read // EXODUS 1:22; 2:1-10
from the artist // LISLE GWYNN GARRITY
Moses’ mother and Miriam plot a clever plan, but it’s
far from foolproof. The risks far outweigh their chances
for success. What if the basket they place him in leaks,
drowning him instead of keeping baby Moses afloat? What
if the current gets too strong, or the winds pick up, or he
gets stuck in a tangle of reeds? What if the wrong person
finds him and fulfils Pharaoh’s command? What if Pharaoh’s
daughter is moved with disgust when she sees what
floats into her private bathing quarters? Even if Pharaoh’s
daughter decides to keep the child as her own, what will
keep Pharaoh from killing Moses when she’s not looking?
Their plan is too perilous, too fraught with danger for any infant
to endure. And yet, we know of mothers who risk desert heat,
fatigue, illness, dehydration, criminalized border crossings,
and facilities with cages to pursue the slight chance—the
mere hope—of survival for their child. Why would they do
this? Because to stay home and succumb to the sure threats of
genocide—or gang violence, or civil war—is far more dangerous.
In this image, I gave the viewer the vantage point Pharaoh’s
daughter might have had. What melts her heart with mercy
when she sees this Hebrew child float downstream? Was
a well of rebellion rising up within her, making her eager
to subvert her father’s orders? Was she poisoned like most
Egyptians with bias against the Israelites, but did the
innocence and vulnerability of an infant shift her heart
toward love? Had she desperately wanted a child of her
own? Regardless of her motives, Pharaoh’s daughter uses
her power and privilege to act as an ally to Moses and his
family in their worst unraveling. It’s not a perfect solution,
but God doesn’t need perfection to achieve liberation.
No comments:
Post a Comment