Sharing Scripture — July 5, 2025

Texts: Exodus 1:1–22; 2:1–25; Genesis 37:26–28; 39:2, 21; Acts 7:6; Galatians 3:16, 17

Earlier this year, archaeologists revealed a remarkable discovery: around 1,500 colorful blocks once used to decorate Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple. These fragments illuminate her legacy—one that for centuries was believed to have been almost completely erased by her stepson and successor, Thutmose III.

But was her legacy truly lost?

A recent study published by Jun Yi Wong and a team of Canadian archaeologists at the University of Toronto challenges that long-held belief. According to their research, Hatshepsut’s memory wasn’t destroyed so much as her posthumous power was deliberately “deactivated.” Her face and name may have been chiseled out of stone, but her influence was not forgotten—it was merely muted.

Still, one has to wonder … was it really?

Some biblical and Jewish archaeologists, along with a number of Egyptologists, have long speculated that Hatshepsut—one of Egypt’s most powerful and trailblazing rulers—might have been the very woman who adopted a Hebrew infant from the Nile. Could it be that Moses, the man whom God chose to lead the Israelites out of bondage, was raised in the palace of a pharaoh who not only claimed divine descent from the god Amun but also strengthened the empire that was oppressing his people?

Talk about divine irony.

If this theory holds any water, it only adds to the long list of examples where God works through the most unexpected people and in the most unlikely circumstances. Hatshepsut, a woman in a patriarchal society, a god-queen of Egypt, rescuing the child who would become her slaves’ deliverer? It seems far-fetched… and exactly like something God would do.

Scripture is full of examples like this.

Moses had a speech impediment, yet God called him to confront (an unnamed) Pharaoh and lead a nation.

The Hebrew midwives—Shiphrah and Puah—were minor characters in a grand empire, but God used them to preserve the line of Israel. [In fact, though of low standing in their society, their names are forever etched in the history of the Abrahamic religions—Pharaoh’s is not.]

Joseph, sold into slavery by his own brothers, was elevated to second-in-command by an Egyptian pharaoh (Genesis 41:41) and used by God to save not only Egypt, but his own family.

God doesn’t call the qualified, but qualifies the called.

God delights in flipping the script, making heroes of the overlooked and rewriting the narrative so that the weak overcome the strong and the humble confound the proud.

So assuming that she is Moses’ adoptive mother, maybe there is more to Hatshepsut’s legacy than power and monuments. Maybe her legacy lives on, not in stone walls or inscriptions, but in the unfolding story of redemption. Maybe her greatest contribution was not her temple, architectural feats, expanded trade routes, or overflowing coffers, but the child she saved—whose life would echo through the generations as a testament to God’s providence.

 

For Reflection

Sharing: For you personally, what is the most important reason for understanding the historical context of biblical stories?

1. So I can better understand the characters’ motivations
2. So I can see how our spiritual history fits into the overall history of the world
3. So I can see how God is always working in our world
4. To appreciate the relevance of these teachings today
5. To interpret the messages accurately
6. Other:

Applying: How can you effectively respond to the abuse of power in your workplace or in the church?

~ Stefani Leeper

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