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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ007111S
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00:22 Moses, born a slave but destined to rule over Egypt's
00:28 Empire. Rescued from the river, adopted by a princess 00:33 and raised to be Pharaoh, instead leads a nation of slaves 00:40 to freedom and changes the world. 00:44 Moses, a hero for our time. 00:51 It was a royal death decree and it was devastating 00:58 when they heard of Pharaoh's command to throw their 01:03 newborn sons into the Nile River, the pain and grief 01:07 passed over the oppressed Hebrew slaves 01:10 like a bitter flood. 01:12 They already suffered from brutality and this new tragedy 01:17 was more than they could bear. 01:19 The Hebrews or Israelites hadn't always been enslaved 01:24 they were the descendants of Jacob and his sons 01:27 including Joseph, the slave who became Prime Minister 01:31 of Egypt and saved the kingdom from famine. 01:34 In a show of gratitude for Joseph's services to the nation 01:39 Pharaoh had granted his family land and permanent residence 01:43 status in Egypt. 01:45 But after the death of Joseph, a new Pharaoh ascended 01:49 to the Egyptian throne, he didn't know Joseph 01:53 and was unwilling to acknowledge the service Joseph had rendered 01:57 to the nation, most likely because Joseph was a 02:01 Habura, a term used by Egyptians to describe outsiders. 02:06 including Canaanites and others. 02:08 When this new Pharaoh looked around at his kingdom 02:11 and saw the property and prosperity of the Hebrews 02:15 and their vast numbers, he realized that they could pose 02:19 this serious threat to national security and the future of Egypt. 02:23 In an attempt to manage the threat, Pharaoh forced the 02:28 Hebrews into slavery. Almost overnight the stable 02:33 prosperous lives of the Hebrews turned into a living nightmare. 02:37 Punctuated with whippings and hard labor, 02:40 the Hebrews longed for freedom but freedom seemed 02:45 like an unattainable dream too far off on the horizon 02:49 to be grasped. 02:50 Then, just when they thought their lives couldn't get 02:53 any worse Pharaoh passed an inhuman decree, 02:58 a Death Decree. At Pharaoh's command every newborn Hebrew 03:03 boy was to be thrown into the Nile River. 03:06 If slavery wouldn't contain or destroy them, 03:10 then Pharaoh decided that mass murder or infanticide by drowning 03:15 would achieve his ends but one woman chose to resist 03:21 the cruel mandate of a tyrannical ruler. 03:24 A mother's love knows no limits. 03:27 Determined to defy the king's decree, Jochebed hid her 03:32 newborn son at home for three months, 03:35 when the baby boy was too big and making too much noise 03:39 to hide, she resorted to desperate measures. 03:42 Gathering the sturdy reed that grew along the banks of the Nile 03:48 she wove a basket and smeared it with pitch to make sure 03:51 that it was watertight. Then she did something that only a 03:56 mother desperate to save her child would do. 03:59 She put her baby in the basket and placed the basket in the 04:03 reeds by the bank of the river. As a safety measure, 04:07 she asked her daughter Miriam to watch over the place where 04:11 her baby brother was hidden. 04:13 It was a massive gamble, a plan that didn't seem to have a clear 04:18 end gain beyond daily survival. The Nile was riddled with 04:24 as much danger as the life of a slave. 04:26 Boat traffic was heavy, crocodiles were everywhere 04:30 and any other number of potential problems 04:33 loomed large, but Jochebed was more than a Hebrew slave, 04:38 she was a woman of faith. 04:41 Placing her child amidst the safety of the reeds 04:45 she committed him to the protection of the God 04:48 she worshipped, a God who heard the prayers of 04:52 desperate mothers and slaves. A God who was powerful enough 04:56 to protect her son, a God who answered her prayers 05:00 in a miraculous and unprecedented way. 05:03 Join us this week as we begin a new series on the life of Moses. 05:08 The miracle baby who was rescued from the reeds 05:13 destined for the Royal Throne of the greatest kingdom on earth 05:17 at that time, but instead became God's chosen deliverer 05:22 of a nation of slaves. 