A long, long time ago in Egypt, there was a king called Pharaoh. Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites, who lived with many people in his land. He didn’t want them to become too strong. So he ordered that all the newborn boys of the Israelites be thrown into the river. That was very, very sad!
At that time, a little baby was born. His mom and dad loved him very much. They wanted to protect him. His mom came up with a plan. She took a basket made of reeds and made it safe and waterproof with tar so that no water could get in.
Then she lovingly put the little baby in the basket. His big sister Miriam watched while his mother carefully placed the basket in the large river. Miriam hid and watched the basket. She wanted to make sure that nothing happened to her little brother.
Some time later, Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe. Her servants went with her. Suddenly she saw the little basket in the reeds. She opened it and found the baby. Little Moses wept softly.
Pharaoh’s daughter took pity on him. “This must be a child of the Israelites,” she said. But she couldn’t part with the little baby. She wanted to keep it and take care of him. “I will call him Moses,” she said, “because I have pulled him out of the water.”
Then Miriam courageously came forward and asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I find a wife who can nurse the baby and care for him?” The Pharaoh’s daughter thought that was a good idea. So Miriam fetched her mother, and she was allowed to take care of Moses until he was big enough to live in the palace. So Moses was saved and grew up in safety.
Message of history
God takes care of us and protects us. Sometimes he finds loving people who help us when we need them.
Bible passage
The story of Moses in the basket is found in 2. Moses 2:1-10:
“And a man of the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi as his wife. And the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. And when she saw that he was handsome, she hid him for three months. But when she could no longer conceal it, she took a casket of reeds, and covered it with earth resin and pitch, and laid the child in it, and set him in the reeds on the bank of the Nile. And his sister went away to find out what was going to happen to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the Nile, while her servants walked along the shore. And she saw the casket in the middle of the reeds, and sent her maid to fetch it. And when she opened it, she saw the child; and behold, there was a weeping boy! Then she took pity on him and said, “It is one of the Hebrew children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a Hebrew nurse to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” Then the girl went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child with you and nurse it for me; I will give you your reward! Then the woman took the child and nursed it. And when the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son; and she called him Moses; for, said she, “I have drawn him out of the water.”
