John Calvin Commentary Exodus 2:4

"And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him." — Exodus 2:4 (ASV)

And his sister stood afar off. It is probable that this was Miriam.²⁶ Her standing to watch what became of him indicates that his parents still had some hope, though it was small. For there is little doubt that any Egyptian who had come that way would have been his executioner, both because of the king's command and the general hatred of the nation against the Hebrews. It seems, then, that Miriam was set by her parents to watch, rather to witness her brother’s murder than to provide for the child's safety.

But, as we have just seen that some sparks of faith still survived in the darkness of sorrow and despair, the mother, by exposing her little one on the river’s side, did not completely abandon care for him. Instead, she wished to entrust him to the mercy of any passer-by and therefore stationed her daughter at a distance to act as circumstances required. For if she had heard that the child was still lying there at night, she would have come secretly to nurse him. This plan, however, as is often the case in times of perplexity and trouble, proved futile, though God miraculously stretched forth His hand to preserve the child.

For there can be no doubt that His secret providence brought the king’s daughter to the river, who had the courage to take up the child and have him nursed. Furthermore, He also influenced her mind toward the kind act of saving his life—in short, He controlled the entire situation. Indeed, all devout people will confess that He was the source of her great and unquestioning kindness in not taking greater care to find out who the child’s parents were, and why a nurse presented herself so quickly—a circumstance that might naturally have aroused suspicion. Thus, it was through many miracles that the child escaped safely from the ark.

Scoffers would say that all this happened by accident, because a perverse delusion possesses their minds, making them blind to the manifest works of God, and they believe that the human race is governed by mere chance. But we must hold fast to the principle that while God rules all people by His providence, He honors His elect with His special care and is watchful for their deliverance and support. If we carefully consider all the circumstances, reason will readily assure us that all things which led to the preservation of Moses were arranged by His guidance, under His direction, and by the secret inspiration of His Spirit. For to attribute to fortune such a harmonious combination of diverse and numerous means is no less absurd than to imagine with Epicurus that the world was created by the fortuitous conjunction of atoms.²⁷

Surely, He drew out Moses, who was to be the future redeemer of His people, as if from the grave, so that He might demonstrate that the beginning of the security of His Church was like a creation out of nothing. And this was the crowning act of His divine mercy: not only that he was given to his mother to be nursed, but that she also received wages for it.

²⁶ “De laquelle il sera ci apres parle plus a plein;” who will presently be more fully spoken of. — Fr..

²⁷ “De ce qui apparoist en l’air comme poussiere, quand le soleil luist, sans que Dieu s’en soit mesle;” of that which appears in the air, like dust, when the sun shines, without the interposition of God. — Fr..