Story 14 · Ages 6–12
Baby Moses - God Prepares a Leader
Moses is saved from death as a baby and raised in Pharaoh's palace.
Many years after Joseph died, there was a new Pharaoh in Egypt who didn't remember how Joseph had saved Egypt. The Israelites (Joseph's family) had grown into a huge nation! There were so many of them!
The story
Pharaoh became afraid. "There are too many Israelites! If a war comes, they might join our enemies!" So Pharaoh made them slaves and forced them to make bricks and build cities. The Israelites worked hard in the hot sun, crying out to God for help.
But the Israelites kept growing in number! So Pharaoh made a terrible rule: "Every Israelite baby boy must be thrown into the Nile River!"
Around this time, an Israelite woman had a baby boy. He was so beautiful! She couldn't let him die! For three months, she hid him in her house. But as he grew bigger, his cries grew louder. She couldn't hide him anymore!
She had an idea! She made a little basket boat out of reeds and covered it with tar to make it waterproof. She put her baby inside and placed the basket among the reeds at the edge of the Nile River. The baby's sister, Miriam, hid nearby to watch.
Soon, Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe! She saw the basket and sent her servant to get it. When she opened it, the baby was crying!
Pharaoh's daughter felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
Miriam bravely stepped forward and asked, "Should I find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for you?"
"Yes!" said Pharaoh's daughter.
Miriam ran and got the baby's own mother! Pharaoh's daughter said, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you!" The mother was so happy! She could keep her own baby and even get paid!
When the boy was older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, who adopted him as her own son. She named him Moses, which means "drawn out," because she drew him out of the water.
So Moses grew up as a prince in Pharaoh's palace! He learned to read and write. He had the best education. But he never forgot he was an Israelite.
Remember this
“And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”
What did we learn?
God was preparing Moses for something special. One day, Moses would lead his people out of slavery! God had heard their cries and had a plan to rescue them. Sometimes God's plan includes hard times, but He is ALWAYS working to save His people! God protected baby Moses for a special purpose - and God has a special purpose for YOUR life too!
Big idea: God is always with us and loves us very much!