Exodus 2
Exodus is known as one of the most amazing stories of God intervening overtly in human history. That will start in chapter three. But here in two we see how God uses human activity in history for His purposes as well. This was touched upon in commentary on chapter one when we saw how Pharaoh was a tool in God’s hands. But the story of Moses is one where all circumstances and events converge in amazing ways.
When Moses was born (during Pharaoh’s infanticide) and how he was adopted by Pharaoh’s family but still raised by his Hebrew parents is just the first example. (Ironically, his parents are paid to raise him for Pharaoh’s daughter.) He gets the best of all educations: knowledge of God from God’s people and complete training in all of Egyptian knowledge and science from the elite of the era. His desire to help his people, and the ill-advised approach he takes, are even parts of his preparation. The exile among the Midianites shepherding sheep in the wilderness…
All of this is an accumulation of the decisions of countless people. It is the progression of a history of individual choices exercising free will. And yet it is all used masterfully by God for His purposes. (And, ultimately, it is under His sovereign control without any of that free will being negated.) But in 23-25 we get an exciting passage. History flows on, and the moment for Moses’ calling comes when the Pharaoh dies. He can return to Egypt. But, even more excitingly, we see the cries of God’s people reaching God and Him remembering His covenant. None of that means that God had not heard or seen them up until now, nor that He had forgotten the covenant. But in God’s plan, the time had finally come for Him to act in a way we had not seen in the story of Joseph or even in the story of Exodus until now. God is about to overtly meddle in the history of the world, and it will change things forever…
When Moses was born (during Pharaoh’s infanticide) and how he was adopted by Pharaoh’s family but still raised by his Hebrew parents is just the first example. (Ironically, his parents are paid to raise him for Pharaoh’s daughter.) He gets the best of all educations: knowledge of God from God’s people and complete training in all of Egyptian knowledge and science from the elite of the era. His desire to help his people, and the ill-advised approach he takes, are even parts of his preparation. The exile among the Midianites shepherding sheep in the wilderness…
All of this is an accumulation of the decisions of countless people. It is the progression of a history of individual choices exercising free will. And yet it is all used masterfully by God for His purposes. (And, ultimately, it is under His sovereign control without any of that free will being negated.) But in 23-25 we get an exciting passage. History flows on, and the moment for Moses’ calling comes when the Pharaoh dies. He can return to Egypt. But, even more excitingly, we see the cries of God’s people reaching God and Him remembering His covenant. None of that means that God had not heard or seen them up until now, nor that He had forgotten the covenant. But in God’s plan, the time had finally come for Him to act in a way we had not seen in the story of Joseph or even in the story of Exodus until now. God is about to overtly meddle in the history of the world, and it will change things forever…
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