23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.
With introducing Moses into the hall of fame of those who lived by faith, the focus is now on how faith deals with pressure and tribulation.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born,
The “faith” here is that of Moses’ parents, not of Moses himself in this verse (Ex 2:2). They believed that God would end slavery in Egypt after 400 years (Ge 15:13). They took this promise in God’s word.
was hidden three months by his parents,
Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, both hid Moses from death for three months from the Pharaoh (Nu 26:59). They did this by faith. Pharaoh was afraid of the population growth of Hebrew children, so he issued an edict to drown every newly born male child. Moses’ parents put him into a waterproof basket in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found and adopted him as her own. Moses’ sister, Miriam, convinced the princess to ask a Hebrew woman to nurse him, which was his own mother.
because they saw he was a beautiful child;
Moses’ parents saw that he was an unusually “beautiful” child. They knew that Pharaoh’s daughter bathed near the reeds where they placed Moses in a floating basket. They may have anticipated that the daughter would adopt him because of his beauty (Acts 7:20).
and they were not afraid of the king’s command [edict].
Moses’ parents were not afraid of the edict of Pharaoh that every Hebrew boy should be thrown into the Nile River (Ex 1:22). They exercised faith that God would keep him alive.
PRINCIPLE:
It is a special blessing to have believing parents.
APPLICATION:
Godly parents can train a child in the direction he or she should go. Moses’ parents first exemplified faith. They created the right context for seeing the reality of faith. Christian parents should do the same today.
Moses’ parents were not afraid of pressure from society. They risked their lives by hiding Moses. It was an act of faith on their part. They trusted God even under pressure from the Pharaoh. They believed in God’s providential care of Moses when they put him into the Nile River.
By trusting God, Moses’ mother, Jochebed, was able to train Moses in the promises and principles of the Lord.
Both Amram and Jochebed were relatively unknown in the Old Testament except in genealogies. Only the book of Hebrews tells us of their faith. We do not have to be well known for God to use us.
