Pharaoh’s daughter saw Moses as a son who was born of the Nile
(which could be the Egyptian meaning of Moses
), or the one who was drawn out of the water
(Moses
sounds like the Hebrew for draw out
). Acts 7:23 tells us that as her son, Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
With the Egyptians, Moses gained the knowledge of the wisdom of Egypt
which probably included the study of math, science, engineering, construction, farming, business management, language, religion, and art. Education offered by those who do not know the one true God, is not off-limits for the people of God, and the Lord shows what a blessing it is when our leaders have a good understanding of the world. There is a lot that we can learn that can help us in our task to zealously serve God’s people, as long as we always remember that we are called to live a different life than those who do not know God.
As the Holy Spirit reveals the preparation of Moses, he also makes it very clear that although Moses was among the wealth and wisdom of Egypt, he did not become so immersed in that culture that he turned away from the Lord. Although, as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he had access to the fleeting pleasures of sin
and to the wealth of the treasures of Egypt
(Hebrews 11:25), he refused to deny his Lord or forget his people. He was in that world, but he was not conformed to the world. Moses chose to be mistreated with the people of God, and to bear the reproach of Christ rather than to indulge in Egypt’s sin. Moses understood that when we are faced with temptation (and many of us are), ultimately the choice is between life in Christ or eternal death under God’s punishment.
10 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”