Exodus 2

V 1–2: BABY A baby son is born to a man of Levi and his wife. She hides him for three months. V 3–4: BASKET When she can no longer hide him, she provides a watertight basket (an ark) and places it in the reeds by the riverbank. The baby’s sister watches from afar to see what will happen. V 5–6: BATHING One of Pharaoh’s daughters finds the baby when she comes to bathe in the river. The baby cries and she has compassion on him and recognises him as a Hebrew. V 7–10: BOLDNESS The baby’s sister approaches Pharaoh’s daughter and arranges for the baby’s mother to nurse the child on behalf of Pharaoh’s daughter and to be paid for doing it! The child grows and is given the name ‘Moses’ which means ‘drawn from water’. Moses is brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter in Pharaoh’s house. V 11–15: BANISHED One day, Moses intervenes to prevent an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. He kills the Egyptian and buries him. The next day, as he seeks to stop two Hebrews fighting, they tell him they know he has killed an Egyptian. Pharaoh hears of this and Moses flees for his life to the land of Midian where he sits down by a well. V 16–17: BULLIES Bullying shepherds drive seven daughters of the priests of Midian away from the well so that they can have water first. Moses confronts them, helps the daughters, and waters their flock. V 18–21: BEFRIENDED Their father, Reuel (also called Jethro) tells them to invite Moses to eat at their house. Moses is befriended. He stays and takes Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah, as his wife. V 22: BIRTH Moses has a son by Zipporah, called Gershon. V 23–25: BONDAGE Meanwhile Pharaoh dies in Egypt, and the Israelites continue to groan because of their bondage. They call out to God who hears their cries and remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looks on the Israelites and acknowledges them. He has plans for them that will involve unsuspecting Moses.