Saved by Water

 

Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 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 riverbank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:1-10 ESV).

 

In our reading today, God’s people Israel (the Hebrews) were living in Egypt, and they had been slaves there for generations. Their people had flourished after coming to live there in the time of Joseph (cf. Exodus 1), but later a new king, driven by fear that Israel would grow too big and powerful, forced them into slavery. The king, Pharaoh, even tried to kill Israel’s baby boys by having them thrown into the Nile River. Because of Egypt’s beastly brutality, some Old Testament writers called the Egyptian empire “Rahab,” the name of a mythical monster that symbolized the sea and its chaos (cf. Psalm 89:10; Isaiah 30:7; 51:9-10).

 

There is great irony here that God’s rescue of his people begins with water. A Hebrew mother hides her baby boy in a basket and sets it among the reeds along the Nile River. The Hebrew word for “basket” can also mean “ark.” Then the daughter of Pharaoh finds this baby and decides to raise him as her son. She names him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” And later Moses becomes the leader God uses to confront Pharaoh and to lead Israel out of slavery (cf. Exodus 3-12). So, God rescues his people from the monster Rahab (Egypt). And the water, which could have been deadly, turns out to be a passageway to deliverance by God’s hand. It is not water that saves us today. It is the blood of Jesus. However, the final proof of His death was the pouring out of water when He was pierced with the Roman guard’s spear. Do you see how plainly God makes His message to us? He will save us, even when it means the greatest of sacrifices. All of this is founded in His love. Take heart in whatever circumstance you find yourself. God is redeeming you!