Welcome back to Time in the Word! Turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus 2:11- 23. If you are joining us digitally, I have enclosed the link for the scripture reference here. We are making steady progress in our study of The Making of Moses: Egyptian to Hebrew. God prepares Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Moses has had 38 years to study Egyptian culture, religion, and an Egyptian education. Moses sees himself as an Egyptian. Additionally, we can safely assume Moses is aware of his Hebrew heritage. God continues to weave his perfect plan as Moses grows from a boy to a man.
Hebrew living as on Egyptian
My curiosity piqued. I ask, “When did Moses know he was Hebrew?” This would be an awesome question to have a definite answer to. Here, we are given a “tip-off” in Exodus 4:14 (ahead of where we are reading today):
Exodus 4:14 -New International Version
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and he will be glad to see you.
-BibleGateway.com
Perhaps following Moses’ weaning and placement in Pharaoh’s house, Moses was allowed to maintain some family relationship? The Bible is not clear. It is obvious that Moses was aware he was Hebrew and he knew his birth family members by name. God can make a way when there seems to be no way.
If you were a fan of the 1956 movie “The Ten Commandments” by Cecil B Demille, the movie has several points which run contrary to the Bible. In “The Ten Commandments”, Moses is made aware of his Hebrew heritage through Nefreteri. Memnet, Moses’ old nurse-maid who drew him from the Nile, “spilled the beans” to Nefreteri by showing Moses’ Hebrew swaddling cloth.
Bithia, Moses’ Egyptian mother, is confronted with the “whole adoption scandal” going public to Ramses and rushes off to talk with Moses’ birth-mother, Yocheved. Bithia urges Yocheved to deny being Moses’ mother. But we know that plotline is the stuff of great movies and soap operas.
Check out this interesting article, “11 Things the “Ten Commandments Movie Got Wrong” here.
The Torah and Moses’s Crime of Murder
Part of our research on this passage leads us to the Jewish Torah. This article, which I am linking right here, has some interesting insights into what happened with Moses murdering the Egyptian taskmaster and subsequently fleeing for his life.
The article speaks of Moses “looking this way and that”, meaning he looked for someone to judge what happened between the Hebrew slave and the Egyptian taskmaster but found no one who would judge fairly. Unfortunately, Moses took matters into his own hands and avenged his fellow Hebrew. Jewish scholars felt Moses was keeping with the law of Genesis 9:6. Another tip Moses was well versed in his Jewish heritage.
Genesis 9:6 -New International Version
6 “Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
-BibleGateway
Murder now sets the stage for life-altering changes in the journey of our Hebrew-Egyptian Moses. He wasn’t ready to lead his people out of slavery- yet. It would take another forty years to train him for such as task.
Thank you for joining me here in Time in the Word. Join me next week as we watch Moses transformed by the tending of sheep in the land of Midian. We are getting closer to The Ten Plagues!
Michele Bruxvoort is sure to draw you in with her delightful sense of humor and love for living life. She enjoys reading, repurposing, as well as remodeling the family home with her husband. Drawing from her life experience as wife, mom, and follower of Jesus, Michele brings you a very honest and real perspective on life. When you don’t find her writing, you can find her mowing lawns, stocking shelves, taking care of her grandbaby and tackling her latest life adventure.
Wisconsin native and empty-nester, she now makes her home with her husband of 27 years in the South West Prairie plains of Minnesota.
