Di Basket for Inside Reeds

Di river water dey touch di reeds softly. Hide inside dem, one small basket dey shake small small on top di water. Inside am, one baby dey sleep. And small distance away, one girl bend down inside di reeds, she hold her breath, she dey watch to see wetin go happen to her brother.

Many years after Joseph, di family of Jacob don grow become big people for Egypt, di Israelites, or Hebrews. But one new Pharaoh don enter power wey no know anything about Joseph. E see how di Hebrews plenty, and e fear dem. So e make dem slaves, e force dem to make bricks and build cities. Still di Hebrew people dey grow. So Pharaoh give one wicked order to all im people: every Hebrew baby boy, make dem throw am inside River Nile.

Na dat same time, one man and one woman from di family of Levi born baby boy. Im mama look am and see say e be fine, beautiful pikin. And she no gree give am up. For three months she hide am. Think how hard e go be, to dey quiet every cry, to dey jump every time person knock door. But babies dey grow, and dem dey cry louder. She no fit hide am for long again.

So she make plan. She take one basket wey dem weave from papyrus reeds, and she rub am with tar and pitch so that water no go fit enter. She lay her baby inside, carry am go down to di river, and put di basket among di reeds for di edge of di water. Di same river wey Pharaoh want make Hebrew boys die inside, na im become di place where she hide her son. Then di baby sister stand far small, to see wetin dem go do am.

Footsteps. Voices. Pharaoh daughter come down to di river to bathe, and her servant girls dey waka for di riverside. She see di basket among di reeds and she send one servant make e go bring am. She open am, and see, di baby dey cry. And her heart touch for am. Dis one na one of di Hebrew babies, she talk. She know exactly wetin her papa don order. And she choose to show mercy.

Now di sister comot from di reeds. E need real courage to waka go meet princess. Make I go find one of di Hebrew women wey go breastfeed di baby for you? Yes, go, Pharaoh daughter talk. And who di girl run go call? Na her own mama. Pharaoh daughter tell her, Take dis baby, breastfeed am for me, and I go pay you. Imagine dat mama face. She get her son back, safe, and dem dey pay her to take care of am. When di pikin grow small, she bring am come meet Pharaoh daughter, and e become her son. She name am Moses. Because, she talk, I draw am comot from water.

Dis na one detail wey you fit only see for Hebrew. Di word for dis small basket na tevah. E only show for one other story for di whole Bible. Na di word for Noah ark. Dem rub both with pitch. Both carry somebody pass through water wey fit kill. And both carry somebody wey God go use rescue other people. Boats wey dem make from papyrus reeds na real thing wey people use for di Nile; even di prophet Isaiah talk about boats of bulrushes on top di waters.

Di baby inside di basket. You go find am for Exodus chapter two, verse one to ten. One mama, one sister and one princess, each of dem make brave choice, and God use all three to save di boy wey go one day lead im people go freedom. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Which small, brave thing you fit do dis week to protect person wey need help?