Untitled Document

The Children's Chapel
~ A Ministry of The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel ~

A Princess Finds A Basket
The Story of Baby Moses
by Linda Edwards
Text Version

"We're going to play down at the creek!" Erin and Eric
shouted as they zipped out the back door. They raced down
the narrow path leading to the shallow, muddy stream. Eric
caught some tadpoles, which he carefully put into the
plastic bucket he had brought with him. Erin picked a few of
the soft, fuzzy cattails to take to her teacher the next
day.

Something in the mud caught Eric's eye. "Hey, Erin!" he
yelled. "Come over here and help me!" Erin skipped over to
her brother to see what he was so excited about. "Look! In
the mud behind that tall grass! Do you see it?"

Erin did see the little boat that Eric had lost several
weeks before. They each grabbed the longest sticks they
could find, and together they were able to nudge the boat
out of the mud. They guided it into the shallow water where
it floated right to them. Eric rinsed the mud off. Then the
two started down the path back home, Eric with his bucket in
one hand and his treasured little boat in the other, and
Erin with her bouquet of cattails.

[basket]

Joseph was a dearly loved ruler in the kingdom of Egypt.
His faith in God and his wisdom had saved the country from
famine and the people from starvation. Pharaoh, the King of
Egypt, had made Joseph second in command. Nothing was kept
from him, except that, because he was not an Egyptian, he
could not become king. Joseph's only wish was that his
family could come and live in Egypt, so he asked Pharaoh for
land so that his family could build their homes and bring
their herds of animals. Pharaoh was happy to grant Joseph
his wish and gave Joseph's family an area of land called
Goshen.

[pasture]

Goshen was the perfect place for Joseph's family. There
was plenty of water and green grass for the herds, and the
family grew and became prosperous. Joseph and his brothers
eventually grew old and died, but his children,
grandchildren, and great grandchildren continued to enjoy
life in Goshen.

Pharaoh also grew old died, and a new Pharaoh took his
place as the King of Egypt. Now, this new Pharaoh didn't
remember Joseph and all the good things he had done for the
kingdom. He noticed that the people of Israel (Joseph's
family) were strong and prosperous. He also noticed that
they had become a large nation within Egypt. Pharaoh worried
that the people of Israel would turn against the Egyptians,
start a war, and possibly even take over the kingdom. He and
his advisors decided that something must be done.

[divider bar]

They caused the Egyptian people to hate the people of
Israel. They made the Israelites work as slaves, beating
them, and making them work hard in the fields and making
bricks for the new cities that Pharaoh was building. But
even through the terrible hardship, the people of Israel
continued to thrive and were prosperous. This made Pharaoh
even angrier. He had a meeting with the nurses and told them
to kill all the boy babies that were born into Israelite
families. The nurses knew that this was a terrible thing and
they wouldn't do it. They disobeyed Pharaoh.

Seeing that his plan wasn't working, Pharaoh sent word
to all the towns and villages telling all the people that
every Israelite baby boy was to be drowned in the river, but
all the baby girls were allowed to live. It was a horrible
law, and most people were afraid to disobey Pharaoh so many
babies died.

But . . .

. . . A man named Amram and a lady named Jochebed loved
and trusted God. They knew it was wrong to kill their new
baby. They loved him and cuddled him. They fed him and
played with him. But they were very careful not to let
anyone know about the baby. How awful it must have been to
have to keep that big secret! They kept the baby hidden as
long they could, but it was becoming harder and harder. The
baby grew stronger and his cries were becoming louder. It
soon became impossible to keep the baby quiet. They knew
they could no longer keep the baby hidden at home.

Jochebed had an idea. She made a strong basket bed out
of the rushes that grew along the river's edge. Amram coated
it with pitch, which made the basket waterproof. Jochebed
placed a soft blanket in the basket, placed the baby inside,
and covered him to keep him warm. She put a lid on the
basket. Then . . .

Baby In A Basket

. . . she placed the basket in the river. She told
Miriam, the baby's big sister, to hide in the rushes and
watch over the basket. Miriam found a good hiding place and
waited quietly. She was anxious to see what was going to
happen, but she was also afraid.

What if she wasn't hidden well enough? What if someone
saw her and wanted to know why she was hiding? What if the
basket floated away and she couldn't see it? She was so full
of questions, and it was so hard to just stay and wait!

Sometimes she wished she could just go play with the other
girls, but she knew she had to obey. Besides, she loved her
little, baby brother so much, she just had to stay and see
what might happen.

