When the mother came, the princess said to her: “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will give thee wages.” The woman then took the child and nursed him. And when he was grown up, he was brought to Pharao’s daughter, who adopted him[1] as her own, and called him Moses, which means rescued from the waters.
COMMENTARY.
The Wisdom of Divine Providence. God destined Moses to be the deliverer of His chosen people. Pharao’s cruel command to drown all the male children of the Israelites could not nullify what He had decreed. On the contrary, it served, under His guidance, for the accomplishment of His designs; for Moses, being brought up in the king’s court, was educated in the knowledge of the Egyptians, and was thus prepared for his high vocation of leader and deliverer of God’s people.
The uses of tribulation. God permitted the Israelites to be oppressed, in order that they might begin to yearn for the Promised Land and the future Saviour, and might keep aloof from the Egyptians. All our various troubles in this life ought to detach our hearts from earthly things, and turn them towards heaven and eternity. If earth were a paradise, who would long for heaven?
The love of parents for their children. If it had been discovered that Moses’ parents had hidden away a son, they would have been severely punished, and most likely put to death. Parents are willing to expose themselves to a great deal of danger for the sake of their children.
The confidence in God shown by Moses' parents. They did what they could to save the child, and prayed, full of confidence, to God to help them. Their confidence was not misplaced. He who trusts in God, builds on a sure foundation.
Compassion. The king’s daughter was a pagan, and yet she had a kind, compassionate heart. How much more compassion ought we Christians to show! “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The Society of the Holy Childhood is an example of what can be done. By means of it, heathen children are saved from death, baptized and brought up as Christians.
Moses saved in his infancy from the cruel edict of Pharao is a type of Christ saved in His infancy from the slaughter ordered by Herod.
Application. God has preserved you, too, from many a danger. In order to save your soul, God has, so to speak, made you pass through the waters of Baptism, and has adopted you to
- ↑ Adopted him. She clothed him, educated him, and had him altogether treated as if he were her own son.
