Hidden in grace, prepared for a purpose
But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
(Exodus 2:3 NIVUK)
The birth of Moses takes place during one of Israel’s darkest periods. Pharaoh had ordered that every Hebrew baby boy be thrown into the Nile (Exodus 1:22). Humanly speaking there seemed to be no hope, yet it is often in the darkest moments that God’s grace shines most brightly. The opening of Exodus 2 tells the remarkable story of a child whose life was preserved through a series of seemingly ordinary events. A courageous mother prepared a waterproof basket. A loving sister watched from a distance. Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the child and was moved with compassion. Moses’ own mother was then employed to nurse and care for him. At every stage, God is quietly at work, directing events without dramatic displays of power.
When God works with human beings his grace always precedes our response, and that was the case with Moses. Before he could do anything for God, God was already acting for Moses. Before Moses would one day confront Pharaoh, lead Israel out of Egypt, or receive the law, he was first the recipient of God’s preserving grace. This reflects the greater story of salvation in Jesus Christ. Long before we sought God, God sought us. Before we responded in faith, the Father had already acted through the Son for our salvation. Our relationship with God begins not with our initiative but with his gracious initiative. As the apostle John wrote, ‘We love because he first loved us’ (1 John 4:19).
Moses was preserved to become Israel’s deliverer, but he foreshadowed the greater Deliverer, Jesus. Where Moses would lead Israel out of physical slavery, Jesus delivers all humanity from the deeper bondage of sin and death. Moses was saved through God’s providence; Jesus entered our broken world voluntarily to accomplish our salvation. Through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus has reconciled humanity to the Father, and through the Holy Spirit we are invited to participate in the life of the Triune God.
When life feels uncertain or circumstances seem beyond our control, Exodus 2 encourages us to trust the God whose grace is already at work before we can see it. He is never absent, even when he appears silent. His purposes are unfolding, often through willing people and unexpected circumstances.
The God who watched over Moses continues to watch over his children today. Our lives rest securely, not by chance, or human strength, but in the faithful grace of the Father, revealed in the Son, and made real to us by the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Loving Father, thank you that your loving purpose for our lives begins long before we recognise it. Thank you for your faithful care, revealed throughout Scripture and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Help us to trust you when we cannot see the way ahead, and make us willing participants in your gracious work in the lives of others. May we rest in your unfailing love, and faithfully follow wherever you lead. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
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Study by: Barry Robinson About the author: |
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Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church