The Pharaoh gave his orders; "Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive." With all the crocodiles in the Nile river, those boy babies of the Hebrews would have little chance of survival. However this chance for Moses' survival would rest on one little girl, Moses' sister Miriam, whom God would use to fulfill part of His plan. We know that God was watching over Moses every moment of the time, but God uses people to fulfill every step of His plan, whether this young girl, (or young boy like David to bring down that giant), or even, you or I, living today, in these end times. God uses people that have faith; sure Miriam had disputes with Moses at times, as we will see, but there was always that love of God in Miriam's heart for God and for her brother and family.

We will be studying these Hebrews as they were bogged down in Egypt in their captivity, yet even today we are study in another type of captivity, and that is usury, and the bondage to a system of greed and profits. That system of merchandising controls the minds of people, and locks them into a world that has little care for their well being, just as the Pharaoh cared little about the Hebrews and their children. Usury can hold a person in bondage, and take away his wealth just as much as a Pharaoh shouting out orders to his army. Pharaoh was the one world system at this time, and that makes him a type of the one world system of our day.

Today the fight is also between the Sanctity of life, verses the Quality of life. It isn't the crocodiles down at the river banks that claim the lives of the little ones, but the drugs, the abortions for the sake of quality of life, and all the other meaningless reasons people today give for what they do to try to justify their actions in their own minds. God has given us His letter which gives us the knowledge to survive even in our day, when we ask for the wisdom to apply it to our times. It is time to study and use that wisdom to prepare ourselves for the time of tribulation that lies just ahead of us, when Satan will return to earth with his fallen angels, and set up their kingdom to test the people of the earth.

We are going to see some real tests of faith here in the book of Exodus, and just as these Hebrew people came out of Egypt, we will come out of that confusion that is dominating the minds of People today. Just as God brought those forefathers of our out of Egypt, He will also bring us out of the Babylon of the end times that is starting to put it's stranglehold on the nations of the earth. Remember that way back in Abraham's youth, before he had any children, God told him in Genesis 15:13, 14 that his children would be great and would go into captivity in a strange land for 400 years.  Well, they come out of that land far better off than when they entered into that land. So remember as we read this book of Exodus, it is the execution of the details of God's plan, as it is taking place in the lives of many people, as they lived their lives. It is a type of what we can expect as the events of our day unfold before our eyes.

The Scriptures have foretold all the detail that are taking place today. we have already lived through most of the events that God has classified as "the end times", or "the time of the end". Those events in most cases are history to us today, as the Jews, the good and the bad figs, have returned to Palestine, and Jerusalem. The One world system is in control of the nations of the world, and the trade borders and merchandising between nations have come down. The laws of the world court system are in place and trying the people that violate them, and most important, the armies are not just at the gates of Jerusalem, but they are knocking down houses and walls within that city. We are living in a time that the prophets desired to see, that time of the end when God would fulfill all the details of His Word, and His Spirit will open your mind to those events and seal them in your forehead, but you must first study and seek the truth, and have the faith to be a willing servant for Him, just as Miriam was in her protection of her little baby brother Moses.

Exodus 2:1 "And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi."

Levi was the third son of Leah to Jacob, and Moses came through that lineage of Gershshon, Kohath, Merari, and Amram his father, all born in Egypt. The "house of Levi" means that he was of the lineage, family or tribe of Levi. So this verse is talking about Moses' parents, his father Amram, who married his mother Jochebed who was also of the lineage or tribe of Levi. It is important that we take notice that Moses was born into the priest line of Levi. That is the line that is suppose to teach, and be over God's governmental house, or the priest line. Moses was in the lineage of the Priesthood.

Exodus 2:2 "And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months."

Two points to take notice of here in the second verse. First, "and bare a son", and the second is "three months". First Moses would be the seventh child from Abraham, as given in Numbers 26:57 - 59. Seven is the biblical number for completeness. Abraham was the seventh generation from Heber; and Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. This is talking about and establishing the priesthood of God that the Messiah would come through. The priesthood was formed in spiritual completeness. Moses would be another type of deliverer, just as Joseph was the deliverer of the family of Jacob when the famine of that day threatened to hold them in bondage and take their lives. Exodus means the way out, and this is talking about the redemption of God's people when they were held in bondage to Pharaoh.

Satan is a type of Pharaoh, and yet through repentance in the blood of Christ, God is redeeming people today. It is necessary, however, to take the time to study the Word to see the ways and events that are going on around us, so that we are not deceived by the world system and trapped into the bondage that will come over the entire world. This is personal for you.  Only you can decide whether you will allow yourself to be in bondage or not.

