You Cannot Give What You Don’t Have

She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.

Exodus 2:6

In the earlier verses of chapter 2, we saw the parents of Moses exercise two dimensions of unwavering faith. First, they held onto baby Moses because they were convinced God had a plan for him. Driven by the same unwavering faith, they later released the boy, entrusting him to God’s protection, confident that He would come through.

As evidence of this faith, Mariam was kept close to the river bank where Moses had been kept in wait for God’s manifestation. Through their faith, God came through! “Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬‬‬).

What are the odds that Moses’ parents somehow knew the Pharaoh’s daughter’s itinerary? Not a chance! My guess is that they were moved by the Spirit of God to position the baby just at the right place, at the right time. And when the basket that was found among the reeds was brought to her majesty, “She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬‬‬)

Pharaoh’s daughter instantly recognized that this was a Jewish child. Though she felt sorry for the boy, a fundamental issue arose that rendered her helpless: this wasn’t an Egyptian child but a Hebrew one. To raise a Hebrew child requires a Hebrew mother; you cannot give what you don’t have! Thank God for Miriam who quickly intervened by saying “.. Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬‬‬).

The same is true for every spiritual matter. Sometimes we hypocritically try to help others overcome stages and matters to which we ourselves haven’t achieved victory. But despite our skillful delivery or excellent showmanship, our efforts always end up fruitless. If the Lord must truly use us on a matter, He must first try us and find us true. It’s time to stop hiding the scars of our rising and falling, to stop pretending to be who we are not, and seek God’s help for victory in our walk with him. 

PRAYER