.
When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. Exodus 2:2-4
I read and reread these words, comparing them with the accounts of Moses in Acts 7:20 and Hebrews 11:23. Why does this account of baby Moses include so much about his mom and her actions, in contrast to the other accounts in the New Testament?
At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God's sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father's house, and when he was exposed, Pharaoh's daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. Acts 7:20-21
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. Hebrews 11:12
To continue the contrast, in Exodus the father of Moses is barely mentioned, and apparently he didn't name his son, as would've been customary upon birth; Moses is given his name later after Pharaoh's daughter finds him. Why? I don't know.
But, what do know is this: Moses wrote Exodus.
Moses, her son, wrote Exodus and included her, his mom.
I let that truth settle for awhile before continuing to research. Why? Because my mama heart needed to picture this grown son tenderly telling his story under God's inspiration, remembering the sacrifice and love of his birth mom who saved his life. Her love mattered.
Maybe this is a story Moses heard often in his early years with her, a story he grew to cherish.
God saw it fit to remember the beauty of this mom's devotion and sacrifice here. She may have been nameless in Exodus and all but excluded in other accounts, but in God's great plan, she fulfilled a shining destiny. Her love didn't go unnoticed by God or by her boy, Moses.
Because God raises up the unlikely and transforms the average with His anointing.
Friends, there is purpose in the callings that seem near invisible - being a mom, a dad, an employee, a student. We are not without a name or a destiny in His great plan. Our actions may not make the record books, and our names may not be recalled easily in a couple generations, but if the obedience and love of a nameless woman who "conceived and bore a son" (Exodus 2:2) can be magnified for God's glory, we can be assured that the same God delights in the care and sacrifice we pour out each day.
God sees, and our everyday lives matter because God is working His greater purpose through our obedience.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for glorifying Yourself through the mom of Moses. Thank you for routinely magnifying Your great purpose through the most unlikely, seemingly insignificant vessels. Lord, may You do that through us. We're just average people, seeking Your face, learning Your words, praising Your name - but may we step into the greater purpose You have for our lives. Reveal it, Lord, and help us to respond with obedience in every little area. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
31 Days of Purpose: Devotions from the early life of Moses
From a boat-basket to a burning bush, Moses’ call to leadership is filled with everyday people and situations, all divinely orchestrated for God's divine purpose. As we study the early years of Moses, we see a consistent theme of God raising up the unlikely and transforming the average with His anointing. That's me, and that's you - common people, yet commissioned for a high calling. Let's step into it this month, together. Click here for the whole series.
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