Chapter 1
Exodus 1:1-2:10
It was evening; supper was over and the toys had been put away. The favorite hour had come for two happy, intelligent-looking children as they climbed up alongside Mother, who, with Bible in hand, had taken her usual place on the sofa. Sophy and her little brother Arthur were always eager for one of Mother’s bedtime Bible stories.
Mother’s last story from the book of Genesis was about the death of Joseph and of how God had said He would surely visit the children of Israel and bring them again into the land of Canaan, as He had promised Abraham.
“Now, Mother,” said Sophy eagerly, “do tell us more about the children of Jacob. How long did they stay in Egypt?”
So opening her Bible to the first chapter of Exodus, Mother began:
“From the time that God gave the promises to Abraham until the children of Israel left Egypt was about four hundred and thirty years. After Joseph and all his brothers were dead, the number of their children became great and they were very strong. The good king Pharaoh died and another king arose who did not remember what Joseph had done for Egypt. When he saw that the children of Israel were getting to be so numerous he began to be afraid that if there were to be a war that they would join with the enemy against his people. In order to keep them from doing that, the king made the children of Israel his servants and set taskmasters over them to make them work and, to build cities where the king might keep his treasures.”
“What was that king’s name, Mother?” asked Arthur.
“He, also, was called Pharaoh, as all the kings of Egypt were in those days, Arthur. But he was not like the good king Pharaoh who was kind to Joseph, for he was very cruel to the children of Israel. He made them work very hard with mortar and bricks to make fine buildings for the Egyptians. However, the more unkind the Egyptians were to them, Arthur, the more they increased in number and the stronger they became.
“Then Pharaoh thought of a very wicked plan. He told the nurses to kill all the newborn boy babies but to save the girl babies. The nurses feared God though, so they saved the boy babies, too. This made Pharaoh very angry, but God blessed the nurses because they feared Him more than the king of Egypt. Now Pharaoh thought of another way to carry out his scheme. He ordered the Israelites to throw every newborn son into the river.
But there was a man of the house of Levi who married a daughter of Levi. They had a baby boy who was a beautiful baby and they just couldn’t throw him into the river. They had faith in God so were not afraid of the king’s command. What do you think they did? They hid him for three months, but after that they thought he was too big to be hidden any longer.”
“Did they ask God not to let the king find him, Mamma?” inquired Sophy.
“I dare say his parents did ask God to take care of their little son, Sophy. There is a great river in Egypt called the Nile, and quantities of bulrushes grow along its banks. The poor mother gathered some of these rushes and made a basket, which was called an ark, covered it with pitch and slime and put her little baby in it. Then she left it floating among the rushes at the edge of the river.”
“Oh, the poor baby!” exclaimed Arthur. “Wouldn’t he cry when left all alone?”
“Yes, he did, Arthur,” replied Mother. “His sister stood afar off, watching to see what would happen to him. What do you think did happen to him? I will tell you. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river. As she walked along she saw the little ark among the bulrushes, so she sent her maid to bring it to her. When she looked in and saw the baby, he was crying. She felt sorry for him and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’ The little baby’s sister came up to Pharaoh’s daughter and said to her, ‘Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said, ‘Go.’ So she went and told her mother how Pharaoh’s daughter had found the baby. I think Pharaoh’s daughter thought what a nice kind nurse the mother was, though she did not know she was the baby’s real mother. She said to her, ‘Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.’ So the mother took the child and raised him. Then she took him back to Pharaoh’s daughter. He became her son and she called him Moses because she drew him out of the water.”
“Did he live in a palace like a little prince?” Sophy asked.
“Yes, he did, and he was taught all the learning of the Egyptians for they were the most educated people of the world in those days. Moses was very clever and very strong, for he was mighty in words and in deeds. But that is all for tonight. You must go to bed now.”