Moses Drawn Out by God, Part 1

Moses wasn’t his first name. Well, it was the name given to the baby that was taken out of the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter. When the ruler of Egypt saw the Hebrews multiplying in his country, he commanded that all baby boys be thrown into the river. Amram and Jochebed feared God and decided to hide their beautiful new son. But after three months, something needed to change.

So Jochebed obeyed the Pharaoh’s command—sort of. She wove a basket boat out of reeds and placed her boy in the Nile, a river that was worshiped as a god. When the Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby, her heart was moved and she decided to keep the child. Miriam, the baby’s older sister quickly offered to find a nurse (her mother) to help care for the baby.

The Bible then explains that when the baby grew to a certain age, he was brought back to the Pharaoah’s daughter and “he became her son.” Then it says “she called his name Moses, saying, ‘Because I drew him out of the water’” (Exodus 2:10). Moses, which means “drawn out,” was the name given by the Egyptian princess, not by the boy’s mother.

Actually, many royal names in Egypt contained the root name of Moses, but had the added name of a god, such as Ahmose (“Ah” was a moon god) or Ramose or Ramses (“Ra” was a sun god). It’s possible that Moses’ full name was “Hapimose” in honor of “Hapi,” another name for the Nile from which he was drawn.

It is evident that Moses’ early upbringing left an indelible mark on his life. Though he was trained in all the highest schools of Egypt and learned all the secrets of warfare and religion, in his heart he was still a Hebrew.

After all, as a young man, when he saw an Egyptian whipping one of “his” people, he slew the Egyptian (vv. 11–13) then fled for his life. This adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter thought he would rescue God’s people in his own way. But Moses first needed to learn that he was not drawn out by an Egyptian princess, but by a heavenly Prince for a great work.

Reflect: What does your name mean? Did you ever wish you had a different name? God will give each one of His followers a new name in heaven.

Key Bible Texts

And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. (Exodus 2:10 KJV)