Exodus 2:3 "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 bank."

"Bulrushes" means "Papyrus", the paper that the divine instruction of God were written on. This instructions from that Papyrus of Noah's time, gave Miriam the instructions that we see here, that prepared the ark for Moses. The Ark of Moses' salvation was a miniature of the ark of Noah, that saved the eight Adamic souls, and two of every kind. Of course God had given this mother the insight and instruction as to what she was to do for the preservation of her son. She knew that the Pharaoh's daughter would be there, because that is what she did every day. It was in her routine to be at that river bank and bath at that hour, so this was no accident that this little ark with Moses in it, floated into her arms at this time.

Exodus 2:4 "And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him."

Miriam was there to watch what happened to her little baby brother, that he would be safe in his journey down the river.

Exodus 2:5 "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."

When the Pharaoh's daughter saw this ark floating by her in the river by the reeds, she sent her servants to pull that little ark from the river. Miriam made sure that this little ark would be placed so that these ladies of the court could not miss seeing it as they passed by. God is in control of everything that goes on in the fulfillment of His divine plan. God put the instructions in the mind of Moses' mother as to what her part would be, and in his sisters Miriam's mind how to construct the ark. God caused Pharaoh to make the order to drown all the male children, thus forcing the situation of hiding Moses right in the family of the Pharaoh himself.

Exodus 2:6 "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." 

Verse two tells us that Moses was a "goodly child", when in the Hebrew text says "asteios to Theo"; meaning, "Divine and beautiful to God". Everything that took place on that day was all planned by God, and directed at the hand of God. As the Pharaoh's daughter looked down on baby Moses crying in the ark. Those tears of that divine child melted away and defeated the enemy of God, and in those tears would preserve the nation of Israel. The Pharaoh's daughter had compassion on that little child. This woman knew exactly what she was getting into, for she could identify Moses as being one of the Hebrew children, and she knew exactly what her father had commanded, that all male children of the Hebrews be thrown into the river and killed. God softened this woman's heart to want to keep this little baby for herself.

We can see the faithfulness of the Word and promises of God to His people, and the bringing to naught the "wisdom of Egypt" through the preservation of this little child. It would be through this lineage of Israel that the promise of the coming of the Christ child would be fulfilled, as was promised way back in the Garden of Eden [Genesis 3:15]. As those tears flowed down Moses' cheeks, they melted away any walls of hatred there may have been against the Hebrews.

Exodus 2:7 "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?" 

Of course, Miriam was standing right there to come in and make the right suggestion to Pharaoh's daughter, that was necessary for the keep of this child. Pharaoh himself was defeated by the tears of this child, for now the order is going out to seek the mother and preserve this child's life. Isn't it wonderful how God works to bring about His Divine plan.

Exodus 2:8 "And Pharaoh's daughter said to hir, "Go." And the maid went and called the child's mother."

Miriam went immediately to get her mother, Jochebed, to nurse Moses.

Exodus 2:9 "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 woman took the child, and nursed it."

Notice that Pharaoh's daughter actually paid the wage to keep this Hebrew child that the Pharaoh ordered to be destroyed. The wage would be coming from Pharaoh's own house to raise the child that would ultimately defeat the Egyptians. Each event that took place was done in an orderly manner to complete the will of God, and free the children of Israel from their bondage.

Exodus 2:10 "And 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." 

Moses grew up with his own mother, and in time, Jochebed brought Moses to the Pharaoh's daughter and Moses became the grandson of the Pharaoh himself. "Moses" in the Hebrew means "drawn from the water". However the Egyptian record records that His name was "water-saved".

Exodus 2:11 "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, on of his brethren.

Remember as a small infant, Moses was raised by his own mother, and the instinct of who his people were was placed in him at the beginning. Moses was reared by his own family until his time of understanding.

Exodus 2:12 "And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand."

There was no one present when Moses slew this Egyptian, he was alone. After Moses slew this Egyptian, he took the body and buried it in the ground. The only person that knew the truth was the man that Moses saved from this Egyptian's beatings. It was a death sentence to murder somebody by Egyptian law.

Exodus 2:13 "And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews stove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, "Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?" 

