Finding Christ in the Old Testament - Exodus 2

Finding Christ in the Old Testament
Exodus 2:1–22

“When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.” (Exodus 2:2)

The birth of Moses amid suffering and oppression foreshadows the coming of Christ, born under the threat of death by a wicked king. Pharaoh’s decree that all male Hebrew infants be killed mirrors the cruelty of Herod, who likewise sought to destroy the promised Savior. Yet God's providence cannot be thwarted. Moses is hidden, drawn from the water, and raised in Pharaoh’s own house, a child of death who becomes a deliverer. Christ, too, was hidden in Egypt for a time, preserved from death, and later revealed as the Deliverer of His people. Moses’ journey into Midian, his defense of the oppressed daughters at the well, and his marriage to Zipporah all serve as a pattern pointing forward to the Christ who would come to His own, be rejected, dwell in obscurity, and yet never cease to work righteousness. As Moses delivers from bondage in Egypt, Christ delivers from bondage to sin. In the lowliness of Moses’ early years, we see the humility of Christ, who took on flesh, entered our affliction, and was made like His brothers in every way.

Devotion
God works through lowly means and hidden moments—through a child in a basket, a prince in exile, a shepherd in Midian. In Moses’ preservation, God prepares a redeemer for Israel; in Christ, God Himself comes as Redeemer for the world. Our deliverance begins not with power, but with the quiet faithfulness of those who fear God and trust in His promise.

New Testament Verse:
Hebrews 11:23 (ESV)
“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents… and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”

Collect
Almighty God, who preserved the life of Your servant Moses to raise him as a deliverer for Your people, preserve also our hearts in faith, that we may trust in Your hidden work through lowly means. Lead us by Christ, our greater Deliverer, through the waters of baptism into the freedom of Your kingdom; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Hymn Verse:
God's own child, I gladly say it:
I am baptized into Christ!
He, because I could not pay it,
Gave my full redemption price.
Do I need earth’s treasures many?
I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free
Lasting to eternity!

LSB 594:1, “God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It”