Saviors before Sinai: Lessons from the Childhood of a Prophet in Exodus 1–6

The story of the Exodus begins not with miracles or plagues, but with acts of quiet courage. In this Old Testament Reflection on Exodus 1–6, Rosalynde Welch explores the network of women who ensure the survival of the infant Moses—midwives, a mother, a sister, a princess, and a wife—each acting at great personal risk to preserve a life that will one day help liberate a people.

Welch reflects on how these early chapters of Exodus reveal a deeper pattern in sacred history: God’s saving work often unfolds through “small-s saviors,” ordinary men and women who cooperate to protect life, resist injustice, and prepare the way for deliverance. Drawing connections from ancient Israel to the abolitionist work of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, she invites us to consider how quiet acts of courage and partnership can shape the course of history.