Joseph's brothers and their families and his father (seventy people) came down to Egypt and settled in a place called Goshen. They lived there for many years and grew into a great nation, as God had promised Jacob. They were called the people of Israel or the Israelites.
Eventually, a new Pharoah came to the throne who did not know about Joseph. This new Pharoah was afraid when he saw the great nation of Israel living in Goshen. He was afraid they might decide to fight against him. He decided to try to stop them from growing any stronger.
First Pharoah made the Israelites slaves. He put taskmasters over them. The taskmasters beat the Israelites if they did not work hard enough. Pharoah made the Israelites build great cities with huge walls. They had to build treasure cities for him and maybe even some of the pyramids.
The Israelites worked very hard. But this didn't stop them, the nation grew and grew, stronger and stronger. Pharoah was very worried. He a very cruel man and made a very cruel law. He commanded that all the baby boys born to the Israelites must be killed. Pharoah thought that if there were no baby boys, there would be no men growing up to fight against him.
There was an Israelite man named Amram. His wife's name was Jochebed. They had a son named Aaron and a daughter named Miriam. They were very worried because Jochebed had just had a beautiful baby boy. They did not want him killed! They hid him for three months. But as the baby got older, he cried louder and Jochebed knew that soon Pharoah's soldiers would hear him. They would find the baby and kill him.
Jochebed wanted to save her baby. It was not safe to keep him in the house anymore. She went to the River Nile and picked some bulrushes. She wove the bulrushes to make a basket. She covered the basket with tar and slime to make it waterproof. Then Jochebed wrapped up her beautiful baby and gave him one last cuddle and kiss. Then she tucked him gently into the basket and crept down to the River with Miriam.
Gently, she lowered the little basket into the river among the bulrushes. Jochebed went home and prayed that God would keep her little baby safe. Miriam stayed hidden in the bulrushes to watch over him.
Pharoah's daughter came down to the river edge. She had come down to wash and was surprised to see the little basket floating just out of reach. She sent one of her maids in to fetch it and when she opened the lid, the little baby woke up and started to cry. Pharoah's daughter loved the little baby and even though she knew he was an Israelite baby, she decided to keep him.
Miriam was very frightened. What would happen to her little brother? Then she had an idea. She ran up to the princess. "Shall I fetch a nurse to look after the baby for you?" she asked. She was very happy when the princess said, "Yes, go!" Miriam ran quickly to fetch Jochebed.
The princess gave the baby to Jochebed. "Take this little one and raise him for me, and I will pay you for looking after him," she said.
Jochebed took her little baby back home. God had answered their prayers and their little boy was safe. The princess called the baby "Moses" because Moses means "taken out" and she had taken him out of the river.
God had chosen Moses to be the one who would lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. God made all these things happen so that Moses was saved. Jochebed could not save Moses. She had to leave him in the bulrushes. But with God all things are possible. God arranged everything in a wonderful way and Jochebed was able to keep her baby while he was young and teach him all about God.
Things to Remember
Discussion
Jochebed and Amram did everything they possibly could to save their baby. But they had to trust that God would do everything else. In the faith chapter in Hebrews 11, they are commended for the faith they had. It says: "When they saw that God had given them an unusual child, they trusted that God would save him from the death the king commanded, and they hid him for three months, and were not afraid."
Why did Jochebed put her baby in the Nile River?
How did God make sure that he was saved?
How did God also make sure that he learned about Him?
Activity Suggestions
Draw a picture of the little basket floating among the reeds of the river.
Make a little basket. Cut a circle out of bristol board, about 6" in diameter. Draw a smaller circle in the center about 2" in diameter. Cut from the outside in towards the middle about an inch apart all around, making an uneven number of slats. Using wool, tie a knot and tape it to the inside circle. Weave the wool in and out through the slats, curving them up to make a bowl shape. Fill it with cotton wool and make a little baby to put in it if you wish.