Moses being drawn from the water carries deep symbolic meaning in God’s plan of redemption. Pharaoh’s decree to kill all Hebrew male infants (Exodus 1:22) threatened Moses’ life from birth. However, God’s providence preserved him through the courage of his mother, Jochebed, who placed him in a basket among the reeds of the Nile (Exodus 2:3). This act was both desperate and full of faith, trusting God to intervene.
Exodus 2:5–6 records:
“Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river… and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children.’”
Pharaoh’s daughter rescued Moses and named him:
“Because I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:10)
The name Moses means “drawn out,” and this event foreshadows his future mission of drawing Israel out of the waters of bondage in Egypt. Water in Scripture often represents danger and chaos, yet God brings deliverance through it. Moses’ preservation in the Nile parallels Israel’s later crossing of the Red Sea and points ultimately to God’s saving power.
This moment also highlights God’s providence in raising up a deliverer from within Pharaoh’s own household. What the enemy intended for destruction, God turned into deliverance. Moses’ rescue reminds us that God’s plans cannot be thwarted, and He works through ordinary acts of faith to accomplish extraordinary purposes
