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In the last article we'd learned that the Scriptures revealed, that baby Moses was indeed found by the daughter of Pharaoh. Remember that this had happened, right after she had went down to the river, along with her maidens, so that she could bathe from within the rivers refreshing currents. And it would be at that particular time, Pharaoh's daughter would notice from within the reeds by the river's bank, the ark (or basket) that the baby Moses was laying in.
Now after the princess had seen this, she would instruct one of her maidens, to go and retrieve the ark from the reeds.
Needless to say, the maiden would do as she was instructed, and she went, and brought the ark back to Pharaoh's daughter.
Now it's at this time, the record points out, that the princess had got a closer look at the baby Moses; and after she had seen him, immediately, the Egyptian princess had compassion for him.
Now after the princess had received the unexpected advice from Moses' sister Miriam. For we must remember that she was closely watching from afar, so that she could see what was to become of her little brother.
Nonetheless, the princess would agree (to Miriam's advice) to have the Hebrew baby nursed by someone, who also a Hebrew. So Miriam went to go, and get a nurse for the child, which was a nurse, who just so happened to be Moses' birth mother Jochebed. Now it would be at this time, that during Moses' early fragile infant stage, he would be allowed to go back with his mother Jochebed for a period of time, so that he could be properly nursed:
"Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her: 'Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.' So Jochebed took the child and nursed him." -- Exodus 2:9
Now keep in mind, that I also pointed out, that this particular princess, wasn't the daughter of the same Pharaoh that had initially given the bloody edict against the Hebrew babies to begin with. For I noted, that the Pharaoh who had initially given the edict, was known as Amenhotep the First. And it would be during this period, that Amenhotep had just recently passed away.
Understand that it was for this reason, that we find, that there was now a new Pharaoh, that had came to power. And this Pharaoh was Amenhotep's military commander: Thutmose the First. Know that it is his daughter (the Egyptian princess), that I've been mentioning so far from within this article.
Be that as it may, we now begin to move forward. And it's at this time, we've reached the point, to where the Scriptures revealed, that Moses was now older, and that he has now been returned to Pharaoh's daughter: "And the child grew, and she [Jochebed] brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he then became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, 'Because I drew him out of the water.'" -- Exodus 2:10
Now it's not exactly clear, how old Moses was, when he was finally returned to the princess. However, it's at this point, that the Scriptures immediately revealed, that Moses was indeed sympathetic towards his people. I'd like to think that this little bit of information would seem like a no-brainer to most. But surprisingly, the reasoning behind his sympathy, has garnered many different viewpoints amongst Bible scholars and teachers.
Because of this, I have given a lot of thought, in regards to presenting my own viewpoint, on why the sympathy was there. Now I know that this topic may seem trivial to most, but personally, I feel that it is of greater importance than you may think.
Now someone may ask: "Is this really necessary to address?" And of course it comes down to the individual, and what's important to them. But the concern that I have, deals with the teaching, that somehow Moses knew at this point in his life, that God was going to use him, when it came to delivering the Hebrews from out of the hands of the Egyptians. For they use this assumption, to point out why he was sympathetic.
And to make matters worse, this is a very popular viewpoint, and I find it rather interesting. As a matter of fact, if you don't mind me being honest... It bothers me. Now the reason why I'm so concerned with this viewpoint, deals with the type of events, that are about to take place from within Moses' immediate future. And on top of this, there is nowhere at this point from within the Sacred Record, that indicates, that Moses had received a personal visitation from God at this point from within his life.
Remember that prophecy foretelling, and the fulfillment of them, is the Scriptures bread-and-butter. And quite frankly, I just can't see the Sacred Record wasting an opportunity, to further validate the divine authority that it has, by not recording the prophecy, and its fulfillment. Especially when it deals with something of great importance, like Moses' ministry and purpose.
Now it would seem, that people had forgotten, that Moses was taken back amongst his people (by his own mother) in order for him to be nursed. And it's also at this point from within his life, that he would have been able to be raised to some degree, while he interacted with his own people for a short period of time.
Know that it's very well possible, that Moses was taught to some degree, on whom he was as a Hebrew. For I could easily see his mother fearing, that there would have been a chance, that Moses would have never learned, who he truly was, when it came to his Hebrew heritage. And I'll take this one step further; the Hebrews didn't even know themselves at this point in their history, when it came to what God had in store for them. So how could they have told Moses about it? Seriously, think about that for a moment.
And there's something else to consider... how could one overlook the possibility, that Moses (even tough he was extremely young) could have actually developed a personal attraction to those, who had surrounded him, during his early years growing up? And then as he grew older, he was then shipped off to the Egyptian kingdom, possibly leaving friends, and those he'd loved; for those, he didn't even yet know.
And what about the Egyptians? How do we know (apart from Pharaoh's daughter) that they'd welcomed Moses with open arms? I mean after all, they knew he wasn't one of them. Honestly, there are so many unseen variables when it comes to this point of the record; and with the lack of detail that's given by the Sacred Record when it comes to Moses' life from within the Egyptian palace, it's hard to come to a clear conclusion on why Moses' heart, and mindset, was the way that it was, when it came to his people and the Egyptians.
But to suggest and teach that Moses knew about his calling at this point from within his life, opens up unnecessary doors to criticism of Moses' character. Which are opportunities that the world won't hesitate in trying to use, when it comes to furthering their cause. Notice what happens in the next Scripture:
"Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." -- Exodus 2:11,12
Now although Moses was sticking up for a fellow Hebrew, and if he had a personal relationship with God at this point (as most would suggest) Bible critics would quickly put forth the question: "Then why did he kill the Egyptian? Why did he try to hide it? What kind of man of God would do such a horrific thing?" And if Moses actually had a personal relationship with God at this point, I believe, they could argue these talking points somewhat successfully.
But the fact is, Moses didn't have a personal relationship with God at this point in his life; and his actions were simply a reflection of his inner frustrations and anger, when it came to the brutal treatment of the Hebrew people (his own people) he knew, loved and grew up with. And to make matters worse, people try to justify Moses' killing of the Egyptian, instead of simply admitting, that Moses was flat out wrong, when it came to his sinful actions.
Nonetheless, as we look deeper by peeling back the surface of the Scriptures, we'll find that Moses' life was actually divided into three forty year trial periods. Also keep in mind, that we're still journeying from within his first forty year trial phase. Know that God was about to move Moses to the next phase of his life, and Moses simply had no clue, on what was going to happen next in his life.
In the next article we will address another so-called contradiction from within the Scriptures. This time it would deal with the author of the book of Hebrews. Now there is a viewpoint that is held by a majority of us Christians, that this book was written by the Apostle Paul. But this viewpoint of who the author really was, doesn't come without controversy.
Be that as it may, we won't be discussing that controversy at this time, but there's a passage from within its contents, that seems to go against the record that Moses had recorded, when it came to himself. We are coming up on this "record" so it's only fitting to address the issue, as we journey through it. We'll simply take a closer look at this passage from within the book of Hebrews, and see if it really was a contradiction, or simply a misunderstanding, by the readers of the text?
**YOUR CURRENT - BIBLE STUDY ONLINE SERIES - WOULD BE HERE**
128) Moses the Historian
129) The Exodus Stage
130) The Fall of the Hyksos Kingdom
131) A New Pharaoh Rises
133) Israel a Nation within Transition
135) The Hebrew Midwives - Shiphrah and Puah
136) The Hebrew Midwives - The Fear of God
139) <-CURRENT BIBLE STUDY ONLINE PAGE->
140) Moses the Exiled Son
141) Moses Finds Refuge in Midian
145) The Call of Moses
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