Biblical Figures of Adoption, Moses

Moses and Adoption

Born a slave - Raised as royalty
Levels of power/privilege can be a lonely place.

Moses' birthmother and adoptive mother:

~The birthmother, Yocheved (daughter of Levi, Ex.2:1), kept Moses as long as she could, but knew he would be killed if found. I believe she felt a drive to do what she did, and God interceded.

~She came up with a well-thought-out plan to try and keep him safe. She waterproofed the basket and found the safest place on the river

~The birthmother wanted the best for Moses - enough to give him up for a better life.

~The pharaoh’s daughter, Bithiah (Batyah), wanted the best for Moses. She loved him so much that she had his biological mother nurse him. Not that the daughter of the King of Egypt herself could nurse Moses, but there is a great sacrifice here, as it allowed Moses to survive the execution of all Hebrew male children. It put Moses back within his roots and allowed him to be raised multi-culturally, which would give him great insight on how to speak and usher in God’s will for His chosen.

~Compassion, empathy, and standing up to injustice ran in both the Birthmother and the Adoptive Mother. Both nature and nurture worked together to form a man able to carry the weight of the cross he was asked to carry.

Moses' Nature vs. Nurture

~The choices Moses had to make at God’s direction were not favored or accepted by his adoptive family. The very family that saved him from slavery and oppression. He still had a choice, though. He had to choose between what his spirit was pulling him to do, which I’m sure seemed illogical even to him, and especially to those around him. Some voice or feeling which was unheard or unseen, directing him towards the liberation of God’s people.

~Moses returned his birth family and birthright to Israel and out of slavery, even at the cost of the destruction of his adopted family. Can you imagine your conditioning and family, your very nurturing being threatened by… purpose and a calling?

~It would seem by the text in Exodus 2:11-12 that Moses had known about his roots and his adoption, but had been shielded from the brutality of his adoptive parents’ rule.

~Moses witnesses a bloodline of his, an Israelite, being beaten by an Egyptian. Can you imagine the confusion and rage? Moses killed the Egyptian. His carnal confusion, fear, and anger allowed this. Moses’ spirit had not yet been unified with his Creator.

~The deed was talked of, and Moses had to flee his adoptive family, as the King of Egypt ordered to have him killed (a second time) and failed.

~Moses spent many years after in the village of Midian. He lived with a priest named Jethro. Moses married and had a son, Gershom. During this unraveling and relearning, Moses was able to connect with God in such a way that he received instructions from a burning bush to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. God had given Moses time and a place to connect back to the roots of his nature.

~Moses often did the right thing, no matter the seeming consequence. By protecting the sheep and shepherds and giving them water, Moses was adopted into a new family. It’s like the Lord had already started to replace what the locusts had eaten, and they don’t arrive until Exodus 10.

The Take Away

~Ambiguous beginnings, multiple loyalties, and competing identities are some things adoptees have to work through. They strive more than many to find their identity of self. A blessing in disguise. Since many do not know where home is, we tend to cling more intently to the unknown or seemingly illogical, since it seems to be where we originate from. Since we’re all able to be adopted into the kingdom of God as sons and daughters of The Great I Am, we should all practice such abandon to logic and allow the Holy Spirit to direct our spirits.

~He had more faith than most, even though he was taught and conditioned in things not inherent to his roots. He forsook those teachings of his adoptive family and followed his spirit instead of his conditioning.

~How can love and honor occur for two masters? You can’t appease one and the other simultaneously. Spiritually, we can’t either. Is our loyalty to the King of Kings or to man’s ideal of who and how the Creator is to be portrayed? God is much larger and more powerful than the box man puts Him in. Which do you listen to: Nature or nurture?

~Nature is inherent. Nurturing is taught. We wouldn’t know sin unless we were told it was a sin. The fall of man was the knowledge of sin. To shed the sin, we must shed the knowledge. What??? Knowledge is the forbidden fruit. We were instructed to follow in Wisdom. Not knowledge.

~Those who are adopted transculturally or transnationally tend to have a soft spot for their roots. I have seen many adopted children come from other countries who either go and serve their native country or educate themselves in ways to help their native country.

~I believe that due to Moses’s experiences: his cross-cultural responsibilities, his education and leadership skills, and his inherent spirit, created a perfect vessel God could use. His biological makeup and extreme life circumstances allowed, almost commanded, him to speak with authority and authenticity, even if he felt insecure and lacking. (Ex. 4:10 Powerful stuff). Without these qualities and experiences, no one would have believed Moses, even with the signs God had given him. God needed the right vessel, and that vessel had to be selfless and obedient.

~”…and lean not on your own understanding…” doesn’t say, ‘but lean on another man’s understanding’…. does it? I only want His understanding. Man has confused, looked for notoriety, idolized the building over hearts, and caused more harm than good when it comes to controlling others’ relationship with Christ. There was no blueprint, map, or public order for Moses to follow for what the Lord laid out for him to accomplish. It was all internal. I’m sure at times it was very lonely. It was all confusing, but still certain and well with his soul. But to Moses, it was so very real, sound, and right. Due to his obedience, he was spared many times and was able to accomplish what was laid out for him to do. Was it easy? Nope. Did he have to do it? Nope. But he did it at great pains and sacrifice, and it freed a nation.

Documentation: Strong’s Concordance, The Jewish Identity Project, The Geneva Bible

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