Exodus 2

Most of us know the story of Moses, and we all know that he looked exactly like Charlton Heston. But for those who haven't read the actual Biblical story, it may come as a surprise how quickly the author glosses over Moses's early life. Tradition has it that Moses himself wrote Exodus, so perhaps he couldn't remember that much. Or maybe he got into juvenile antics that he wanted to suppress, such as making the laborers paint a happy face on the sphinx or looking up his adopted brother's kilt. (Leave it to DreamWorks Animation to introduce puerile tomfoolery into an epic Biblical adaptation.)

What also may be a surprise is that Moses is a "fine child" (verse 2). I think all babies look the same, especially when they're younger than three months as Moses was at this point; you can never tell if they're going to come out looking like Cary Grant or like me. Anyway, we get the famous basket story, with Moses's older sister Miriam (unnamed at this point) watching until Pharaoh's daughter discovers the buoyant baby.

In verse 7, Miriam asks Pharaoh's daughter if she can "get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby," to which Pharaoh's daughter readily agrees. I find it odd that Pharaoh's daughter so casually accepts a proposition from this random Hebrew child who just happens to be hanging out in the vicinity of the royal party. Sure, they're just bathing in the Nile (and not in some palace garden like in The Prince of Egypt), but I'd think that she'd at least ask, "And who might you be?"

Moses's mother had probably thought she had lost her son forever, so I can only imagine how ineffably overjoyed she felt when she learned that she could raise him without fear--and get paid for it to boot. The NIV Study Bible also notes that, ironically, Pharaoh's plans to subjugate the Israelites were foiled by women--the midwives of chapter 1, Moses' mother and sister, and the Pharaoh's own daughter.

We don't get any mention of Moses's relationship with his adopted brother (Ramses, if the post-Biblical tradition is correct), but instead skip straight through to Moses's killing of an Egyptian slave driver. I like how the Bible describes Moses "[l]ooking this way and that" (verse 12) to make sure no one's watching him, but sure enough, someone finds out, and word spreads just like an overused cliche. Harboring an utter abhorrence to cliches, Moses runs away to Midian, serves as a knight in shining armor to a bunch of fetching Midianite women (remember, Moses is a "fine" looking fellow himself), and nabs himself a wife.

I do think Moses should have punished the Egyptian for beating up the Hebrew, but I don't know if he should have killed him. Moses was probably in a high enough position of power to make the Egyptian's life miserable, but instead, he outright kills him. He did look around him to make sure no one witnessed his dirty deed, so it wasn't like it was an accident either. Moses does have a sense of justice, albeit a harsh one; it will take God to hone this proclivity into a movement that will save the entire Israelite nation.

After Moses rescues Reuel/Jethro's daughters, the daughters go back to their father, prompting to utter the rather humorous question, "And where is he? […] Why did you leave him?" (verse 20). I can just imagine Moses, feeling like a mensch, standing there all proud of himself for saving these women, only to find them leaving him behind with nary a second glance.

Finally, we receive a foreshadowing of the supernaturally spectacular events to come with a reminder that God has not forgotten the covenant He made with His people. He sees their suffering under the Egyptians, and he is not happy, Bob. Not happy.