The parents of Moses
Happy November, Peaceful Readers! My heart is filled with joy as I anticipate Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. What are you looking forward to?
Recap
Today on Choosing Peace, we’ll explore the commendations about Moses’ parents in The Hall of Faith. What have we covered so far?
Abel, Enoch and Noah
♦ Faith—what it is and isn’t
♦ Commendations
Abraham and Sarah
♦ Highlights, commendations, Marriage 101
♦ Hard times; God’s design for marriage
♦ Epilogue; virtues, strengths, purposes
Isaac, Jacob and Joseph
♦ Commendations and journeys
♦ Our ancestors
Names—or not
Moses wrote the book of Exodus, where his story unfolded. His parents are unnamed. He included the two Hebrew midwives’ names. Why would he leave out his own parents’ names, Peaceful Readers? When we write about our parents, we call them Mom and Dad. Maybe that explains it. Moses was raised by one of Pharaoh’s daughters—a princess of Egypt. Her name is also excluded.
Moses knew he was penning holy scripture, so he obeyed the Holy Spirit on each and every word—what was included and what was excluded. I’m going to choose names for Moses’ parents to make their story more accessible, and to avoid writing Moses’ mother and Moses’ father again and again. That would be annoying. I’ll call them Chuck and Melanie.
The back-story
Now there arose a new king over Egypt…. He said to his people, “Look, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come, let us deal [shrewdly] with them, lest they multiply, and it happen that when any war breaks out, they also join themselves to our enemies, and fight against us, and escape out of the land.”
Exodus 1:8-10, New Heart English Bible
Translation: “The Israelites may seem harmless, but they’re actually dangerous and secretly subversive. We must beat them down because they belong to us.” The anti-Hebrew propaganda came from the top down. And it spread like wildfire.
Mass fear breeds irrational, polarized people, separated into
emotionally-violent and sometimes physically-violent Us vs. Them groups.
When have you seen this reality?
Recommended reading on Choosing Peace:
The Great Reset and the cost of silence
Us vs. Them: post 1, post 2, post 3
Pharaoh’s mandates
Plan A—harsh slavery
The new pharaoh, king of Egypt, enslaved the Israelites, putting harsh taskmasters over them.
But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out. And the Egyptians were in dread of the children of Israel.
Exodus 1:12, New Heart English Bible
Mass fear was in effect. The people’s minds spun with Us vs. Them thinking.
Plan B—quiet murder
Plan A didn’t work. Harsh labor only increased the procreation of the Israelites, so Pharaoh moved on to Plan B—quiet murder.
Pharaoh told the two Hebrew midwives to kill all the Hebrew baby boys they delivered. They wouldn’t do it. Since the midwives revered the Lord and refused to partner with evil, the Lord protected and blessed them—giving them their own children. He also blessed the nation of Israel, which “multiplied, and grew very mighty” (Exodus 1:20b, NHEB).
Plan C—institutionalized murder
Pharaoh wasn’t messing around. Since the midwives wouldn’t murder the Hebrew baby boys, he moved to Plan C—institutionalized murder.
Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “You are to cast every son who is born to the Hebrews into the river, but every daughter you are to keep alive.”
Exodus 1:22, New Heart English Bible
The hunters
Egyptian citizens became the tip of the spear. Some would’ve rightly avoided their new assignment—the king’s mandate to murder the Israelites’ baby boys. But other Egyptians would’ve started competitions and perhaps clubs: Hebrew Baby Boy Hunting—The North Side Raiders, etc. Did they get paid? Other rewards? Feasts and parties? New positions of power? Did the hunters keep body counts? How long did this go on? Years?
Lest you think only men would’ve participated in the baby hunt, think again. Read the Women and Violence section near the end of this post. And consider bloodthirsty women in the Bible, like Queen Jezebel.
Accomplices and spies
Did the hunters recruit and reward spies within the Israelite community? Who did they threaten and/or pay for information?
A time of shrieking, death and horror
entered The Hebrew Sector.
