Moses’ mother put him in a basket and pushed him out into the Nile River. Even under the dire circumstances in which she found herself, it seems unfathomable for a mother to do this. But it was all God’s plan, and Moses was going to become God’s man.

“Now Pharaoh’s daughter, the Egyptian princess, came down to bathe in the river while her servant girls walked along the riverside. Suddenly, she noticed a basket floating among the reeds, so she sent one of her servants to get it. She opened the lid of the basket, and inside was a little baby boy who was crying. Overcome with pity for him, she said, ‘This must be one of the little Hebrews.’ Just then, the child’s sister approached Pharaoh’s daughter and said, ‘Do you want me to go find you a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?’ ‘Yes,’ said Pharaoh’s daughter. So the girl went and called the child’s own mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child with you and nurse him for me. I will pay you myself to care for him.’ So the woman took the child away and nursed him.”

Exodus 2:5–9 TPT

God knew that Pharaoh’s daughter would rescue young Moses. The daughter of the very man who wanted Moses dead delivered the deliverer. What a God we have! How sovereign and powerful! God takes care of the outcasts and those whom the Enemy seeks to destroy. He will be the “shelter” for the fugitives (Isaiah 16:4). The Lord of love will embrace those whom others abandoned.

“My father and mother abandoned me. But you, YAHWEH, took me in and made me yours.”

Psalm 27:10 TPT

Moses’ mother coated the basket with tar and pitch to keep out the waters of death. This was the same substance that Noah also used to coat his ark. This is a picture of the blood of Christ, the blood of the atonement. The sacred blood of Jesus coats our spirits and frees us from the power of death. We were once all drowning in our sins when heaven’s mercy coated our souls with the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ.

Beloved, you are no ordinary child. You are Christ’s beloved one. Like Pharaoh’s daughter did for Moses, Jesus has come to draw you out of many waters and adopt you as his child. Mercy makes you his. He carries you over many dark waters, draws you out, and takes you into his heart.

The Princess of Egypt

There he went, a precious little baby floating away in a basket until it rested in the reeds, much like Noah’s ark rested on a mountain. Moses’ basket rested near the bank of the river where the princess bathed. Watching nearby was the baby’s older sister, Miriam. What happened next, some people may see as fate, but we know that it was God. He directed the Princess of Egypt to find the basket. What a moment it must have been when she saw baby Moses in a tar-coated basket in the Nile! Can you imagine it? As she opened the basket, baby Moses cried. And the heart of the princess was moved as she saw him. She knew it was a Hebrew child and that he was probably hungry, perhaps even cold. What if one of the crocodiles had come by? Never did a baby’s cry do so much for the purposes of heaven. And so the plan of God unfolded.

Miriam, Moses’ sister, was nearby watching the scene unfold and took her cue. She approached the daughter of Pharaoh and asked if she needed help. The princess asked Miriam if she could find a Hebrew woman who would nurse this baby. Guess who the Hebrew woman would be? None other than Moses’ mother! What a plan, what a miracle! God, you are good! Who else could have ever orchestrated a better plan?

The princess instructed Moses’ mother, Jochebed:

“Take this child with you and nurse him for me. I will pay you myself to care for him”.

Exodus 2:9

Did you hear that? The Egyptian princess unknowingly agreed to pay Jochebed to care for her own child. Not only did God provide a way for Moses’ mother to care for her own baby, but he provided a way for her to receive payment for being a full-time mom. So, until Moses was weaned (possibly three years), his mother took care of him, and this woman of faith nurtured and prayed for him daily (Hebrews 11:23). But the day came when she had to leave her child behind to grow up in the palace of Pharaoh. What would become of Moses then?

How mysterious are God’s ways! No one can outdo God when he moves to fulfill his plan. The very tyrant who pronounced death on the entire male infant population of Hebrews was to have their future deliverer under his care day and night. Little did Pharaoh and his household know that they were all preserving Moses for a destiny that would work against Egypt. Adopted into the royal family of Pharaoh, God’s deliverer would be trained and raised with all the wisdom Egypt could impart. God would see to it.

God was preparing a world leader.

A man of God was in the making.

And so it is with you. Every time your Enemy seeks to destroy and hinder you, your Way Maker has a plan for your escape and enrichment.

The Name “Moses”

In Hebrew, Moses means “drawn out” or “rescued.” Moses’ name describes his past and his destiny. For as he was drawn out of the waters of the Nile and rescued by God’s plan for his life, so he would draw out over a million Hebrews. He would rescue them from their cruel bondage, which was God’s plan all along. He uses the rescued to become rescuers.

As he grew up in Pharaoh’s household, Moses was given the finest personal tutors to educate him in all the ways of the Egyptians. The Jewish tradition states that Pharaoh’s daughter had no child of her own and that she herself was an only child. So Moses stood in line to receive the throne of Egypt, the world power at that time. Like he had done for Joseph, God was preparing Moses as a servant who would do his pleasure. And Moses was spared nothing. All the education and culture of the royal dynasty, with its nearly unlimited resources, was placed before him.

“So Moses was fully trained in the royal courts and educated in the highest wisdom Egypt had to offer, until he arose as a powerful prince and an eloquent orator.”

Acts 7:22 TPT

Moses became a respected leader as a prince in Egypt (Psalm 113:7–8; Isaiah 49:23). The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that, by the age of thirty, Moses had become a mighty soldier and captain, leading the armies of Egypt against the Ethiopian city of Meroe, which they conquered. But Moses knew his destiny. Though he was dressed like an Egyptian, in his heart, he was a Hebrew.

The New Testament commentary on Moses’ time of training is found in Hebrews 11:24–26. These words speak of his life before he murdered an Egyptian and set into motion the events that would change the course of the future:

Faith enabled Moses to choose God’s will, for although he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he refused to make that his identity, choosing instead to suffer mistreatment with the people of God. Moses preferred faith’s certainty above the momentary enjoyment of sin’s pleasures. He found his true wealth in suffering abuse for being anointed, more than in anything the world could offer him, for his eyes looked with wonder not on the immediate, but on the ultimate—faith’s great reward!

Destiny burned in the heart of this God-chosen deliverer. Moses was a man who could not shake his past nor run from his calling. Is this how you see your life as well?

Let’s Pray

Father, I want to burn with destiny like Moses. You have rescued me over and over. I owe you my life, and I want you above all that this world can offer me. You hold the keys to my life and my destiny. I choose you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

God seeks those who will let him use them. The life of Moses bursts with extraordinary deliverance and earthshaking miracles—all made possible through radical surrender to Yahweh. Join Brian and Candice Simmons in their biblical commentary on the story of Moses, studying his life and leadership until the climactic defeat of Pharaoh’s army by the shores of the sea. Travel this spiritual road with the Israelites, gleaning warning from their example and encouragement from God’s constant provision. Learn to find joy in God’s faithfulness no matter what season of waiting, trial, or wilderness you experience. God has a purpose to fulfill through you today. Discover the miraculous, world-changing power available to those who live fully abandoned to his loving guidance.