The next day when Moses went amongst the people, he saw two Hebrew men fighting. This statement is very typical of most Christians today. They just can't help but fighting amongst themselves, even when the enemy is all around them. They just can't get it in their minds that it is all right to see something a little different that what they do. They can't see that it is alright to be wrong, if someone is following what he deems to be true. If one church feels that one thing is important, then give them the right to follow their conscience, and you follow yours. So it is quite common amongst our people that we like to fight amongst ourselves, as well as fighting against the enemy. Most all wars are caused by one religion trying to change the religion of another people. So Moses steps in and tries to correct these two men that are fighting.

Exodus 2:14 "And he said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?" And Moses feared, and said, "Surely this thing is known." 

And the person that was wrong said to Moses; "Who made you a prince and judge over us?" The answer is; "God did": These men just didn't know it yet. Then he stated in this question before Moses and those standing there that it was out, they all knew that Moses had killed the Egyptian in the protection of that Hebrew man taking the beating. The one that Moses has saved and told what happened to the entire camp of Israelites. With Pharaoh's spies in the camp of the Hebrews, of course Pharaoh would know. The penalty of murder was death, Pharaoh would not allow this to go on within his kingdom.

Exodus 2:15 "Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well."

Pharaoh was out to kill his own grandson, for Moses had been adopted by his own daughter. So when Moses fled from Egypt to the land of Midian, it was to save himself from the hand of Pharaoh. So it becomes important for us to know who these people were in the land of Midian. Moses took his wife from these people, and so it becomes important to know who these people were. Moses wife was not an Egyptian, nor a Kenite, but she was a Midianite. She will be one of the seven daughters that will come to the well, where Moses is sitting by. So keep this in your mind as we study the next few verses.

Median was one of Abraham's sons by his wife Keturah, whom he married after Sarah had died, as we read in Genesis 25:1, 2; "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah." [1] "And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah." [2] The Midianites are from the lineage of Abraham through Midian, by his wife Keturah. They are not Kenites, nor are the Kenites of the seed of Abraham.

I Chronicles 2:55 "And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez [Jerusalem], the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab."

The Kenites are the offspring of Cain from the garden of Eden, they are of their father Rechab of the land of Hemath, and not of Abraham, as they lie and try to deceive those that do not know the Word of God. The Kenites are the strangers that moved in and took over the duties of the Levitical priests when they left their posts during the captivity in Babylon, and over many years prior. It is important for us to know this, so that we are aware that Moses' wife was not of the seed of Satan through Cain, but of the seed of Abraham through his son Midian. God created people in their families, and he wanted them to stay that way.

Exodus 2:16 "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they come and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock."

Not only was Moses father in law a son of the lineage of Midian, but he was a priest of the Midianites in that area. To be a priest in the lineage of one of Abraham's sons, your lineage also had to be pure. Later in the book of Exodus we will see that Aaron was appointed to be the priest of the Israelites, of the tribe of Levi, tells us that Aaron's lineage was also pure as to his pedigree. We get even more details of this Midian priest, the father of these seven daughters from Numbers 10:29; "And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, ..." So this even identifies this priest of Midian by name, "Raguel". This old priest had seven daughter, with no sons, but he is about to get a son in the family.

In our land today, many live in one state, say Washington state, and call themselves Washingtonians, yet they are still Americans. Others may live in another state with call them by the state their are living in, yet they are all Americans. Yet at the same time, while I call myself a Norwegian, or you say an Irishmen by our forefathers, we are all still proud to say we are Americans. Raguel, this Midianite priest lived in the land of the Kenites, but by lineage he was from the seed of Abraham and Midian, and of the same priesthood that Abraham taught in his household to his sons, and their sons; of the teaching of the true God, YHVH.

This Midian priest moved to the land of the Kenites, near this sacred mountain, and that is why he is referred to as a Kenite. A five year old child knows who his mommy and daddy are, and this Midian priest Reuel, or Requel knows who his father was and it was not of the lineage of any Kenite. Don't let some one verse preacher confuse you on this matter. This Midian priest had seven daughters, and their duty was to draw the water daily at this well, and water the flock of their father's sheep. These girls are at the well troughs early and getting ready to water their sheep.

Exodus 2:17 "And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock."

The shepherds at that well were Kenites, and it was their land and there well. Remember that the girls and their family were strangers in this Kenite land, and they were supposed to wait until the others flocks were watered first. Moses was there resting at the well, and he saw what these other shepherds had done to the girls, and he stepped in to run the other shepherds off. Then he took charge and watered the girls sheep by himself. Moses grew up in the household of the Egyptian Pharaoh, and he knew the methods of the Egyptian army. He knew how to defend himself and to take charge of a situation.