The thought of it makes me shiver. It mirrors the “Jew hunt” in Poland during World War 2 and the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem after Jesus was born.
Chuck and Melanie—the courageous
A man and woman, both from the tribe of Levi, got married. Let’s call them Chuck and Melanie.
The woman conceived, and bore a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus box for him and coated it with bitumen and with pitch. And she put the child in it and put it among the rushes by the bank of the river. And his sister [Miriam] stood at a distance, to see what would be done to him.
Exodus 2:2-4, New Heart English Bible
Commendation
We learn more about Chuck and Melanie’s character in their commendation in The Hall of Faith:
By faith, Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
Hebrews 11:23, New Heart English Bible
When healthy parents see their new baby, they see wonder, they see beauty, they see a precious gift. Chuck and Melanie didn’t keep Moses alive because he was prettier than their other children when they were babies. They loved him and they knew it was their job to protect him.
Despite great danger, Chuck and Melanie kept Moses
alive because their faith conquered any fear.
Love and protection
After hiding Moses for three months and not taking him out in public, Chuck and Melanie knew they had to do something big to protect him long-term. What would godly, loving, creative parents do to save their baby’s life?
Chuck and Melanie took this life-and-death project very seriously.
Melanie coated a Moses-sized box thoroughly and carefully to make it waterproof. We can be assured that the box was tested for water-tightness and sturdiness to hold their dear baby. She would’ve given Moses a bath, fed him and tucked him safely inside the box—cushioned by his favorite blanket and wearing his cutest outfit. Melanie placed the box in bullrushes near the shore so precious Moses wouldn’t be carried away by the current. She also positioned their daughter Miriam nearby to keep watch.
Melanie’s husband Chuck was fully aware of what Melanie was doing. They were both commended in The Hall of Faith for loving their baby and for standing courageously against Pharaoh’s command, so we know Chuck was involved in the planning and perhaps in executing the plan. Did Chuck procure the box and the materials needed to make it watertight?
Chuck and Melanie were a team.
Right place, right people, right time
Perhaps Chuck and/or Melanie became familiar with the comings and goings at the pivotal drop-off location. When were people there? Who were they? Would they be compassionate to a helpless baby? How often did they come? Did they come near or get in the water? If so, where? Did crocodiles or other dangerous creatures avoid the spot?
Also, Moses’ sister Miriam had to be prepared—where to stand, when to come out from hiding, and what to say.
Most of all, Chuck and Melanie needed the answer to this question: When would it be safe and successful to place their precious Moses in the water? They prayed and God Almighty answered.
Today is the day.
Arise and go.
Success
Melanie, Miriam and Moses went to the Nile River. Melanie placed the watertight box containing Moses in the chosen spot—in the grass-like rushes near the shore. Then Melanie headed back home while Miriam hid nearby. These remarkable events unfolded in Exodus 2:5-10.
The princess saw the box in the water and had one of her handmaidens bring it to her. Even though she knew the Hebrew baby was marked for murder by her father, she had compassion on him. Truly remarkable. After agreeing to Miriam’s suggestion, the princess committed to paying Melanie to nurse her own baby. Thanks be to God.
Faithful prayer
The time of nursing lasted two to three years in those days, so Melanie fed and nurtured, kissed and hugged, loved and sang to her precious son until the day when she delivered him to the Egyptian princess who would raise him.
I know in my heart that Chuck and Melanie prayed earnestly and faithfully for Moses—before his birth, after his birth, and after he was delivered to the palace—knowing that they gave him to a princess whose father ordered his murder. Moses would be raised as a grandson to the mighty and murderous Pharaoh. How would he be treated? What remarks or nicknames would swirl around him in the palace? What dangers would he face? What evil? What false teaching?
Chuck and Melanie didn’t pray for “a hedge of protection” around Moses—popular praying lingo in some churches. They prayed for an impenetrable fortress. For some guaranteed laughs, watch this short Tim Hawkins comedy clip about “a hedge of protection.” It is hilarious.
