Moses, God's First Prophet (MP 36)

None but God could have brought this life about,
That Moses be reared in the Pharaoh’s home,
For male Hebrew babes were to be snuffed out,
Pharaoh said; his daughter made him her own!
Saved to be God’s first prophet, Moses was;
How many Hebrew boys thrown in the Nile?
The world knows not, nor cares, but God sure does;
With Him’s the soul of ev’ry murdered child!
O Israel! Sing praise to God of that day,
For your exodus from Egypt loomed near;
Moses would free you, and show you the way;
Your deliverer has God sent you here!
He tended this infant with special care,
For the fate of Israel Moses would bear!

Scripture Quoted: Exodus 1:22-2:1-6 (NIV) [Brackets added]
“Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people, ‘Every [Hebrew] boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.’ Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.”

Commentary on Exodus 1:22-2:1-8 (NIV)
According to a poll taken among Jews worldwide, accorded to J. Vernon McGee, Moses is the forefather held in the highest esteem by most. His birth and rearing were miraculous, because Pharaoh (or Pharaohs) had enforced an edict for an unknown number of years that all Hebrew male infants were to be drowned in the Nile. He was hidden by his mother for three months; then she placed him in a basket floating in the Nile, watched by his sister. Pharaoh’s daughter found him and took him for her own. She even paid his mother to nurse him, although she probably didn’t know it was his mother. He became her son, and he lived in Pharaoh’s palace until grown as his adopted grandson. Many of the Hebrew boys were murdered, but God’s blessing on the Israelites caused some to live, and the number of Hebrews continued to multiply, despite the ruthless treatment by Egyptian rulers.

Moses was destined to be God’s Deliverer, His prophet called to confront Pharaoh and force him to let the Israelite nation leave Egypt and the long years of slavery. God used certain men and women as prophets (selected recipients of His words to Israel) over about 1500 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament, which is the Hebrew Bible, was written by these inspired (by the Holy Spirit, who is God in spirit form) men and women, and it contains many prophecies. Moses also fulfilled the dual role of ruler, or judge, and high priest in leading the Children of Israel from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. Note that he was of the tribe of Levi, whose men were appointed as priests for the nation. Moses did not know that he was to do all this during his time spent in the palace; he did know he was a Hebrew.


"For God so loved the world that he sent his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, buy have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)