Let him go Levite woman

Artwork: Newton Hall Infant School Pupils

Moses’ mother’s name was Jochebed, (Exodus Chapter 6. 20)

When her baby was born, he was under sentence of death, for Pharaoh had given an order, that all male Hebrew babies had to be thrown into the River Nile. (1.22)

Jochebed loved her baby so much, she decided she would save him from this fate by placing him in a papyrus basket, and hiding him in the reeds on the river.

The good news is that he was discovered, drawn out of the river, and adopted by an Egyptian princess. Moses’ sister was watching to see what happened to him,

so she stepped forward to the princess and offered to find a nurse for the baby.

Questions for children.

Moses’ mother had lots of things to worry about; what is it that makes you worry?

Who do you turn to when you have worries or do you keep them to yourself? ‘A worry shared is a worry halved’; what does this mean?

Read Philippians 3. 4-7. What does it tell us here about our worries?

Prayer suggestion

Let us offer all our worries to God, right now. Hold a stone in your hand and pretend it is your worry; then dig a hole in the garden and bury it there.

Let the worry go, let God have it.

It would be good to act this story out in mime or with puppets,

or even make up a mini ballet to the music.

If mothers are present at a Messy play, invite them to spend time listening/or singing/ to this song, cuddling their children on their laps,

while the little ones all pretend to be the baby Moses wrapped up in the basket.

11 Let him go Levite woman :

Exodus Chapter 1. 22 to Chapter 2. 1-4

(to the tune ‘She’ll be coming round the mountains’)

And she placed him on the waters of the Nile,

in a basket placed her living, breathing child.

With tar and pitch she coated it, to keep out winds that blow,

and protect him from the currents down below.

Let him go Levite woman let him go.

God will keep him safe wherever, don’t you know?

For he has a plan to save him, and through him, those who’ll go with him.

Let him go Levite woman let him go.

T’was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do.

Her heart was breaking, tearing clean in two.

She had given up her boy child, her own dear flesh and blood,

to the dangers of the river and the mud.

Chorus

Pharaoh ruled that little Hebrew boys must die.

So she hid him in the reeds that stood up high,

and perhaps because she couldn’t bear her grieving any more,

her daughter kept a lookout on the shore.

Chorus

He’ll be safe from Pharaoh’s soldiers after all!