Letting Moses go
Would Chuck and Melanie ever hear about how Moses was doing? Would they ever lay eyes on him as a child, a teenager or an adult?
Can we begin to remotely comprehend the heartache of letting him go—into the hands of violent pagans who worshiped many false gods?
Peaceful Readers, it’s time to shift gears to the present day.
Politics and life
While we may not like to admit it, our nation and our government profoundly impact our lives.
Purposeful time and place
Moses was fundamentally impacted by the Egyptian monarchy, its leaders and its laws. He was targeted for death at birth—by order of Pharaoh. But God had another plan—and a phenomenal purpose for his life.
Do we acknowledge God’s sovereign and perfect wisdom in the timing and location of our birth and where we live?
“[God] made from one [man] every nation of the human race to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings….”
Acts 17:26, New Heart English Bible
God Almighty determined and chose our time
of conception, birth, life and death—and where we would live.
Part 2 of Simplicity includes our son Logan’s favorite Bible verse—about being placed in a particular location by the Lord “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14c, NHEB).
Politics in the U.S.
To be perfectly transparent, I’m a conservative Christian and I vote Republican.
Since no politician is perfect, I don’t agree with any politician all of the time. Also, I freely acknowledge that things aren’t always what they appear to be. President Trump knows things we’ll never know, and that’s the way it needs to be for many reasons.
That said, certain political issues—basic human rights—are non-negotiables for me.
Frankie Ann’s Political Priorities
1. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
2. Freedom of speech and religion.
3. A secure border.
4. The right to bear arms.
5. The right for citizens to vote—preferably in elections with 100% integrity.
Those issues are intricately related. We can’t have #1 if we don’t have #2 thru #5. And let me say this again. These issues are basic human rights. I’m not asking for something outlandish or unheard of. I’m not seeking to flip the Constitution and Bill of Rights upside-down.
Our founding fathers knew what they were doing.
Truth and trust
While it’s natural for Republicans to feel discouraged about the recent mid-term elections, let’s focus on this truth:
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of [the Lord] our God.
Psalm 20:7, World English Bible
What does that really mean? We don’t rely on our government or our military for spiritual or eternal realities—for ultimate satisfaction in life.
We trust in the Lord our God! He is our fortress. He is our deliverer. He is our refuge. Reflect on Psalm 18:2.
Issues of eternal consequence
♦ Our salvation and our eternity don’t come from our government.
♦ Our very lives and our purpose don’t come from our government.
♦ God Almighty and his holy, inerrant word don’t come from our government.
If you love and treasure Jesus, your eternity in heaven is secure. From part 11 of Before and After:
If you don’t know Jesus yet, read the Exploring Christianity section in part 10 and find an Alpha class near you. Ask big questions. Seek big answers.
“The people who care”
As we all know, people and groups define political non-negotiables differently. Some—in polar opposite ways.
A sweet lady I know shared a revealing text conversation with me. A nurse and mother of two bragged about the “blue wave” in Texas—the Democrat mid-term victories—commenting that now “the people who care” are in power. A relative of hers replied that supporting abortion through the third trimester is a strange demonstration of their deep concern for people. How did the nurse reply? Basically, “You’d understand if you were a nurse like me and saw deformed babies.” Translation: “The people who care get to define who’s worthy of life and who isn’t.”
Horrifying, but not remotely surprising.
Abortion
Since murder of babies stood at the core of The Hall of Faith commendation for Chuck and Melanie, Moses’ parents, let’s dig into the topic of abortion, the modern-day “health care” atrocity championed by “the people who care.”
Pro-life, sort of
My friend Elyse recommended a recent podcast about the pro-life movement that was extremely eye-opening, and in some ways, shocking. Peaceful Readers, please watch this one-hour, must-see Allie Beth Stuckey podcast:
“The Dark Side of the “Pro-Life” Movement & The Truth About Abortion Politics”
I understand if you want to watch pieces at a time over several days or take breaks here and there. The reality of opposing forces in the pro-life camp is disturbing, but we must understand the issues at play. Many “pro-life” clinic owners have repeatedly banded together to block important legislation that could truly end abortion, once and for all. Why in the world are they doing that? Watch the podcast to find out.
