By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
TUESDAY
THEME: MOSES: EPITOME OF GOD’S GUIDANCE, PART I
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 2:9
“Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him.”
REFLECTIONS
God’s providence is marvelous, unimaginable, and indescribable. His acts are always beyond human comprehension. We are always at a loss when we try to probe and understand God’s ways and actions. With our finite minds, we will not always understand God and His actions. Therefore, we ought to be careful not to dishonor God with our false perceptions and utterances because of how sometimes unclear the path can be for us. In everybody’s life, God has worked and still works miracles. Often, we overlook the beautiful things God performs in our lives and instead feel He is more visible in other people’s lives. Affirmatively, every life has been touched by God in several ways. Look for how you can appreciate God for the many things you have taken for granted. Your conception, nine months in the womb, delivery, growth, and development are all wrapped in a miracle – with God in control – these are specific periods in your life you have no control whatsoever.
If you were born in the period of Israel’s history when the new pharaoh did not recognize them but schemed to minimize their influence in Egypt, you would appreciate God’s intervention in the people’s lives. Exodus 1:9-14 reveals, “[9]And he said to his people, “Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; [10]come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply. . . [11]Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. .[12]But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. [13]So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor. [14]And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage . . .” The king’s intention was diabolical.
Under the enemy’s direction, the pharaoh introduced male infanticide – that all male borns of the Israelites were to be killed (verses 15,16). Verse 17 reads, “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” Though the situation was dire, painful, and dreadful, God, with His watchful eyes, was still guiding the events. When people devise evil, God allows them time to nurture their futility to maturity so when He acts, they will see their folly. When the nurses refused, verse 22 says, “So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.”
Moses was born under this decree. Exodus 2:2-3 reads, “[2]So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. [3]But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.” This was an act of faith. Hebrews 11:23 confirms, “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.” Faith is always rewarded. Guess who comes around? Pharaoh’s daughter. See how God’s providence manifests, even using a little girl, Miriam, who brings the child back to the mother to nurse him and be paid for caring for her child. This is simply divine guidance. Divine providence is never missing in the lives of those who trust God.
The lessons from this short episode are numerous, but let us highlight a few to rekindle faith in God. God’s providence is constant – it knows no boundaries in time and space; those who ally with truth will be safe irrespective of the circumstances; God has a thousand ways to deal with what gives us the most headaches – Jochebed could take care of her son without any fear and with her service paid for. The dedication of a sibling, innocent Miriam, is heartwarming and portrays the beauty of a family working together. What is God’s providence in your life and your family? Beloved, stop weeping and wait a few more days; light will shine out of your dark moments.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
SDAH 99 – “God Will Take Care of You
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for His loving kindness; thank God for His providence in your life; pray to have unwavering faith in God in all situations;
– Pray for those who are almost giving up – there is hope; pray for families that are breaking up; pray for children in homes that the environment is unfriendly; pray for children who love God;
– Pray for people in distress, displaced, without food, water, and shelter; pray for God’s providence in the lives of people who face challenging moments; pray for the end of the Ukraine-Russia and Israeli-Hamas Wars;
– Pray for Christians to impact our communities; pray for the gospel to reach the unreached; pray for people who remain in the valley of indecision; pray for humanitarian workers; pray for the sick.