05:39 The Nile River begins its journey somewhere near 05:42 Lake Victoria, it winds its way through the part of Africa 05:47 before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea nearly 7,000 05:51 kilometers north of its source. 05:53 For thousands of years the Nile has viewed with an almost 05:59 reverential awe by Egyptians. In fact Ancient Egyptians 06:03 worshipped the Nile among the many other gods 06:06 that they worshipped. 06:07 The Nile was regarded as the center of Egyptian life 06:11 and the center of the Cosmos. 06:13 It was key to Ancient Egyptian's life, ideology, and worship. 06:17 For example those Egyptians worshipped the sun as rah 06:22 the sun rose and set either side of the Nile. 06:26 Which meant there chief deity revolved around the Nile. 06:30 Ancient Egyptian Life depended on the annual inundation 06:35 or flooding of the Nile when the river would overflow 06:38 its banks and flood the surrounding valley. 06:41 When the waters receded, they left behind black, rich 06:46 mineral silt which made the soil extremely fertile. 06:51 When Jochebed hid her baby boy among the reeds on the banks 06:55 of the Nile River, she along with the rest of the 06:58 ancient Israelites lived in the land of Goshen. 07:01 In 1885, Edward Neville a Swiss Archeologist, 07:06 Egyptologist, and Biblical Scholar identified the 07:10 ancient site of Goshen. The site was located in the 07:14 Twentieth known or Province of Egypt and is located in the 07:18 Eastern part of the Nile Delta. 07:20 Living in the Nile Delta Region meant that Jochebed 07:25 would have had access to large sways of swampy river bank 07:29 where reeds and papyrus grew in abundance 07:32 but the Nile River was also fraught with danger. 07:36 Desperate times called for desperate measures 07:41 and Jochebed committed her son to God's keeping. 07:44 During the day Jochebed' s daughter Miriam kept a careful 07:50 eye on her baby brother's basket, now while Miriam was 07:54 keeping watch an unexpected visitor paid a visit to the 07:57 part of the river where the little Hebrew boy was hidden. 08:01 Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe 08:04 with the ladies in waiting. The Bible described what happened 08:09 next in these words... 08:23 When the curious princess opened the floating basket, 08:28 she was shocked to find a baby inside but her surprise 08:34 soon gave way to understanding and compassion. 08:36 She knew about her father's decree and knew that this 08:41 was a Hebrew child. Exodus chapter 2 and verse 6 say... 08:51 The situation touched her heart, it would have been easy for her 08:56 to obey her father's command and toss the baby back 09:00 into the water leaving him to drown, but instead, 09:04 she found herself drawn to the crying child. 09:08 In that moment perhaps sensing the compassion and kindness that 09:13 radiated from the princess at the river bank, 09:16 Miriam approached, she'd been watching the entire scene 09:21 unfold before her eyes no doubt terrified of what the princess 09:25 might do to her brother, seeing the princess' soft 09:29 expression gave her boldness to approach her and suggest a plan. 09:34 Exodus chapter 2 and verse 7 says... 09:46 The princess accepted the offer and Miriam quickly raced off 09:52 to find her mother. 09:54 A startled and most likely nervous Jochebed came trailing 09:59 after her excited daughter to face the princess. 10:02 Instead of censure or suspicion, she found an ally in the 10:08 most unlikely person, the actual daughter of the man 10:12 who had sentenced her son to death. 10:14 Handing the wailing baby to his mother, the princess 10:20 asked her to nurse him and she promised to pay Jochebed 10:23 for taking care of her own child. 10:26 Grateful and relieved Jochebed accepted the generous offer 10:31 and took her baby home, but before Jochebed left the 10:35 riverbank to take the baby home, the princess 10:38 gave him a name, Moses. 10:41 The name meant to pull out or draw from the river. 10:46 It was a fitting name because he had been pulled out of the river 10:50 by his new Egyptian mother who would eventually adopt him. 10:54 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 23 describes the experience 10:59 of Moses parents in the face of impossible circumstances. 