Guest Ginna Cross speaks with biblical wisdom and clarity. She is excellent and extremely knowledgeable.
I forwarded this podcast to the director of our church’s Life Task Force and asked her to watch it and communicate about these issues with the women’s clinic our church supports. Please share the Allie Beth podcast and today’s post as the Lord leads you.
The lawmakers
From this post:
At one point in our nation’s history, it was legal to kidnap, sell and enslave people. For the last 50 years, it’s been legal to exterminate babies in their mothers’ wombs. Obviously, lawmakers have failed to ensure that the laws of our nation honor our Declaration of Independence—ensuring the most basic human rights. Lawmakers want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for themselves, but not necessarily for other people. There’s no liberty in slavery. There’s no life in abortion. There’s no pursuit of happiness in either.
A message to the lawmakers who have forsaken We The People
“…you are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting.”
Daniel 5:27, New Heart English Bible
What does that mean?
For more, read this post and this post.
The machine
You might want to grab a piece of chocolate or another special treat. Seven years ago, I wrote a story called The Machine, which begins like this:
Once upon a time there was a beautiful land. The people were smart. They were creative. They liked new things and new ideas. They were forward-thinking.
The good machine
They built a big, shiny machine in the center of their beautiful land. They cleaned and polished the outside of the machine every day. When the people walked by the machine, they marveled at the sparkling new machine. So smart. So creative. So forward-thinking. The lawmakers said yes to the machine, so the people knew that the machine was good for them. What a good machine.
The good words
The machine had a voice… a voice that spoke good words every day. And the people loved the words. The words made them feel good about themselves and about the machine. It was a good machine. A machine that spoke good words.
The machine spoke words like freedom, planned, women’s rights and health care. The machine’s favorite word was choice. The people loved the words. And they loved the machine.
The machine spoke all day every day. It spoke on the news shows the people watched. It spoke on the radio. It spoke on talk shows. It spoke in their newspapers and magazines. The people talked about the shiny machine and its good words as they walked through town, as they stood with their friends and as they sat down at home. They liked the machine’s words so much that they repeated the words. The machine was so smart. And the people were smart too.
The people were so proud of their new, shiny machine. The machine that spoke the good words. The machine that made them feel good. Life was better than ever. What a good, smart, shiny machine.
The food factories
The machine grew every day. The people built food factories all across the land to feed the machine. The smart people in the beautiful land drove past the food factories every day. And the people were silent.
The women walked into the food factories and they fed the machine. The good machine. The smart machine. The shiny machine. When they walked into the food factories, they were silent. When they walked out of the food factories, they were silent. And the machine grew. Every day the machine grew….
Question and answer
The teenagers asked their moms about the machine. They asked their moms about the new word—abortion. When I was a teenager, I asked my mom, “What do you think about abortion?” And she answered me with the good words—with the machine’s mantra: “I think it’s a woman’s right to choose.”
My mom went to church three times a week every week. So did I. The good people who went to church heard the machine’s good words and they spoke the machine’s good words. What a good, smart, shiny machine.
The machine kept talking and growing. The people were silent. And the church was silent.
When I asked my mom—a faithful, lifelong church-goer—for the truth about abortion, she spoke the machine’s mantra. Why? Because the machine spoke non-stop lies about abortion and the church was silent.
No one in my life knew and spoke the truth.
The church’s failure
Roe v. Wade became law in 1973 when I was 10 years old. After abortion was legalized, how many preachers stood behind a pulpit while I sat in one of the pews? I sat under a number of preachers in two different states—shepherds who were charged with spiritually protecting their people. How many?
Thirteen preachers, one sermon
Thirteen preachers never preached to me about abortion—what it really is, what it really does, what the Bible really says about life. In my entire life, I’ve heard one sermon at church on the subject and a few scattered comments in other sermons. Sadly, the one sermon came way too late for me and so many others. And obviously, one sermon is woefully inadequate. It would be akin to saying to your child—one time, “Don’t hit your sister,” and ignoring the fists of fury thereafter.