Exodus 2:18 "And when they came to Reuel [Reguel- from Numbers 29:10] their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?" 

"Reuel" means "friend of Ya", friend of God in the Hebrew. We will see in the next chapter that he was known also by the title of "Jethro", which in the Hebrew tongue means "his excellence" [# 3503 in Strong's Hebrew dictionary], which is a fitting title to address a Midian priest. This task usually takes most of the day, requiring that they wait their turn, and then water all the sheep. Yet here these girls are back in the early part of the day.

Exodus 2:19 "And they said, "An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock."

Notice that they called Moses an Egyptian, for that was how Moses was dressed, and remember that he grew up in the Pharaoh's own household. It did not change his bloodline because he word the Egyptian clothes, nor did it change his bloodline because of the Egyptian that he spoke fluently. These girls assumed that Moses was of the Egyptians. As you study the Word of God, use your mind to keep the thoughts straight, and the subject focused on what God is trying to say. Learn to think for yourself. Keep in mind that Moses is a child of Abraham just like they are.

Exodus 2:20 "And he said unto his daughters, "And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread." 

This old boy has seven daughters, and this man comes along to help them and the least that he could do for him after his help was to offer him a meal. He sent the girls off to find the man and bring him home for dinner.

Exodus 2:21 "And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter."

Moses came to dinner, and did not leave. Moses was contented to live with Reuel and help with the chores, and Reuel gave Moses Zipporah his daughter in marriage. Zipporah was a good wife to Moses, and treated him well, so Moses is now as shepherd, content by living at the foot of this mountain in the land of the Kenites.

Exodus 2:22 "And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."

"Gershom" in the Hebrew means "a stranger". Moses was a stranger here in the land of the Kenites.

Exodus 2:23 "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage."

So in time, the Pharaoh that sought to take the life of Moses, died. The heat was off Moses because of taking the life of that Egyptian guard. The children of Israel were still locked in their bondage and they cried unto the Lord for relief from their bondage. God heard their cries, and His plan for their release is about to start. When you are in pain, and bondage, God hears your cries also, and He will move on your behalf also. He know your pain and your every thought, and He hears when you, as His child cry out to Him.

Remember from Genesis 15:13, 14; God told them that they would be in this bondage and that in 400 years they would be taken out of Egypt, more prosperous than they were when they went in. That 400 years has come to a close, and it is time for God's plan to spring into action, and His people to be released. By their bondage, they all were healthy, and able to endure many hardships, which they would face in their travels through the wilderness. God prepared them for the trip they would take very shortly. Even the Hebrew women did not need midwives to help them in giving birth, because they were so strong and healthy. Keep this in mind as we study their departure in chapters to come here in Exodus.

Exodus 2:24 "And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob."

That covenant is given to us in Genesis 17:4 - 8.

Genesis 17:4 " "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations."

Genesis 17:5 "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee."

Genesis 17:6 "And I will make exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee."

Genesis 17:7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

Genesis 17:8 "And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 

God let His people know everything that shall happen before they went into their bondage, just as He let each of us know through His Word those things that shall happen in our generation; and He is our God today, just as He was to our forefathers some four thousand years ago. He covenant with Abraham is just as much in tact today as it was then, and He will keep His Word and fulfill that Word to the letter. It should be no surprise to us as to those things that are happening today, for all of it was given far in advance by the Prophets, and by Jesus' own Word as we read in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. God warned us of these times through His prophets and apostles, and we are to study that we can be watchmen in our day and generation.

Exodus 2:25 "And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them."

God heard His peoples' cry, and he had respect for their situation in bondage. Where are these children of Israel today? Look around you, for they will be identified by who they are, the blessings they have, and what they do. Again Hosea best described them in Hosea 1:10; "Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, `Ye are not My People,' There it shall be said unto them, `Ye are the sons of the living God.' "

When Jesus Christ came out of that tomb, He become the living God, overcoming death. The peoples and nations of the earth that are part of these children of Israel are known as "the sons of the living God", or "Christians"; they are the Christian nations of today, of Europe, and the Americas, as well as Australia or where every them may reside. They were strangers in the land that they now live in, and most of those have no idea in the world that they are of the lineage of the tribes that they were born into. God truly has kept His Word to Israel, and His everlasting covenant is just as much in affect today as it was on the plains of the land of Canaan when God gave it to Abraham over four thousand years ago. God keeps His Word, and today that is the only thing that we can count on. That is why it is so important for each of us to seal away within our minds the truths from His Word, for that Word is what will keep us our of the confusion of these end times.