Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus (New Living Translation)

1:22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”

2:5-9  ⁵ Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. ⁶ When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

⁷ Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked.

⁸ “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother.

⁹ “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him.

Let us now consider the rebellious and yet righteous spirit of Pharaoh’s daughter.

Note 1:22 – There is no gray area here. Drown the Hebrew boy babies. That is pretty straightforward.

Now what does Pharaoh’s daughter do? Rebel. She found a Hebrew baby boy. What did she do with the baby? She saved it. She let him live. You cannot disobey any more clearly than that.

Why don’t we sing the praises of Pharaoh’s daughter? If anyone in Egypt deserves praise, she does.