- Today’s Reading:
- Exodus 1 - 2:10
- Proverbs 5: 1-6
Exodus 1 - 2:10
At the end of Genesis the Israelites moved to Egypt where Joseph was second in command the entire nation. Pharaoh knew what Joseph had done for him and was good to him. In time, however, that Pharaoh died and a new Pharaoh came to power. He realized that the Israelites were dangerously prolific and soon outnumbered the Egyptians. He ordered the Israelites to be slaves and worked them very hard. That only backfired as the Israelites multiplied even more quickly. So the Pharaoh gave his famous order to kill all sons born to the Israelites.
The Pharaoh first ordered the midwives to kill the sons but they refused out of fear of God. He then sent the order that all of the sons of Israelites should be thrown into the Nile River. Forget the fact that the Pharaoh does not know God -- but where is that man's conscience? How can someone order such a thing and then later live with themselves? I know that we as a people have a sinful nature, but I don't think the majority of those who never did and never will know God could do such a thing as that.
I would be interested to know how many people followed the Pharaoh's orders, and the measures they took to hide their babies. Was there a safe age for a boy child to reach? Let's say they managed to hide a boy for 2-3 years, was he safe at that point if they brought him out? How long was this order under effect?
The final section of the reading is one of my favorite parts of the story of Moses. Moses's mother left him in a basket on the banks of the river in hopes that he would survive. Not only did he survive, but the princess herself found him and then paid the mother of Moses to raise and nurse the child for awhile. It says that Moses was brought back when he was older to be adopted by the princess.
How old was Moses when his mother brought him back to the princess? How old was the sister, who watched in the weeds and suggested to the princess a woman to nurse the child? I know it was all God's work, but did the princess suspect or know that the woman was Moses's own mother? Regardless, the bottom line is God is GREAT and through him all things are possible, and these passages contain but one small example of His great works.
Proverbs 5: 1- 6
These first few verses of the fifth Proverb warn men to stay away from immoral women. The immoral woman has lips as sweet as honey and a mouth that is smoother than oil (5:3), but in the end she is poison, she is dangerous, and her feet lead to death (5:4-5). Of course this verse is written to the men, but it certainly applies to women as well. It applies to the women who are tempted to have an extramarital affair as well as those who are doing the tempting.
In those days a person really could be put to death for adultery. These days, in the United States, that doesn't happen as often, although crimes of passion do occur. In some countries it's not uncommon for a woman to be put to death (by her own family even!) if it is found that she isn't a virgin when she gets married. Regardless of whether or not one will actually be put to death for having immoral sex, in the end it's still your relationship with God that winds up tarnished. You can be forgiven and you can be cleansed, but each and every sin keeps you from becoming as close to God as you could and should be. In the end, it's you who loses out.
