Moses – The Making of a LeaderSample

Day 2:  Moses' Birth 

Thoughts on the Passage

Moses did not have an easy childhood.

He was a special child – his parents knew that and did their best to protect him from Pharaoh. However, in the end they left him in the river hoping for someone (in this case the daughter of Pharaoh) to rescue him. To be abandoned by your parents like that is traumatic for anyone to deal with. In the end, God made it work out for good, but it still was not easy on Moses. 

 Also, Moses is a man caught between two cultures. He is Hebrew (a descendent of Abraham) and yet he cannot share in their suffering. He is raised in the court of the Pharaoh – yet he does not belong there either. Moses likely faced a sense of guilt for his privilege that spared him from the suffering but also the stigma of who he really was in the presence of the Egyptians. 

 Finally, Moses has to deal with choosing who he really is. He is a little like Joseph in this sense. Joseph had to choose whether he would be a man that had become Egyptian or choose to retain his Hebrew identity and destiny. One direction leads to earthly fame and privilege. The other direction is full of danger and uncertainty – but it defines spiritual destiny. 

That decision has to be made.
It is a decision that everyone of us has to make as well.

Application to our Life

Do you have to deal with the consequences of decisions made by parents and those over our lives? Do we see the hand of God in every situation?

Are we trying to live in both worlds – getting approval from this world as well as approval from God? We have skills for this world that can take us to great places. We have a spiritual calling that may be full of uncertainty. What is our choice?

Time to Pray
Father, as we look at the life of Moses, he had a difficult path in life that is tougher than what most of us face. It was a challenge that I have not had to face. However, we all face the decision that he had to make – that Joseph made before him: will we choose the destiny that this world has to offer or the destiny that You have to offer? It is not an easy decision to make. There is a right answer, but it is not easy. There is great cost regardless of the decision. I ask that You open our eyes to see clearly. Give us a will that is strong so that we choose life. In Jesus' name, Amen.