Chapter 1: Remembering from Genesis that Joseph had his entire family moved to Egypt, fast forward about 400 years...
Egypt is now one of the greatest military and cultural powers in the world! The Israelites have grown to such a staggering number of people that they outnumber the Egyptians greatly and are also powerful themselves, hence at some point a Pharaoh decreed that they are to be the Egyptian's slaves. They put brutal slave drivers over them hoping to crush them down from extremely hard labor. This not only did not work, the Israelites actually thrived more!
So the Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew (aka Israelite) midwives who delivered the babies to kill all male babies born. But the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh so this did not happen. Pharaoh then ordered his people that if they saw or heard a Hebrew baby, to throw it into the Nile River, unless it was a girl.
Chapter 2: The birth of Moses! From the tribe of Levi, a young married couple had a baby boy (their older child was a daughter). The woman saw the child was special and hid him for 3 months, but when she couldn't hide him any longer, she got a basket and made it water proof, put the baby in the basket and laid it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby's sister stood at a distance to watch what would happen to him.
Soon, Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe in the river and as she and her attendants walked along the river bank they saw the basket and found the baby. When the princess saw the baby she realized right away it was a Hebrew baby boy (knowing her father's command). The baby began to cry and she immediately felt sorry for him. She decided to keep the baby as her own son, and raise him as such. When the baby's sister saw this tenderness towards her baby brother, she approached the princess and let her know she knew of a Hebrew woman who would nurse the baby, and the princess agreed and also paid the family to do this. The princess named him Moses, which literally means "to draw out of the water".
Fast Forward to Moses as a young man: Moses went to visit his own people, the Hebrews (aka the Israelites), and saw how hard they were being forced to work. He came upon an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews, and after looking around to see if anyone was watching, he killed him and hid the body in the sand. The next day when Moses again went out to visit his people, he saw two Hebrew men fighting and he asked them why they were fighting. One of the men replied, what do you care or are you going to kill me like you did the Egyptian? Moses became very afraid and thought, if they know, Pharaoh will find out eventually and kill me! And soon enough Pharaoh did try to kill Moses, but Moses fled before he could and ran to the land of Midian.
When Moses got to Midian, he sat beside a well for some water and rest, and saw how some shepherds were bullying the daughters of the priest of Midian, to get to the well before them to water their flocks. Moses jumped up and rescued the daughters and then even drew water for them for their flocks! When the ladies got back home and told their father all this, saying an Egyptian had rescued them and even watered their flocks, the father wanted to meet this brave man, and invited Moses to their home for dinner.
Moses settled there with the family and eventually married one of his daughters, Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, Gershom. Years passed and the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites continued to groan under the burden of slavery. They cried out to God for help, and God heard them, and knew it was the perfect time to act to help His people. (God's timing is always perfect!)
Egypt is now one of the greatest military and cultural powers in the world! The Israelites have grown to such a staggering number of people that they outnumber the Egyptians greatly and are also powerful themselves, hence at some point a Pharaoh decreed that they are to be the Egyptian's slaves. They put brutal slave drivers over them hoping to crush them down from extremely hard labor. This not only did not work, the Israelites actually thrived more!
So the Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew (aka Israelite) midwives who delivered the babies to kill all male babies born. But the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh so this did not happen. Pharaoh then ordered his people that if they saw or heard a Hebrew baby, to throw it into the Nile River, unless it was a girl.
Chapter 2: The birth of Moses! From the tribe of Levi, a young married couple had a baby boy (their older child was a daughter). The woman saw the child was special and hid him for 3 months, but when she couldn't hide him any longer, she got a basket and made it water proof, put the baby in the basket and laid it in the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby's sister stood at a distance to watch what would happen to him.
Soon, Pharaoh's daughter came to bathe in the river and as she and her attendants walked along the river bank they saw the basket and found the baby. When the princess saw the baby she realized right away it was a Hebrew baby boy (knowing her father's command). The baby began to cry and she immediately felt sorry for him. She decided to keep the baby as her own son, and raise him as such. When the baby's sister saw this tenderness towards her baby brother, she approached the princess and let her know she knew of a Hebrew woman who would nurse the baby, and the princess agreed and also paid the family to do this. The princess named him Moses, which literally means "to draw out of the water".
Fast Forward to Moses as a young man: Moses went to visit his own people, the Hebrews (aka the Israelites), and saw how hard they were being forced to work. He came upon an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews, and after looking around to see if anyone was watching, he killed him and hid the body in the sand. The next day when Moses again went out to visit his people, he saw two Hebrew men fighting and he asked them why they were fighting. One of the men replied, what do you care or are you going to kill me like you did the Egyptian? Moses became very afraid and thought, if they know, Pharaoh will find out eventually and kill me! And soon enough Pharaoh did try to kill Moses, but Moses fled before he could and ran to the land of Midian.
When Moses got to Midian, he sat beside a well for some water and rest, and saw how some shepherds were bullying the daughters of the priest of Midian, to get to the well before them to water their flocks. Moses jumped up and rescued the daughters and then even drew water for them for their flocks! When the ladies got back home and told their father all this, saying an Egyptian had rescued them and even watered their flocks, the father wanted to meet this brave man, and invited Moses to their home for dinner.
Moses settled there with the family and eventually married one of his daughters, Zipporah. She gave birth to a son, Gershom. Years passed and the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites continued to groan under the burden of slavery. They cried out to God for help, and God heard them, and knew it was the perfect time to act to help His people. (God's timing is always perfect!)