11:16 Their faith in God and their belief in God's purpose for 11:20 their son gave these Hebrew parents courage, 11:24 they chose to commit their son to God's protection 11:28 and what a reward they received for their faith 11:31 Often in life when we are faced with challenging circumstances 11:36 it's easy to give in to fear and despair, to focus on the giants 11:42 in our path without seeing any way around them. 11:45 And Hebrews 13 and verse 5 assures us that God has said... 11:54 This promise was fulfilled in the promise of Moses 11:57 when his mother chose to step out in faith and leave her child 12:02 in God's care. God delivered him and that same God 12:07 is willing to protect and deliver us as well. 12:10 When Moses was 12-years-old he was taken by his 12:17 royal Egyptian mother to live with her in the palace 12:21 and from that point forward he became her adopted son. 12:26 As a prince of Egypt Moses received a royal 12:30 Egyptian Education which would have included arts, science, 12:34 and military training. But through it all Moses tenaciously 12:39 clung to his identity as both a Hebrew and a follower of God. 12:44 Growing up in the heart of the Egyptian Royal Court, 12:47 Moses would have been surrounded by the wealth 12:50 and opulence of one of most powerful and affluent kingdoms 12:54 on the planet. 12:56 Not only was Egypt one of the most successful agricultural 13:00 economies of the ancient world, it was also an important trading 13:04 center and boasted some of the most celebrated architectural 13:08 marvels of the ancient and modern world. 13:10 The pyramids, in fact until the Eifel Tower was built in 1817 13:17 the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt the highest structure 13:21 in the world, not only that, the pyramids are among the 13:26 oldest structures in the world having survived largely intact 13:30 for over 4,000 years. 13:32 Now, an often-asked question in relation to the 13:36 story of Moses is what part of Egyptian history he occupied? 13:41 Well, recent archeological evidence gives us a clear answer 13:46 to this question. The Merneptah Stele discovered at 13:51 Thebes in 1896 and now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo 13:56 offers us some interesting clues, 13:59 the Stele depicts victories of Merneptah, 14:02 the son of Ramses the Second, the longest reigning Monarch 14:05 of Egypt. Mentioned in this Demi are the Merneptah' s 14:09 victories over various kingdoms of the ancient world 14:13 including Israel. 14:15 By the time Merneptah claimed victories over Israel they were 14:19 already well settled in Canaan which indicates that they're 14:23 enslavement in Egypt and by extension Moses time in Egypt, 14:28 had to have been well before this time period. 14:31 Scholars placed the reign of Merneptah between 14:34 1213 to 1203 BC, he was the fourth Pharaoh of the 14:40 19th Dynasty. This means that Moses would have lived 14:44 well before this period of time. 14:46 Another marker that gives us a sense of the time period 14:51 that Moses would have lived in Egyptian history 14:54 is found in the Bible in I Kings chapter 6 and verse 1 which says 15:13 Now Solomon's Temple was built around 970 or 966 BC, 15:20 using that as a starting point scholars estimate that Moses 15:25 would have been found in the bulrushes by the river 15:28 around 1530 BC. 15:30 Now this places him within the 18th Dynasty in Egypt 15:35 which is classified as the 1st Dynasty of the new kingdom. 15:39 A period that is considered to be the golden age of 15:43 Egyptian culture and influence. 15:44 The kings of the 18th Dynasty worked hard to establish 15:49 Egypt as an empire taking on military campaigns into Syria 15:53 and Ubia. The best-known king of the 18th Dynasty is Thutmose 15:59 the 3rd. The most unconventional king of the 18th Dynasty 16:04 was Akhenaten who tried to transform Egyptian religion 16:08 from Polytheism and the worship of many gods into a Monotheistic 16:13 worship of just one god the sun god Alton. 16:17 But it is Akhenaten's son who is probably most familiar to us, 16:22 the teenage Tutankhamun the famous boy king whose 16:27 tomb was discovered and excavated in 1922 by 16:31 Howard Carter. The nearly intact tomb was packed full of 16:35 buried treasure, over 5,000 priceless artifacts of gold, 16:41 silver, and precious stones that received global media attention. 