the unhyped life

“A-tisket, a-tasket, A green and yellow basket…”

As Easter approaches, the aisles of retail stores are stocked with baskets.  Baskets of all shapes, sizes, and colors.  Many are empty, just waiting for children to use them in their quest to become professional egg hunters.  We all probably have many baskets in our homes, whether they are functional or decorative – or both!  I love a good thrift store wicker basket – totally grandma chic!

I started thinking about what baskets are mentioned in the Bible. The first one mentioned is found in Exodus 2.

The backstory is that the king of Egypt, also known as Pharaoh, did not like that the Israelite population in his land was increasing so rapidly.  He was afraid that they would eventually outnumber the Egyptians, and that they might fight against them if a war ever broke out.  He commanded that the Israelites become the slaves of the Egyptians.  Even after that decree, the Israelite population continued to increase.  Then the king commanded that every son born to Israelites must be killed by being thrown into the river.

An Israelite women gave birth to a son and hid him for three months.  When she couldn’t hide him anymore, she took a basket, added sturdy and waterproof materials to it, and made it look like the reeds in the river.  She placed the baby boy inside and floated it near the river’s bank.  This was where the king’s daughter went to bathe.  When she noticed the basket, she was curious and sent her maidservants to retrieve it.  When she saw the baby inside, she knew that he was a Hebrew, and yet, she had compassion on him and raised him as her son. (A heartwarming side note:  The baby’s birth mother was hired to be his nurse.)

The king’s daughter named the child Moses, which means “drawn out” since he was literally drawn out of the water.  As many a scholar has pointed out, God later used Moses to “draw out” the Israelites from Egypt, freeing them from slavery (keep reading in Exodus). That’s not a coincidence, but a divine plan!

The river was meant to bring him death.  The basket was the vessel used to spare his life.

In so many ways, Jesus is like our basket.  He keeps us afloat, shelters us from harm, and hides us from our enemies. He draws us out of death and slavery to our sins. He places us at the right place, at the right time, with the right people to guide us to life and purpose.

When you see all the Easter baskets this weekend or when you see a basket around your home, I pray that you’re reminded of God’s goodness and what Jesus has done for you!

(You can read the story of Moses in the book Exodus starting here)

Ponderings:

• Do you have a favorite basket (can be functional or decorative)?
• How many different baskets do you have in your home?
• How is Jesus like the baskets in your home?  (For example:  Like a storage basket organizes our mess, Jesus takes our chaos and replaces it with peace.)
• What has Jesus drawn you out of?
• What other baskets are mentioned in the Bible, and what was their purpose?