As she sat quietly, she heard a whimper, then a little
cry. "OH, NO!" she thought. "Ple-e-e-ease don't cry!" But
the baby was crying and there was nothing she could do about
it. She sat fearfully, almost in tears herself, wondering if
anyone else was around and if anyone else heard the baby
crying.

[Princess and her maids]

"What is that?" she thought, bolting upright with a
start. She was hearing a rustling among the rushes. As
quietly as she could, Miriam inched herself closer to the
river and moved a few leaves to the side so she could get a
better look. What she saw made her shudder with dismay.

Truly it couldn't get any worse than this! It was
Pharaoh's own daughter, the Princess, and her maids coming
down to the river. Miriam hoped against hope that the
Princess wouldn't see the little basket and wouldn't hear
the baby cry.

Her hopes were dashed when she heard the Princess tell
her maids to get the basket for her. With a heart full of
fear, Miriam watched as the Princess opened the basket.
Would she take the baby out of the basket and throw him into
the river to drown? Miriam almost couldn't bear to look.

What a surprise it was when she saw the Princess reach
into the basket and lovingly pick up the baby! As she patted
him gently to stop the crying, she exclaimed to her maids,
" This must be one of the Israelite's babies. He is so cute!
I think I will keep him for myself."

[Princess Finds The Basket]

When Miriam saw that the Princess was kind and had
compassion for the baby, she quickly rushed out of her
hiding place. Excited and out of breath, she could hardly
get her words out as she spoke to the Princess. "Would -
Would - you like me to f-find a woman to care for the baby
and be his nurse?" she asked.

The Princess looked kindly at Miriam. "Please do," she
replied softly.

With joy, Miriam hopped and skipped as fast as she could
back to her own home and quickly brought her own mother to
meet the Princess.

The Princess, not knowing that Jochebed was the baby's
mother, asked her to take the baby home, feed him and care
for him. She even offered to pay for all his expenses! When
the baby grew into a young boy, Jochebed returned him to the
Princess who adopted him as her own son. The Princess named
the baby "Moses" because she had found him in the water. God
worked out a marvelous situation. Moses, the slave child,
grew up in the palace of Pharaoh!

[basket]

THINK:
Why did the People of Israel go to Egypt?
Why was the new Pharaoh afraid of the People of Israel?
What was Pharaoh's plan?
Why did Pharaoh's plan not work?
How did Jochabed and Amram save the baby?
Who found the baby?
What did the Princess name the baby?

REMEMBER:
Trust in God to turn bad situations into good.

A VERSE TO LEARN:
"And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I
drew him out of the water" Exodus 2:10b.

LET'S PRAY:
****************************************************
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us
and caring about us. Help us to remember that
when we trust and obey You, you can make even
the worst situations work out for good.
In Jesus' name, amen.
****************************************************

CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE?
Exodus 1:6 - 2:10

[divider bar]

[crayons]
Princess and Maids with Memory Verse
Princess and Baby Moses with Memory Verse
Found By A Princess
Baby Moses
Pharaoh's Daughter Finds Baby Moses
Miriam Watches The Basket
The Basket Is Found
Princess and Miriam
Moses In The Basket
Moses As A Baby
Moses Is Born

[activities]
Color, Cut and Scramble the Memory Verse
A Princess Finds A Basket Maze
A Princess Finds A Basket Word Search
A Princess Finds A Basket Crossword Puzzle
God Saved Moses Take Home Sheet
Help Moses As A Baby Maze
Baby Moses Pencil Fun Book

[crafts]
Baby Moses Craft Project
Make Moses In A Basket
Baby Moses Paper Craft
Weave A Basket Paper Craft
Basket Crafts

[singing birds]
Itty Bitty Moses
God Made Families
Jesus Loves the Little Children

[child reading a book]
Moses
The Story of Baby Moses
The Story of Baby Moses Exodus 1:1-2:10
Baby Moses Safe In The Bulrush Basket
Baby Moses
Tiny Baby Moses Arch Books

Resources For Parents and Teachers
Moses In The Basket
Baby Moses
Ideas For Stories About Babies
Craft Ideas For Baby Moses
God Saves His People
Basket Name Tags
The Princess of Egypt Takes Moses Home To Be Her Son
God's Treasures
Safe In A Basket Boat
Moses As A Baby
A Hidden Baby

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North Central Ohio, U.S.A.
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Last updated March 22, 2005.
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