16:46 Today King Tut's Death Mask and mummy are popular symbols 16:51 of Egyptology and ancient Egyptian history and can be 16:56 found at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. 16:58 But the 18th Dynasty was also fraught with furious challenges 17:03 during the early part of the dynasty, the Pharaoh's 17:07 failed to produce male heirs which meant that when they died 17:12 there were no legitimate royal successors who could 17:16 ascend the throne of Egypt. 17:17 It wasn't a crisis that resolved itself within a few years 17:21 or even a single generation, for three generations 17:26 the great royal wives of the pharaohs failed to bear 17:30 their royal heirs which meant the king had sons from his 17:34 non-royal wives. 17:36 Now this created a dynastic crisis and through the 17:41 succession into question Thutmose I was Pharaoh of Egypt 17:46 around the time Moses was born he and his Great-Royal-Wife 17:51 were unable to produce a male heir, they did however have 17:56 one daughter whose name was Hatshepsut. 18:00 The irony is that while Thutmose I ordered 18:04 the destruction of Hebrew boys, he himself was struggling 18:09 to produce a royal male heir to take his throne when 18:12 the time came. 18:13 When Thutmose I died, his heir was the son of 18:18 one of his secondary wives. This new pharaoh, Thutmose II 18:23 married his royal half-sister Hatshepsut. 18:26 Now this was not unusual for Egypt, or for any other royal 18:31 dynasty of this period of history. Thutmose the second 18:36 was sickly and only managed to reign for two or three years. 18:39 When he died the question of dynastic succession was 18:44 once more raised, Hatshepsut was the Great-Royal-Wife 18:49 and she had been unable to produce a male heir 18:52 so once more the son of Elisa-wife became king. 18:57 Thutmose III was believed to be only two or three years old 19:02 when his father died and since he was so young Hatshepsut 19:07 became co-regent reigning as Pharaoh alongside of him. 19:10 Even when Thutmose III came of age, Hatshepsut continued 19:15 to rule as Pharaoh alongside him, she was the first female 19:20 Pharaoh to rule over Egypt and is widely regarded as a 19:25 very effective ruler undertaking an extensive building program 19:29 during her reign. 19:30 Now it was Hapsehset who drew Moses out of the water 19:35 as a baby, her involvement has raised the question of 19:38 why an Egyptian princess would choose to rescue a Hebrew baby? 19:43 Well, one viable theory is the dynastic crisis that the 19:49 Royal House of Egypt was facing. 19:51 Could it be possible that when Hapsehset saw the crying child 19:56 in the basket, she saw him as an answer to Egypt's succession 20:01 woes? Considering how much the Egyptians revered the Nile 20:06 and taking into account the fact that Moses was drawn 20:10 out of the Nile perhaps Hatshepsut the Pharaoh's 20:14 daughter saw him as a gift from the gods of Egypt. 20:18 In fact, we know that her main reasoning for naming him 20:22 Moses is because she drew him out of the Nile 20:26 perhaps she saw Moses as an answer to her prayers. 20:30 Moses was raised at the Royal Court and was most likely viewed 20:36 as a potential heir to the throne since he was the 20:39 adopted son of Hatshepsut the daughter of Pharaoh's 20:43 great royal wife and therefore considered to be part of the 20:47 legitimate royal line. 20:49 But the Bible says something interesting about Moses, 20:52 in the book of Hebrews chapter eleven and verse 24. 21:11 From a young age Moses understood his identity, 21:17 not just as a Hebrew but as a follower of Yahweh or Jehovah 21:22 the God of the Hebrews. 21:23 This God was nothing like the gods of Egypt, 21:27 Moses believed that what God had to offer him 21:31 was far more appealing and more enduring than anything the gods 21:36 and affluence of Egypt had to offer. 21:38 As alluring as the power and wealth of Egypt was 21:43 Moses saw something more alluring in the promises of God. 21:47 The stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph must have been 21:53 repeated to him time and time again and he made a choice 21:57 to hold on to the invisible all powerful of God of his ancestors 22:01 rather than the gods of Egypt. 