A Son of the King – Moses
Treasures of faith
Faith Principle #8 Biblical Faith Gives Us The Strength And Ability We Need
Chuck and Sharon Betters
Today’s Treasure
God used a divinely planned famine to bring His small band of people into Egypt, a safe place prepared just for them. Within barely a century, Jacob’s relatively small family of seventy had multiplied into the thousands. Joseph’s deathbed instructions left this people with a strong warning: Egypt was not God’s best place for them, and that they would not be able to stay there forever. But the past protection of Pharaoh soon blinded them to the danger of viewing Egypt as their home. They did not see their trek into Egypt as only a temporary detour in God’s eternal plan for them. Left to themselves, they would probably never have left that verdant, comfortable country. It would take the brutal oppression of slavery, which slowly began to descend over them like a net, to finally open their eyes.
The book of Genesis describes how God arranged for this “insignificant” little family to make their way to Egypt; the book of Exodus describes God’s rescue of this family from the death grip of that same country, which had gone from being a place of refuge to a prison house. After Joseph died, the new king and his descendants showed little regard for the debt owed to Joseph by the Egyptians and, in fact, the Egyptians actually began to fear the size and power of the Israelite presence in their country (Exodus 1:9). The new Pharaoh planned, in effect, to “get them before they get us”, “Come, we must deal shrewdly with them, or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country”. (v. 10) He enslaved them to contain a potential threat to his power. Yet the more he brutally oppressed these people, the more numerous they became (vv. 12–14). In his assault on the Israelites, Pharaoh had declared war on both them and their God.
Feeling ever more threatened by this “population explosion” among his slaves, Pharaoh ruthlessly ordered the execution of all Israelite baby boys by having them drowned in the Nile. At least one infant boy, however, would survive this ghastly slaughter: a baby boy born into the home of two ordinary slaves, Amram and Jochebed. Though no one could have foreseen it, this one small child represented the hope and salvation of God’s people, a people oppressed, tormented, and in misery.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Amram and Jochebed, simple, humble people, yet gifted with extraordinary courage and faith, defied Pharaoh’s murderous edict. By faith, they hid their baby boy from Pharaoh’s soldiers for three months. At last, realizing the child could not be hidden from the Egyptians much longer, these loving parents did something incredibly brave and yet terribly painful for them. They committed their precious little boy into God’s keeping to save him from the Egyptians. They built a little “ark,” a small papyrus basket coated with tar and pitch, and then set the boy adrift on the Nile River to meet whatever destiny God had in mind for him. It is hard to imagine that moment as they kissed their beloved little son one last time. Then, with desperate, heart-wrenching prayers, they placed him in that basket and watched it drift away upon the very river where so many other little Hebrew boys had already died (Exodus 1:22).
Many parents believe their children are extraordinary. But for Amram and Jochebed, parental love was not their only driving force. They hid Moses by faith. Faith produced a hope that in turn produced courage. They did not know what God would do or even if He would prevent the death of their precious child. But they certainly believed God exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Their love for God compelled them to protect the child God had given to them in the only way they knew. Their loyalty to God was far greater than their fear of the king of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed were trusting God for a miraculous intervention.
Their choice to resist the death sentence over Hebrew boys was not a reckless gamble. It was a quiet, courageous act of obedience rooted in their understanding of God’s promises to their people. They trusted God had not abandoned them, even as the shadow of slavery grew darker.
This moment reveals something stunning about God’s providence. Before Moses could speak, before he ever encountered a burning bush or raised his staff to part the Red Sea, God was already orchestrating his story, setting apart this baby boy to lead a nation.
Faith, especially in the face of fear, often looks like hidden obedience, quiet decisions that may never make headlines but change the course of history. Amram and Jochebed probably didn’t see themselves as heroes. They were parents clinging to hope, doing what they believed was right in the face of evil. And through their faith, God raised up a deliverer.
You may not be hiding a child in a basket or defying a king, but your acts of obedience matter more than you know. The faithful choices you make today, loving your family well, honoring God in hard places, resisting cultural pressure, may feel small; but in God’s economy, they are eternal.
Perhaps you’re weary or wondering if your obedience makes any difference. Remember Moses’ parents. They didn't see the Red Sea part. They didn’t enter the Promised Land. But their quiet faith shaped the story of redemption for generations.
What “Pharaoh’s edict” are you facing today? What fear are you called to surrender so that you can live boldly for the Lord? May you, like Moses’ parents, walk by faith and not by sight.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the example of Moses’ parents. Strengthen me to live with that kind of faith, especially when obedience feels costly or unseen. Help me trust Your unseen hand at work in the quiet places of my life. Amen.
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Adapted from Treasures of Faith by Chuck and Sharon Betters with permission from P&R Publishing.
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