- Book: [[Exodus]] - Next chapter: [[Exodus 3]] > [!summary] Summary > - [[Moses]] is preserved from Pharaoh’s decree, adopted into Egypt’s household, yet remains tied to his [[Israel]]ite identity > - After defending his people with violence, Moses is rejected and flees to [[Midian]], starting a new chapter of formation > - [[God]] hears, remembers his covenant with [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]], and [[Jacob]], and prepares to act in rescue > [!info] Why is this here? > - Shows how the deliverer is preserved and positioned: Israel’s rescue will be God’s work, not Moses’ strength > - Highlights the timing of God’s covenant faithfulness (“God remembered”), setting up the [[Burning Bush]] call > - Advances the bigger aim of [[Exodus]]: rescue that reveals [[Yahweh]] and brings Israel to himself # Overview ## v. 1-10: A child preserved in the Nile - A Levite family hides a baby ([[Moses]]) and places him in the [[Nile]] - Pharaoh’s daughter rescues and adopts him; his mother nurses him first - Moses is raised in the royal household but remains connected to his people > [!note] Pharaoh’s decree overturned > The same river meant for death becomes the means of deliverance, hinting that [[Yahweh]] rules even Egypt’s tools. ## v. 11-15: Moses intervenes and flees - Moses kills an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and hides the body - His own people question his authority (“Who made you ruler and judge?”) - Pharaoh seeks him; Moses escapes to [[Midian]] > [!note] A reluctant insider-outsider > Moses is both Egyptian (by upbringing) and Hebrew (by identity), and is mistrusted by his own people before he can lead them. ## v. 16-22: New life in Midian - Moses defends [[Reuel]]’s (Jethro’s) daughters at a well - He marries [[Zipporah]] and has a son, [[Gershom]] (“a sojourner”) - His exile reinforces Israel’s own sojourner status ## v. 23-25: God hears and remembers - Israel groans under slavery; their cry reaches God - God “remembers” his covenant with the patriarchs and “sees” Israel - The rescue is about to begin, not because God forgot, but because the appointed time has come # Details - This chapter speeds through decades to show that God’s rescue is grounded in covenant faithfulness, not human readiness - Moses’ failure and rejection underline that Israel’s deliverance will depend on [[Yahweh]]’s power, not Moses’ initiative - The movement from Egypt to Midian prepares for God’s self-revelation in [[Exodus 3]] and the wider purpose of rescue: bringing Israel to God at [[Sinai]]