22:03 Almost 400 years before Moses was born God had given Abraham 22:10 a prophecy and a promise. In Genesis chapter 15: 13, 14 22:16 God says to Abraham... 22:37 Now Moses like every other Hebrews have heard of this 22:43 prophecy and promise, the prophecy gave him context 22:48 for the circumstances they found themselves in 22:50 and the promise gave them hope that God would deliver them. 22:55 Given Moses position within the royal court and the miraculous 22:59 circumstances surrounding his infancy and childhood, 23:03 it would have been easy for him to see himself as this deliverer. 23:08 Added to this was his access to Egyptian military power, 23:12 wisdom and education along with his youthful confidence 23:16 but Moses' plans went awry in the worse possible way. 23:22 One day in the heat of the moment, Moses killed an 23:27 Egyptian who was threatening the life of a Hebrew slave. 23:30 Moses hoped he could hide his actions but the very next day 23:35 while trying to intervene in a dispute between two Hebrews 23:40 he was cruelly rebuffed and reminded of his crime. 23:44 The Hebrews fighting each other mockingly asked him, 23:56 In that moment Moses realized two things, 24:02 his people didn't respect him enough to follow him 24:06 and secondly, if the Hebrews knew about his crime 24:10 it was only a matter of time before Pharaoh 24:14 got wind of it too. 24:15 Things fell apart rapidly, the Bible says in Exodus 2:15... 24:31 Now it would have been easy for Moses to forget about his 24:36 ancestry and embrace the power and affluence of Egypt 24:40 he could have chosen Egypt and its gods, but instead 24:45 he chose a nation of slaves and their God. 24:48 Why, because Moses saw that what the God of the Hebrews, 24:53 the God of the Bible had to offer him was far more enduring 24:58 than anything that Egypt had to offer. 25:01 Egypt offered him a season of pleasure, fame, and fortune 25:06 but at the end of it, he would end up mummified and ensconced 25:11 in a pyramid or in a royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings. 25:15 But the God of his ancestors offered him something 25:19 entirely different. And what was it that the invisible 25:23 and all-powerful God of his father's offered Moses? 25:27 A country that was infinitely better than Egypt, 25:31 a heavenly country that would endure forever 25:34 God offered him eternity. John 3:16 summarizes the hope 25:43 that God offers each one of us, it's the same hope that 25:47 Moses grasped and it is also ours for the taking as well. 26:02 Through Jesus, we can not only find freedom from sin, 26:07 but we can also have hope for eternity. 26:10 It was this hope that Moses clung to as he found himself 26:15 a fugitive in the wilds of Median with no home, no family 26:20 and a bleak future. 26:22 What would happen next? Would God reach out to him? 26:27 Well, find out next week as we continue our Incredible Journey 26:32 through the Life of Moses. 26:43 If you would like to know more about Moses, Egypt, and the Bible 26:47 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have 26:50 for all our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:53 It's the booklet Egypt and the Bible. 26:57 This book is our gift to you and is absolutely free, 27:01 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 27:05 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity to receive 27:09 your free gift today. 27:11 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia, or 020.422.2042 27:22 in New Zealand, or 770.800.0266 in the United States 27:29 or visit our website tij.tv or simply scan the QR Code 27:35 on your screen and we'll send you today's free offer 27:38 totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:41 You can also write to us at the address's 27:45 on your screen or email us at info@tij.tv. 27:50 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:52 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share 27:57 another of life's journey's together, until then... 28:01 Let's pray to the God of Moses and the Bible. 28:05 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for your love 28:09 and goodness to us and your promised guidance in our 28:12 lives when we commit our lives to You. 28:15 We pray for Your blessing on us and our families. 28:18 In Jesus name we pray, Amen! |
Revised 2025-02-05