We do not know how long Jacob’s descendants received preferential treatment in Egypt. It would seem from Joseph’s dying words that he already knew things were not going well, would get worse, and that his relatives would not be able, on their own to escape the trouble that was surely on the horizon. He had said: “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Things did get worse, resulting in the extermination of Hebrew boy babies.
Moses’ mother was determined, however, to save her child and, as the saying goes, ‘have her cake and eat it too.’
As Exodus 2 begins, it would seem simply a coincidence that Moses was found by Pharaoh’s daughter, but as you read, it just seems likely that Jochebed (Moses’ mother) took an incredible risk and laid an elaborate plan. She may have known Pharaoh’s daughter, what kind of person she was. She placed Moses at just the right place at just the right time, with Moses’ sister Miriam not only to watch and make sure nothing bad happened, but also to volunteer to get a nurse for a crying hungry baby.
With the plan set in motion, everything fell into place. Jochebed was able to save her son, raise him as her own, teach him of his heritage, and guarantee his future as few parents are able. Parents who put this kind of forethought into caring for their children will not be surprised at their success.