God Believes in Adoption, Kind Of.
Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
Exodus, chapter 2 verse 9
A while back, an anonymous poster made a comment similar to the title, on Amy’s Blog (You can read her reply here) Actually, the comment was “I am thankful I serve a God who believes in adoption~ think how short the life of Moses would have been had his mother not chosen adoption, but more importantly, I am a child of God through adoption.”
Okay, let’s break that down. Moses was the son of a man of the house of Levi, born in a time when the Egyption Pharoh had ordered the death of all newborn males. His mother did not kill him and instead hid him for three months. Once she felt she could hide him no more, she made a small ark and placed him in it and set it on the waters while his sister watched. The daughter of the Pharoh came to bathe and saw the ark, telling her maid to retrieve it. When they saw the baby, the daughter of the Pharoh took pity and Moses’ sister came and asked if she should fetch a woman to nurse the child. The princess agreed.
The woman who was summonned? Moses’ own mother. The daughter of the Pharoh even paid her to raise her own son (although it seems implied that she never knew the woman was Moses’ mother but none of the translations actually confirm this.)
Anyway, as Moses grew up, he wound up killing an Egyptian, had the Pharoh after him, got married and had a son. Then God called him to help set the Israelites free. In the end, God destroyed the Pharoh’s army, the army of the family that adopted Moses.
I’m not sure that is a story you want to hold up to be the perfect example of adoption. For one thing his mother did not choose adoption and she wound up raising the baby anyway.
The Bible is the Word of God, written by man. I think the last distinction is often forgotten when reading it. Thru the years, there have been subtle changes and even the different religions have different versions they follow. The Bible, and even the name of God has been used thru out the ages as an excuse for atrocities. Think Crusades for one. Can you truly look into the eyes of a mother relinquishing her child and say it is God’s plan? How about those that are fighting to keep their children, like Rahsead, Stephanie Bennet, and Allison Quets? Is it God’s plan, that children die from abuse, neglect, and war?
I think that is more of Man’s freewill imposing on another.
Adoption can be a good thing in the right circumstances but don’t start making it a holy crusade as justification for the lies and secrets of todays institution.
If you would like to read the story of Moses, you can find it here online in different versions such as King James, New International Version, or The Message.
January 19th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
yay wraith! totally completely and utterly agree.
January 19th, 2007 at 7:48 pm
hi wraith. i wondered if you ever came to my page. i am glad you did. thank you. i enjoy reading you, learning about your journey. i believe that anyone can use the bible to get their point across, no matter the circumstance. i also believe that people ought to leave the bible out of many topics. i am glad that you did the research thank you once again for opening my eyes a little wider. take care. poet.
January 19th, 2007 at 7:49 pm
One would think if God ordained adoption as an institution, He’d have written down the instructions someplace in the Bible. ;)
January 20th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Yeah, I always wondered about the Moses thing too, didn’t he turn against his adoptive family in one of the most dramatic ways possilbe?
January 21st, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Thank you Suz,
Of course Poet, I have you on my google home page.
Mae Day, you would think. If you read the New International version, it talks about God adopting us but the King James treats it more that we are just his children.
Joy, yeah in a way, I mean God used him to rescue his birthfamily and his people.
January 21st, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Yes, we most definitely are referred to as the adopted children of God. The twist is, God offers… we consent, our free will intact. No name changes until heaven either and we don’t have to give up our bio family either. :)
January 23rd, 2007 at 10:13 am
I like your line of reasoning, Wraith and the point that you make, MaeDay that God offers and we consent with our free will intact.
I was once curious to find in the book of Chronicles whether or not Moses is listed in the genealogical tables of the Israelites. I am looking it up again in my Bible edition. I am most curious.
January 23rd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
dbannie…
1 Chronicles 23:13 . …Numbers 26:59
January 24th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Thank you very much, MaeDay!
