THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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over-ruling hand in bringing her th a t way. The loving loyalty of sister Miriam, the fou rteen or fifteen year old girl, m u st no t be overlooked. Do you re member th e ‘sto ry of th e indignant reply of th e little girl, carrying th e great, big baby, when a stran g e r rem ark ed to her “ You ought no t to try to carry th a t child. ■ He is too big for you” ? The little maid replied w ith scorn in her voice, “He is my b ro th er.” We never can say too much of w hat sons owe to th e ir mothers, bu t do we say quite enough about w hat b ro th ers owe to th e ir sisters? How n atu ra lly th e Egyptian princess decides th a t she w ants a nu rse when Miriam questioned her. (Was th e re not a quiet sm ile in the corners of th e prin cess’s lips, as well as a te a r in h er eye?) How n atu ra lly God provided th a t the early years of th e coming de liverer should be spent in a God-fearing home. How wonderfully He no t only delivered th e baby from th e royal w rath, b u t made th e royal purse pay for his care. Jochebed gave h er son to God, and God gave him back to her. Does any m other possess her son in th e deepest meaning of possession, un til she has first given him to God? Some one has well said “A praying mother and a w atching sister is a com bination any man m ight be well th a n k ful fo r.” 2. Moses, the Boy. B rought up in his m o ther’s cottage, or hu t, during his early years, who can doubt th a t a t his m o ther’s knee he was ta u g h t to love and reverence God, and to seek to know and to do His will. Those first few form ative years are th e years th a t count, afte r all. Then, in due time, from th e cottage he is called to th e palace, for th e de liverer of Israel, who m ust be states man and soldier, needs all th e education and train in g th a t th e best teachers of Egypt can give him. Acts 7:22. Here, again, we m ust notice how n atu rally
back into th e ir own land, they knew the a rts of brick-m aking and building, and probably much more besides. We are sure from th e n arrativ e, th a t th e school m aster saw to it th a t th e scholars did th e ir work well. Perhaps chiefest of all th e lessons th a t Israel was to le arn th rough th e oppression, was th e ir need of God,— th e ir u tte r dependence upon Him,— and of H is ability and w illingness to help them . A fter all, is not th a t th e one g reat lesson which every hum an being, made in th e image and likeness of God, needs to learn? To w hat o th er end has the universe been created? F o r w hat o ther purpose has life been given? IV. The D eliverer from th e Oppression. 1. Moses, th e baby. How thoroughly God is ab le to defeat S atan ’s plan on S atan ’s own basis. He chose no t a grown up man to be the deliverer of His people, b u t a babe,— a little helpless in fan t,— in defiance of P h arao h ’s and S atan ’s decree. Moses’ p aren ts Amram and Jochebed (Ex. 6:18-20) were of th e trib e of Levi. Here, again, is God’s grace manifested, for th is was th e trib e th a t had dis honored itself and was to be scattered among th e other tribes, having no trib al inheritance of its own (Gen. 34:25-31 and 49 :5 -7 ). H is fam ily home was in Goshen near th e city of Tanis or Zoan. The king had a palace here and it was n ear one of th e branches of th e river Nile. The simplicity of God’s methods is perhaps nowhere more beautifully illus tra te d th a n in th e story of how Moses’, life was preserved. Notice his m o th er’s faith , and love, and daring, and inven tiveness, and remember th a t these ell came from her personal tru s t in God. Heb. 11:23. Is no t th a t th e kind of mothers th a t America needs today? j Notice, again, th e sympathy and kind ness of th e princess, h er intelligent grasp of the situation, her tend er h ea rt and, though unknown to h er, God’s
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