Day 19 — Miriam Watches the Basket

“And his sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him… Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child?’ ‘Go ahead,’ Pharaoh’s daughter told her. And the girl went and called the boy’s mother.”

— Exodus 2:4, 7–8 (BSB)

It was a terrible time to be born a Hebrew baby boy in Egypt. The cruel Pharaoh was afraid the Hebrew people were growing too strong, so he ordered that every newborn Hebrew boy be thrown into the Nile River.

One Hebrew mother had a beautiful baby boy, and she hid him for three months. But when she couldn’t hide him any longer, she made a little basket, coated it with tar so it would float, put her baby inside and set it among the reeds at the edge of the river.

And the baby’s big sister, Miriam, stood nearby, watching to see what would happen.

Soon, Pharaoh’s own daughter, the princess, came down to the river to bathe. She saw the basket and sent her servant to get it. When she opened it, the baby was crying. The princess felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew children,” she said.

Now, imagine being Miriam. She was just a girl, probably not much older than you. She was a slave, and this was the princess of Egypt, the daughter of the man who wanted her baby brother dead!

But Miriam didn’t hide. She walked right up to the princess and said, “Shall I go and call one of the Hebrew women to nurse the child?”

That was brave! And it was clever too. The princess said yes. And who did Miriam go and get? Her own mother! So the baby’s mother got to take care of her own son, and the princess even paid her to do it!

That baby’s name was Moses. He would grow up to lead God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. And his life was saved, in part, because his big sister was brave enough to speak up.

You don’t have to be a grown-up to be brave. Miriam was just a girl. But she watched, she waited and, when the moment came, she spoke up.

Think about it: What do you think Miriam was feeling as she walked up to the princess? When have you needed to be brave and speak up?

Try this: Look for a moment today when you can speak up to help someone, maybe by asking a question, standing up for a friend or offering to help.

Dear God, thank You for Miriam’s courage. Help me be brave like her, to watch out for others and to speak up when it matters. Thank You that You use girls to do great things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.