Exodus 2:1–10 (ESV)

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 river bank. 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.”

Notice how much this story sounds like the Holocaust. “When she could hide him no longer …” From whom, the Gestapo? No, from every single Egyptian—who had been ordered to cast every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile. And, obviously, they were obeying that order.

But for what? Why did the Pharaoh order this?

Like the Holocaust, this was “reasonless.” Pharaoh’s paranoid delusions lay at the heart of this wickedness. He was worried that in the event of war, the Hebrews might join our enemies and fight against us. (Exodus 1:11) The Hebrews had never done anything to justify that fear.

This is an incredibly depressing situation for the Hebrews. Where is God’s blessing? Where is God’s promise? Where is God?

Of course we know how this ends, so we know where God, His promise, and His blessing are. Everything’s right on track. Pharaoh’s daughter adopting Moses is a sign of that.

But think about how you would feel if you were right in the middle of this nightmare and couldn’t see how it’s going to play out.

That’s how life works for God’s people.

The key to getting through tough times like these is to trust God, really trust Him. You can’t just want to trust Him. Trust takes time—not simply time being alive, but time with Him. That’s why daily devotions like this one are a good idea. These messages are written to draw you closer to God.

But if you just read these devotions and don’t spend some time in quiet prayer, you’re missing out. Pursue a closer and more challenging relationship. That’s one of the main themes of Exodus.

To forward this devotional, see the link in green below.

These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.