Baby Moses in River Nile

Baby Moses in River Nile
Acrylic on Canvas
11" x 14"
11/09/15
2.5 hours

I painted this picture of baby Moses in the river Nile (adapted from an image which I sourced online) on the suggestion of one of my colleagues, who felt that this was a meaningful account and reminder that we should always trust in God, who has the greatest plans for His people.

As background, Moses was one of Abraham's descendants, whom God raised and ultimately used to deliver His people, the Israelites, from Egypt through many miracles. Previously, Joseph's jealous brothers had betrayed him, and had sold him as a slave to the foreign land of Egypt. With God's blessings, however, Joseph had found particular favor with the king there and, with great wisdom and foresight, he had risen through the ranks and had eventually saved his family (whom he graciously forgave) from a severe famine by bringing them to Egypt.

In time, however, a new king, who knew nothing about Joseph's contributions, came to power after Joseph and his brothers had passed away. The new king tried to oppress the Israelites (who were exceedingly fruitful) to prevent them from multiplying, but this was not successful. He then ordered the midwives to kill Israelite male children during childbirth, but the midwives feared God and this did not work. Finally, he ordered that all Israelite boys born shall be thrown into the Nile.

Exodus 2:1-10 NIV sets out the account in respect of Moses as follows:

"The Birth of Moses

Now a man of the tribe 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 riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female 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.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”

“Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”"

This account is meaningful for the following reasons:

• We should not stubbornly rely on our own strength, and should always trust in God to step in. Moses' mother clearly knew her son was special; he was "a fine child". She tried to hide him for 3 months, and when she knew that she was no longer able to do so, she placed him in the Nile. Through this, she had left his future entirely to God, as she would not be able to control what happened after. Anything could have happened. Her son could have been found by a person who lacked compassion. Her faith in God's protection of His people and His greater plan is truly inspiring, and had led to great results. If she had stubbornly sought full control over her son's destiny, she would likely never have left him in the Nile, and Moses would not have been found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter. In the end, God not only protected Moses, but enabled his mother to continue to take care of him.
• God can achieve amazing results even through the Pharaoh's daughter. Moses was delivered into the hands of the Pharaoh's daughter. Her father had passed the decree for the death of Israelite boys. She could have had the same mindset of her father. But instead, she was compassionate even though she recognized that he was a Hebrew. Eventually, she adopted him and brought him up as an Egyptian prince. Even though things seem bleak and impossible, God can turn any situation to His glory and for His purposes. Furthermore, God often allows His people to live amongst others - in these cases, we should not immediately assume that they are "enemies", but should lead a Godly life in their presence with the purpose of introducing them to God's glory.
• God is always present even when He appears silent. Many Israelites must have suffered and some Israelite baby boys may have died during the period of oppression. During this period, the Israelites may have assumed that God no longer cared for them or loved them, for why would He otherwise allow such evil? Yet through this account, we see that although God permits evil because He graciously granted free will to men, He will always have a deliverance plan and will never leave His people. God is always working in the background, even though we may not immediately understand, appreciate or see His greater plans.
• God works in His own time, in His own way. God could have immediately struck the Pharaoh down and stopped him from threatening His people, but He did not choose to do so. Instead, He brought Moses up to lead His people through the desert with miracles, provide them with His laws, and deliver them to the promised land. Oftentimes, we have our own ideas of what we would like God to do for us, but we must always trust that God has a greater plan and purpose, and that sometimes we may not be able to immediately comprehend what this could entail.

This account inspires me to always trust in God, no matter what happens, as He is always watching and cares greatly for us. He will always have the best plans for those who love and trust in Him.