Adoption story to tell kids when explaining adoption-Christian one?

Question

A friend called me to tell me about a story that they told in Sunday school when a child who was in foster care and recently adopted. The child was told he was in good company, because Moses and Jesus were both adopted. Had anyone ever heard that story, or do they know (other than the Bible), where it might be in a children's book?

Answer 1

But Jesus and Moses both went back to their "real" families.  And Jesus was never lied to, he always knew who his Daddy was, it's not the same and can't even COMPARE to the way adoption is done today.

But if you want to get into Bible passages about adoption, you might be interested in these:

Exodus 22:21-23 (New International Version)

22 "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry."

Yet thousands of "widows and orphans" are taken advantage of every day, in the name of adoption.

Jeremiah 49:11

Leave your orphans; I will protect their lives. Your widows too can trust in me."

Nope, don't see God telling anyone to take the children there.

# Deuteronomy 10:18

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Hmmm...seems God wants us to HELP these poor unfortunates, not help ourselves TO them, as in this passage:

# Job 24:9

The fatherless child is snatched from the breast; the infant of the poor is seized for a debt.

Answer 2

Joseph was Jesus' stepfather, not adoptive father.  Jesus was quite clear about who his real father is, anyway.  It's not a fair comparison to adoption as we know it.

Moses' adoption wasn't exactly what we think of when we think of adoption. It had absolutely nothing to do with Pharaoh's daughter looking to form a family. It had nothing to do with Moses' mother being pressured into relinquishment, or feeling that it was best that Moses be raised by peoples other than she. It was done in order to save his life! After three months of raising Moses, his mother realized she could no longer hide him from the Egyptian Pharaoh's people. The Pharaoh commanded the all of the first-born, Hebrew male children be killed. She put him in a basket and into the Nile River. She didn't just leave him there, however. Moses' sister watched to oversee what would transpire at this point.

When Pharaoh's daughter found Moses, Moses' sister who had been watching (today we'd call that "stalking") approached her and offered to bring a Hebrew woman to nurse Moses. Pharaoh's daughter not only said to go ahead, she actually paid wages to the woman, who was Moses' biological mother. Significantly, when Moses was an adult, he went to his brethren -- his brethren the Hebrews, that is.

Probably the biggest example used to support the idea that God sanctions adoption is in the writings of Paul. Paul discusses God adopting those who accept His Son, Jesus. Well, this is certainly not adoption as we define it in our society. It is a spiritual adoption of adults, not babies. It is also an adoption based on God offering and the adult person responding to that offer. The person has a choice to be adopted into the family of God or not. Significantly, the word in the original Greek text that Paul uses to describe this adoption is "huiothesia." Huiothesia is a word formed from the two Greek words "huio" meaning a son, and "thesia" meaning a placing. In the Greek, the word was a legal term that referred to a father's declaration that his natural born child was officially his child, with all of the privileges, rights and heirship that this relationship carried. Well, this is the exact opposite of adoption by those other than parents, or at least kin!

Another example is Abram and Sarah. Desperately wanting an heir, Abram and Sarah adopted a son born to a servant in their home. Abram told God that this child would be his heir. God said otherwise and told Abram that a child of his own blood would be the heir. Abram suggested that he could make a baby with one of the female servants of his house, and that this child could be his heir. After all, this child would at least be of Abram's blood. Again, God said no and told Abram that his heir would be the son of his relationship with Sarah.

This example shows that biology matters to God. Should biology, then, not matter to us? If anything, it should matter to Christian-based adoption agencies. But, we still practice adoption that seals up any sign of the biological background of the adopted person and replaces it with an altered birth certificate that is designed to look as though the adoptee was born to his or her adoptive parents.

Hmmm.

Answer 3

Moses' 'adoption story' is not a good one to tell:

1. Moses was seperated from his birthfamily because his adoptive family was killing all the babies of his race. The birthfamily had no choice.

2. He fled from his adoptive family after killing one of their race for hurting one of his race.

3. He only came back to the land of his birth to lead his people out of it. With God's help, he sent plagues and death.

I can't find any story that is specifically what you are asking for. I'll keep looking....but the truth--in a respectful and loving way--is always the best story.

Answer 4

I've never heard that particular story, but Esther was also adopted.

Answer 5

Best adoption story to tell your children: their own.

Talking about other people's adoptions is fine, but to compare stories isn't necessarily helpful or wise. The only 'story' a child truly cares about is his or her own. Be honest and truthful...that's the most Christian thing you can do for your kids.

Answer 6

The story of Moses?  

I believe it was during the time in which they were taking the oldest born son from each family and killing him.  (I think out of fear of the prophecy of the first born son being the new "king").  Moses's mother put him in a basket (hence the "Moses basket") and put him in the river.  He floated down stream and Miriam (I believe), the kings wife (I believe) found him while she was bathing/washing clothes.  

Jesus was "adopted" by Joseph.

Wow...I need to go back to Sunday School.

Edit:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Baby-Mo...

I lied, it was the Pharoah's daughter that found Moses.  And Miriam was Moses's biological sister, not the one that found him.  Wow... time to go back to church, huh?

Answer 7

I've heard this story before, also.  There are many Christian book stores.  I would recommend you check out the Yellow pages and call around to the ones in your area.  If they don't have it, they might recognize the story and be able to get you a book that discusses adoption from a Bible standpoint.  I would also go online and set the search engine for Religious books for children or something like that.  Then try a more advanced search giving the topic of Adoption.  Good luck.

Answer 8

Wasn't Jesus more of an IVF or surrogate baby?

And I think Jesus would be disgusted by the way adoption is practiced today.  Taking babies from disadvantaged people to give to barren women?  I don't think so.  That's NOT Christianity.

Christianity is helping others who need help--not taking their children for yourself.  

Or begging for them on the internet.

Answer 9

I've never heard of a picture book, but the story of Moses is a clear adoption story just as it is...get a book about Moses.......but be careful, it is a gory story...he had to be adopted because the man who would become his adopted grandfather ordered the murder of all Jewish boys.

Joseph was Jesus stepdad technically......

ETA: Miriam was Moses' sister she watched him in the Nile, not his adoptive mother.