The Women of Redemption's Story

Exodus 2:9–10 (ESV) And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

If there's a common theme in both the birth, life, ministry and work of Moses' and Jesus' it is this: They had a lot of help from the female gender.

The second chapter of Exodus opens with more female pronouns than you can imagine. Every main character in this story is a female. Moses' mother, sister and Pharaoh's daughter are all three mighty women who play a huge role in the redemption of Israel by delivering Moses. Even before this chapter, during Pharaoh's rage against the boys of Israel, Shiphrah and Puah get their names in the Biblical Canon for their brave defiance of Pharaoh's order.

In my last post, I spoke of our need to value men, today I say equally strong: We must value our women!

Notice the loving concern each women expresses for Moses:

Exodus 2:2 (ESV) The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.
Exodus 2:4 (ESV) And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him.
Exodus 2:6 (ESV) When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

Did you see it? All three women keep their eyes on Moses and their hearts go out to him in active saving and delivering.

I know this my fellow male readers. Men do not see a lot of things women see naturally. My wife sees things that I tend to regret not trusting she saw them. Women have a taste for discerning the future (not fortune telling but certainly good advising.) It was a woman who delivered the news of the resurrection for the first time to men who were hiding for fear behind closed doors.

It is no wonder we call labor a "delivery" for in the deliverance of many children through many women the many great people of this world have come forth to change and improve it.
A woman delivered Louis Pasteur and Alfred Einstein.
A woman delivered Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.
A woman delivered St. Augustine and she then prayed fervently for his salvation. He became one of the Church's greatest thinkers.

And of course, Mary delivered Jesus to the world.

Women have a role equally significant in the redemptive work of God as men do.

Thank God for women.
Without them, none of us would be here... literally.