INTRODUCTION:  This lesson describes the protective hand of God over the one who is to be the deliverer of the children of Israel from Egypt.  God’s hand of providence is seen throughout this story.  Just when it seems the darkest for the Israelites, God is already working out the way to bring them deliverance.

1. THE BIRTH OF MOSES  (Exodus 2:1-2 [1] And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. [2] And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
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1. The Parents of Moses (Exodus 2:1And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.
   See All...; Exodus 6:20And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.
   See All...; Numbers 26:59And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
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1. His father, Amram
1. Name means high people
2. Of the tribe of Levi
3. Died at age of 137 – same as the age of Levi at his death (Exodus 6:16And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years.
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4. Married Jochebed
1. Jochebed was his father’s sister.
2. Jochebed and Amram had three known children:
1. Miriam
2. Aaron
3. Moses
2. His mother, Jochebed
1. Name means glory to Jehovah
2. Of the tribe of Levi
2. The Son is Born (Exodus 2:2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
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1. A goodly child
2. Exceeding fair (Acts 7:20In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father's house three months:
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3. A proper child (Hebrews 11:23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
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3. The Infant is Hidden for Three Months (Exodus 2:2And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.
   See All...; see Hebrews 11:23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
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1. He was hidden by faith (Hebrews 11:23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
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2. The parents had a seeing faith – they “saw…that he was a goodly child” (see Hebrews 11:1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
   See All...; 2 Corinthians 5:7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
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3. The parents had a fearless faith – “they were not afraid of the king’s commandment” (Hebrews 11:23By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
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2. THE ARK OF MOSES (Exodus 2:3-4 [3] And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. [4] And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
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1. Unable to Hide Him (Exodus 2:3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
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1. The parents had been able to hide Moses for three months; but now, for some reason, they could no longer keep him hidden.
2. It is interesting to note that the age of three months brings some developments that make this a difficult time to place their child in the river.
1. According to some studies, the following developments occur around the third month…
1. About half of babies this age begin to show an obvious recognition of their parents.
2. The baby may become quiet and make eye contact with the parents, or he may search for his parents in a room and move his arms in excitement or smile when he finds them.
3. A baby is more attuned to the outside world and more sensitive to changes in his environment.
4. When a baby hears the voice of his parents, he may even look directly at them and start trying to talk back.
2. Considering these things, imagine how hard it would be to take the child to the water and release him.
2. The Ark of Bulrushes (Exodus 2:3-4 [3] And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. [4] And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
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1. Bulrushes – a reed-like plant the stems of which could be dried and woven into baskets
2. Slime and pitch
1. Two different forms of the asphalt that was found naturally in different parts of the Bible world; evidently, slime referred to the paste or solid form and pitch referred to the liquid form.
2. Often used, as here, for waterproofing (Genesis 6:14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
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3. The ark placed at the river’s bank in the reeds (Exodus 2:3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
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4. The infant’s sister, Miriam, placed to see what would happen (Exodus 2:4And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.
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3. NOTE: Three Arks in the Bible; an ark is a coffin-shaped container.
1. The ark of Noah
1. It had 3 stories (Genesis 6:16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
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2. It was used to preserve the human race.
2. The ark of Moses
1. It had a 3-month-old baby.
2. It was used to preserve Israel’s deliverer.
3. The ark of the covenant
1. It had 3 items in it (Hebrews 9:4Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
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2. It was used to preserve the two tables of stone containing God’s word.
3. COMPASSION ON MOSES (Exodus 2:5-6 [5] And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. [6] And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
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1. Pharaoh’s Daughter Sees the Child (Exodus 2:5And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.
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1. She came down to the river to wash herself.
2. Her maidens walked along the river.
3. She saw the ark among the flags (Exodus 2:3And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink.
   See All..., 5; Job 8:11Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
   See All...; Isaiah 19:6And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
   See All...) – Apparently flags are a kind of plant that would grow exclusively next to rivers or brooks.
4. She sent her maid to fetch it.
2. Pharaoh’s Daughter Had Compassion (Exodus 2:6And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
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1. Pharaoh’s daughter opened the ark.
2. The baby wept as if on cue.
3. She had compassion on the baby.
4. She recognized it as a Hebrew baby.
4. A NURSE FOR MOSES (Exodus 2:7-9 [7] Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? [8] And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. [9] And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the women took the child, and nursed it.
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1. Miriam Offers a Nurse of the Hebrews (Exodus 2:7-8 [7] Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? [8] And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
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1. Miriam boldly calls out to Pharaoh’s daughter and asks if she would like for her to go find a nurse for the child.
2. Pharaoh’s daughter agrees to send Miriam to fetch a nurse.
2. Miriam Goes to Fetch a Nurse for the Child (Exodus 2:8And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother.
   See All...b-9).
1. Miriam runs to get her mother to be the nurse for the child.
2. Pharaoh's daughter gives commandment unto Jochebed for nursing Moses.
1. Take this child away, and nurse it for me.
2. I will give thee thy wages.
5. THE REARING OF MOSES (Exodus 2:10And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.
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1. The Child was Called Moses (meaning drawn out).
2. The Child Grew.
1. Physically
2. Mentally – “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
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3. The Child Became the Son of Pharaoh’s Daughter.

CONCLUSION:  Are you discouraged?  Are you giving up?  Perhaps the Lord is right now working out the deliverance that you need so dearly.  We must learn to trust in Him.