The failure of the church in this area goes way beyond catastrophe.
The church’s silence on abortion mirrors
its silence in Germany during World War 2.
Refusal to lead
At the beginning of chapter 10 in Abby Johnson’s book The Walls Are Talking, an abortion clinic nurse described the silence in her church, home and Catholic school about abortion and life, commenting that the silence “was deafening.” She explained how the complete lack of communication and education on these subjects made her vulnerable to abortion, and how she walked down destructive paths due to her ignorance—because no one took “the time and energy” to point her “in the right direction.”
Men charged by God to shepherd his people—
to spiritually protect and lead them—
refuse to do so on the most critical issue of our age.
Preachers worldwide will answer to Jesus, face-to-face, for their epic failure, for their complicity, for their fear. For the millions of murders they could’ve prevented. For the broken lives that could’ve been whole. For the culture of death they silently embraced while pretending mass murder was none of their business.
The seminary student and her Christian doctor
A woman at my church had two abortions while she and her husband were seminary students studying for full-time Christian ministry. Let’s call her Sabrina. Her gynecologist, who was also a Christian, gave her a booklet detailing her birth control options, and one of the options listed was abortion. Translation: “All these options are sanctioned and safe. Choose whichever one works best for you.” So Sabrina had two abortions. She and her husband never spoke about it afterwards. They were silent.
More silence
My first husband and I aborted our son. When we walked into the machine’s food factory, we were silent. When we left the food factory, we were silent. Explore part 1 of The Trauma or Abortion for my story.
Here’s another segment from The Machine.
Other food
Lumps weren’t the only food for the machine. Some of the women who went to the food factories died at the factories or after they went home. They were fed to the machine. Sometimes lawyers gave their families money to shut them up. Other women who went to the food factories killed themselves later. They were fed to the machine. Some of the women who went to the food factories killed themselves later with alcohol or drugs. Their bodies were fed to the machine too.
The machine kept talking and growing. The people were silent. The church was silent. The people who walked into the food factories were silent. The Christians were silent. The police departments were silent. The news reporters were silent. The drivers were silent. The abortion doctors, nurses and workers were silent. And sometimes the relatives of the dead women were silent. So were the lawyers for the food factories.
Important things
The smart people who lived in the beautiful land talked about things that were important. Things like birthday parties, sports, TV shows, their new shoes… things like that. You know—important things. They drove past the food factories every day while they were going somewhere important. You know—someplace like Sonic or Chick-fil-A. When they drove past the food factories, the smart people going to important places were silent.
The machine kept talking and growing. And the people were silent.
The numbers
One in three women in the United States had an abortion. One in three. The numbers are the same inside and outside the church. You know quite a few of them, but you have no idea who they are. Millions upon millions are silent—carrying a horrifying secret they’ll never speak about—walking through life with a unique type of PTSD. Precious few of these women ever experience healing. (Abortion PTSD also impacts the men—details in the outstanding book Fatherhood Aborted by Guy Condon and David Hazard.)
Strong and courageous
Peaceful Readers, be strong and courageous. Read all of The Machine. There’s so much to think about. Books and healing resources are included at the end. Also, see Abortion in the index and follow where the Lord leads. Healing is available!
Chuck and Melanie took great risks to save their baby’s life. What will we do to rescue millions of babies headed to the silent slaughter every year? What will we do?
Share Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast, The Machine
and today’s post boldly—as the Lord leads you.
And pray faithfully for legislation to pass nationwide and worldwide that will end the genocide of abortion, once and for all.
Coming next
Get ready to honor Moses in part 7 of The Hall of Faith. I’m so excited about what the Lord has in store for us.
Thanks for reading and for Choosing Peace.
Closing word and song
Be blessed by this old hymn written in 1782: “Afflicted Saint, to Christ Draw Near” by Sovereign Grace Music. I heard it for the first time today.
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