Ep. 23. Exodus 1-2 | The Birth of Moses

EPISODE 23

THE BIRTH OF MOSES: EXODUS 1-2

I always find it helpful to understand the timeline when reading the Bible. The Israelites lived in Egypt for 430 years to the day. (We will get to that in Exodus chapter 12, so you'll have to take my word for it right now) We know and remember that Jacob was 130 when he moved to Egypt and lived there seventeen years before he died. We also know (or will shortly) that Moses was eighty when he led the people out of Egypt. That means between the death of Jacob in Genesis 50 and the birth of Moses in Exodus 2, 333 years pass.

Left to the records of Exodus, we find the story of Moses to be lacking in essential clarifying details. Here are the basics we're offered: Moses, though a Hebrew, grew up as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. One day, he witnessed a Hebrew slave being beaten by an Egyptian and, making sure he was not being watched, killed the Egyptian. The next day, Moses came across two Hebrew men fighting and went to separate them. One said, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" Moses, fearful for his life and the wrath of Pharoah, fled the land of Egypt. It is only five verses of the text. (And it leaves out significant pieces.)

We get a more complete picture when we read Acts 7 and Hebrews 11, along with Exodus 2. Moses had been instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was "mighty in his words and deeds." When he was about 40 years old, Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah's daughter any longer. Instead, he endured the same hardship and wicked treatment the rest of the Hebrew people received at the hands of the Egyptians. He made this choice because he determined being reproached for the sake of Christ (the anointed one) was worth far more than the treasures of Egypt. So, not only did he have a view of the promised redeemer, but he forsook Egyptian luxury for the sake and glory of Christ. He submitted himself to slavery with the rest of God's people. It would have been at this time when he killed the Egyptian. But he only did so because "He supposed his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand." So then, Moses knew God sent him to be the deliverer for the people of Egypt forty years before the burning bush.

Only when we take all of these texts together, do we get a complete and accurate picture of the story of Moses that is reduced to five verses in Exodus. I'm sure this changes your view of Moses as it did for me when I tied these pieces together in my Bible reading, but I wonder why these things weren't taught to me when my teachers taught me about Moses. I can only hope that as we continue to study the Scripture, we will see more and more each day how beautifully rich it is and that when we have the opportunity to teach these things, we will do so carefully.

ADDITIONAL READING: Genesis 15:13-16; Acts 7:17-48 (especially 17-29); Hebrews 11:23-29