Moses' 3 Months
The 3 months Moses spent hidden at home, points
to the book of Leviticus. Moses is from the tribe of Levi, but
more importantly, the story in Exodus forms a parable for how
the levitical system functions.
Exodus 2:1-10
1A man from the house of Levi went and took a daughter of Levi.
2The woman conceived and bore a son. When she saw that he was handsome, she hid him for 3 months. H Acts 7:20 H Hebrews 11:23
Exodus 2:1-23She could no longer hide him and took to him an ark made of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch and put the child into it and laid it among the reeds by the bank of the river.
4His sister stood far away to know what would happen to him.
Exodus 2:3-45The daughter of pharaoh came down to bathe in the river and her maids walked along by the side of the river. When she saw the ark among the reeds she sent her maids to fetch it.
6She opened it and saw the child. The baby was weeping and she had compassion on him and said, This is a child of the Hebrews.'
Exodus 2:5-67His sister said to the daughter of pharaoh, Should I go for you and call a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse this child for you?
Exodus 2:78The daughter of pharaoh said to her, Go. Exodus 2:8The girl went and called the mother of the child.
9The daughter of pharaoh said to her, Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages. Exodus 2:8-9The woman took the child and nursed him.
10The child grew and she brought him to the daughter of pharaoh and he became her son. H Acts 7:21 Exodus 2:9-10She called his name, Moses, K Daniel 3:25 K Daniel 8:16 K Daniel 9:21 K Matthew 17:3 K Mark 9:4 K Luke 1:11 K Luke 1:26 K Luke 2:21 K Luke 9:30 K Luke 24:4 K John 20:12 K Acts 1:10 K Revelation 17:1 for she said, I drew him out of the water. Exodus 2:10 (Exodus 2:1-10 BRB) Count
3 = Leviticus
Leviticus
Looking for a specific passage in the book of Leviticus that
relates to this passage in Exodus is not very productive, so
instead, let me suggest another perspective. Use this story in
Exodus to understand the role of those Leviticus is written to,
the Levites.
Levites were to teach the law to Israel. Throughout the book
of Leviticus Yahvah speaks to Moses, Aaron, or both, asking them
to speak to the sons of Israel. As Levites Moses and Aaron were
responsible to pass along to others what they had received from
Yahvah.
The story in Exodus involves pharaoh's daughter paying Moses'
mother to nurse him for her. Let me suggest that when a Levite
speaks about the things of god to someone who is a new believer,
they are, in essence, nursing that person. The imagery is not
foreign to scripture. Peter uses it.
FA 1Therefore put away from you all wickedness and all treachery and accepting of faces and envy and slander
2and become like newborn babies and long for the word as for pure and spiritual milk by which you may grow to life,
3if you have tasted and seen that the Master is good. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (1 Peter 2:1-3 BRB)
Peter, or course, was levitical too as he shared with others
what he had received from Jesus.
A second aspect to this story is the wages. How does a Levite
who spends his/her time preparing and sharing what they have
received from Jesus fund life? The story in Exodus does not say
where the money will come from in each case, but it does establish
the basic pattern.
Levites are funded by a third party. Moses did not pay his
mother for her milk. Pharaoh's daughter did. Yet this pattern is
different from what we usually see. How many people being nursed
on the milk of the word are encouraged to put some money in the
offering plate to pay the preacher? It's common. This story says,
as many passages of scripture teach, that the one who pays the
Levite for milk is someone other than those receiving the milk.
Ryan Eaton 2012-01-23