LOOK WHAT I FOUND–MEHY

The Pharaoh’s Daughter – Bible Study—Week #4

Click on the following title to print today’s devotional: Look What I Found—Mehy’s Voices

“Who is Mehy?” you ask. I believe Mehy may be the Egyptian name of our biblical Moses. Mehy was an historical military figure who is recorded with Pharaoh Sety on the northern exterior wall of Egypt’s Great Hypostyle Hall.

In The Pharaoh’s Daughter, our heroine Anippe was adopted by General Horemheb, who later became Pharaoh. Anippe rescued a Hebrew baby (Moses) from the Nile and named him Horemheb, to honor her adopted father. Anippe later gives him the nickname, Mehy, making the Hebrew babe we know as Moses a grandson of Pharaoh Horemheb.

“Tut leaned close. ‘I wondered if you’d wait until he was weaned or if you’d tempt the gods and name him before his three years.’

‘He is strong and a fighter—like his Jad Horemheb.’ Anippe winked at her abbi. ‘Which is why his name will be Horemheb.’” (excerpt, The Pharaoh’s Daughter)

Scripture doesn’t tell us when Moses discovered his Hebrew heritage. We know in ancient cultures children were sometimes nourished by a wet nurse until they were four years old. It’s entirely possible Jochebed told Moses the ancient stories of El Shaddai during those formative years before he turned five.

Mehy, however, would have been bombarded with the gods of Egypt from the time of his weaning until he fled Egypt at age forty (Exodus 2:11-15). How confused might this young prince have felt?

In The Pharaoh’s Daughter, Moses/Mehy confides his religious doubts to his linen keeper-and-friend, Mered, before he leaves for battle as a young warrior. Though Mered has offered him the truth of El Shaddai, the boy chooses the cacophony of lies he’s been told for the past ten years:

“I go to battle representing my ancestors…[who] will be watching from the underworld…I am the only member of our family that can fight. I must bring them honor. I must be Seth reborn.”

Confused and alone, the teenager Mehy struggles with the myriad of voices shouting for his attention.

What voices vie for your attention? Which ones do you listen to?

Lost and Lonely

We live in a fast-paced world with multiple masters screaming for our attention. Confusion plagues those who wish to ponder because the next choice arises too quickly—and the next choice and the next. Silence is a distant memory, and loneliness descends in a crowded room. Allowing too many voices to speak into our lives silences the One Voice that offers Truth.

Write John 8:31-32 on the lines below and discover the Bible’s perspective on the effect of Truth on our lives.

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The Biblical Story

Egypt’s meticulous records list no “Moses” among its princes, so many Egyptologists have claimed the biblical story is a ruse. I know God’s Word to be infallible Truth, however, and it tells us Pharaoh’s daughter named the baby Moses. My goal in writing The Pharaoh’s Daughter was to maintain both scriptural integrity and historical accuracy.

“When the child grew older, [Jochebed] took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’”   Exodus 2:10

I proposed in my story that Anippe (Pharaoh’s daughter) heard the baby’s birth mother and sister calling him the Hebrew name Moses and deemed it his secret name. The idea of a secret name came from an Egyptian legend of the god Re that Anippe taught Mehy as a child. Though she used a pagan story to remind him of the secret name Moses, it reminded the boy of his true heritage throughout his life.

• If someone had approached Anippe’s son when he was a teenager and asked, “Are you Moses, a Hebrew slave, or Mehy, an Egyptian prince?”—what do you think he would have answered? Which voices do you think would have defined him at that juncture in his life?

Though Scripture is silent on those years from the time he was weaned until he was forty years old, we can surmise a few details about his life as an Egyptian prince:

• He would have been highly educated in science, geography, astronomy, and writing in at least hieroglyphs (perhaps Phoenician and Sumerian as well).
• He would have gone through rigorous military training.
• He would have traveled with Pharaoh’s army throughout Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula, Canaan, Libya, and possibly into Syria.