April 13th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Thank goodness someone is writing a true interpretation of the Biblical concepts often used to say that God “sanctions” adoption. I have always believed that worldly adoption is a sad reality of mankind’s imperfection and free will. God’s adoption is, indeed, offered and is of a spiritual nature. Comparing it to worldly adoption is like comparing apples and oranges.
September 13th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Moses, also wrote the ten commandments, now ponder this in your heart you people that sing the praises of adoption from a biblical perception.
1.Exodus 20 verse 12. HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER.
How can an adoptee honour their father and their mother,the adoptee, is the fruit of the womb of their natural mother,and that mother was chosen by God. Psalm 139verses 13 to 16 validates the true origin of the adoptee.
2. Exodus 20 verse16. Thou shalt not bear false witness. ADOPTION is a total fabrication of the true identity of the adoptee,the adoptee,loses everything that is precious, their,s by right,ordained by God. that is who they truly are, where they come from,and that genealogy is their God given birthright, just look at the importance of genealogy, Christ,s lineage can be traced back to Ruth,we read throughout scripture,and these are the generations etc(Genisis25 v12 v19 and these are the generations of Isaac)Adoption rob,s the adoptee of their true identity, therfore it total breaks that commandment.THOU SHALT NOT LIE.
3. Exodus 20 verse17. THOU SHALT NOT COVET.
Women that think it is their right to adopt, because they are infertile,are guilty,totally of breaking this commandment, and women that adopt, just to get the praises of man,and to be seen by society to be doing an honorable thing by taking these babies from the fornicators, and bringing them into a marital home, are well and truly guilty of covetousness. Now we have much research, regarding the psychological development of the adoptee, and the separation,loss,and grief,of life lived without the natural parents being involved,
it is simply the rape of the soul, and christians, and christian ministers, priests, would do well to study all the truly authentic research, and archives that,s available proving this to be the case.
Finally, a truly unique christian woman, called and used of God, was Dr.Kate Waller Barret, she was the true samaritan,she had above the entrance to her mother and baby homes, “Never separate the sacred bond of mother and child.”
To the christians that read this I say read Hebrews11.verse 24 MOSES REFUSED TO BE CALLED THE SON OF PHARAOH,S DAUGHTER. he was 40years in the wilderness, I believe during that time, he was coming to terms with the holocaust effect adoption had on his life.The true place for children to be is with the parents, family they were born into, and we as a society,should prvide and promote that, and if kinship care cannot be,for whatever reason,then the host family should be from the community the child was born into,and therefore as much of the childs history is intact.Murrin.
October 13th, 2007 at 9:30 am
You quoted 1stChronicles23verse13,as your understanding God,sort of allows adoption.
Let me explain to you, what Aaron,and Aarons separation is about.
Aaron, and Moses,were brothers, but Aaron was SEPARATED to do Temple service,(not separated from his family) as David was building the Temple,and the Levites were the tribe chosen to do temple service,and office, also they were the scribes of scripture.Aaron was set aside within his family,as the latter part of the verse says,(that he should sanctify the most holy things,he and his children,and his childrens,children for future generations.His separation,was a separation unto God,to serve God in the offices of the Temple,or as we would say today,he has been called of God, and ordained as a minister,priest,or pastor,that is the true interpretation of this SEPARATION.not separated by adoption.
Might I add,when you read in scripture,the true,outcome of separation,ie,Joseph,”His bowels yearned within him,he wept so loudly,the whole of Pharoh,s household heard him”He was full of separated grief and the loss,of his natural family,and so overcome,everyone,witnessed his true loss. Also look at Solomons first charge,”The two mothers”The natural mother could not bear the thought of what was about to happen to her baby1stKings 3verse26.”Her bowels yearned within her for her son”.Adoption is a travesty,I personally,can only describe,what it has done to me,separated 40yrs from my son,”Abottomless abyss of sorrow”and to me the most profound statement,that describes my adoption journey without my son I lost age 17,(”My Bowels,Yearned,and continually yearn,for my son”)Marah.