THE BABE IN
THE BULRUSHES

 

By AMY STEEDMAN

 

 

 

THOMAS NELSON & SONS

NEW YORK

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THE FINDING OF MOSES

Many long years had passed since the days when Joseph's brothers andtheir families had settled in the land of Egypt. They were a greatnation in numbers now, but the Egyptians still ruled over them, andused them as servants. The Pharaoh who had been so kind to theshepherds from Canaan was dead long ago, and the new kings, orPharaohs as they were called, hated foreigners, and began to treat theIsraelites very harshly. There were too many of them, they said; itwas dangerous to have so many strong, powerful slaves. They must bekept down, and made to work from morning till night, and be beaten ifthey did not work fast enough.

That was very hard for the poor people; but worse was to come. Anorder was issued one day which spread sorrow through all the land ofGoshen, where the Israelites lived. Every baby boy that was born wasto be thrown into the river. Girl babies might be allowed to live, forthey would be useful as slaves, but boys might grow up to fight fortheir country, and so they must be destroyed.

In one little house, not far from the great river Nile, a woman satholding her tiny baby in her arms, while the tears ran down hercheeks. He was such a beautiful baby, so strong and fair and healthy;but the king's order was that he was to be thrown into the river,where the cruel, hungry crocodiles were waiting to snap up everythingthey could find for a meal. Jochebed, the poor mother, held her babycloser in her arms. No, she could not obey the king's order. She wouldtry and hide the baby for a little while, at any rate.

It was easy to hide a baby while he was still tiny and slept most ofthe day; but when he grew bigger it was much more difficult. Hissister Miriam did her best to help her mother; but any day, now thatthe baby was three months old, he might be discovered, and somethingmust be done at once.

So Jochebed thought of a plan, and prayed to God that He would helpher to carry it out. At the edge of the river there grew tallbulrushes, which, when cut down and dried, could be made into manyuseful things. Taking some of these bulrushes, she wove them into alittle cradle with a cover to it, just like a little ark, and this shecovered with a kind of pitch, so that not a drop of water could comethrough. Inside the cradle she made a soft bed, and laid the babythere while he was fast asleep, and set the ark afloat in the waterwhere the bulrushes were growing. She knew that presently the greatprincess, Pharaoh's daughter, would come down to bathe in the river,and would notice the queer little ark floating there.