Moses would have been among the brightest and bravest men in Egypt. His life and schedule would have been full, his mind consumed with responsibilities, duties, and delights.

When Moses grew older, he acted rashly—perhaps even out of character—and the Book of Acts gives us interesting insight into his thought processes…

“When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.”       Acts 7:23-25

• Did Moses/Prince Mehy believe he was a slave or a free man when he killed the Egyptian?

SLAVE                       FREE

• In your opinion, why didn’t the Hebrews realize God was using Moses/Prince Mehy to free them?

The truth was—Moses was still very much Egyptian in his actions, his thoughts, and his appearance. His mind and heart were still clogged with too many voices, and he tried to do God’s work his own way. The result? Isolation and confusion.

“When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian…”       Exodus 2:15

I have to believe Moses/Prince Mehy believed he was a free Egyptian when he chose to defend that Hebrew slave, but he quickly discovered how very real his bondage to Pharaoh was.

• How was Prince Mehy’s bondage different than the Hebrew’s bondage?

• How was Moses’s/Prince Mehy’s freedom different than the Hebrews’ freedom?

God’s Word for Today

If we allow too many voices to dictate our schedules, our desires, or our relationships, then we, too, live in bondage and will struggle with isolation and confusion. When too many commitments vie for our attention and allegiance, well too often the loudest or most urgent voices gain our notice and ultimately our hearts. Sometimes the undercurrent of static steals the Truth and holds us prisoner even though we try to listen for the Truth. Jesus saw the same struggle plaguing his disciples:

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’ They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’”           John 8:31-33

• Who was Jesus addressing in this exchange—people who believed in Him or adversaries who didn’t believe?

• Was it true that Abraham’s descendants had never been slaves?

YES                                         NO

Like those overwhelmed disciples, we often don’t realize we’re being held captive by voices drowning out the Truth. Summarize the following verses to discover practical ways to silence those excessive voices that isolate and confuse us.

• Psalm 1:1-2
• Romans 12:1-2
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Philippians 4:8
• Colossians 3:13  ­­­­­­­­­­­

For Personal Reflection

“—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.”           John 14:17

Loneliness and confusion can press us to the edge of despair, but no believer ever need to feel lonely again. The Spirit of Truth dwells within us and is our constant Companion, Guide, and Comfort.

• Have you convinced yourself you’re free—when you’ve actually submitted to pleasant and privileged bondage—as Moses did in his early years?

• What “voices” hold you captive and rob you of God’s truth? (Relationships, attitudes, commitments, anything that impedes the application of God’s Word in your life?)

• From the list of verses above, what practical step will you take this week to silence those excessive voices?

Don’t miss next weekend’s Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt!

April 16th-19th, there will be two loops–pink and purple–with 17 blog stops each. You’ll meet AMAZING authors along the way. If you complete either the pink loop or purple loop, you can enter for a Kindle paperwhite and the 17 autographed books from that loop. If you complete BOTH loops, you can enter for the Grand Prize of a Kindle Fire HDX and ALL 34 autographed books!

My blog is #13 on the PINK LOOP. You’ll get your normal blog notification (from me) when the Scavenger Hunt goes live with instructions on how to join the fun!

Come Back April 24th for our Bible Study Wrap UP!

• Please take a moment to ponder today’s lesson and submit a question in the COMMENTS section below.
• In our final video on April 24th, I’ll answer your questions about Mehy and address some unanswered questions from previous posts.
• Each question submitted this week will serve as an entry in our fourth and final drawing for an engraved necklace with the Aaronic blessing, “May the Lord Bless and Keep You,” based on Numbers 6:24. Blessings on your week!

And the winner of this week’s interactive comment drawing is Teri! Your beautiful pendant is on its way!! Please keep your comments and questions coming each week for Mesu to answer in the following week’s video.

(Drawing done via random.org)