Pass Down Faith

Passed Down Faith

Exodus 1:15-2:10, Hebrews 11:23-29

Good morning, Happy Mother’s Day!

Please open your Bibles to two places, first turn to Hebrews 11 and put a bookmark there, and then turn to Exodus 1.

Throughout history, Mothers have often served as their children's primary role models for living a life of faith.

Mothers demonstrate their faith during life’s challenges by passing on an example of faith in Christ to their children.

Mothers can instill a sense of moral values, as they encourage their children to have their own belief in Christ.

Also, by modeling faith, mothers can help their children develop a strong moral compass by praying for their children, living for Christ as an example, and teaching the Word of God.

The mom we will meet in Exodus was desperate, but she knew there was only one answer to her child’s need, and the answer was to trust the LORD, even as she lost him for the short term.

Even though this mother temporarily lost her child, she was able to see him be used to save God’s people and become a picture and a forerunner of Jesus Christ.

I. The LORD was pleased with disobedience.

Read Exodus 1:15-22

Warren Wiersbe said, “This is the first instance in scripture of what today we call civil disobedience, refusing to obey an evil law because of a higher good.”

We must be very careful to seek the LORD and follow scripture when we want to imitate this behavior of civil disobedience.

We must make sure we are following the LORD and not rebelling because of our individual desires. We must always do what the LORD says to do, rather than obeying man.

Pharaoh’s command to kill the male child was similar to Satan’s attack against the Messiah and the LORD’s ultimate plan of redemption for Israel.

In Genesis 3, the LORD promised the Messiah, the Seed of the Woman, the One who would crush Satan’s head, the Messiah, who was promised to come through the children of Israel.

Satan wanted to destroy Israel and stop the Messiah from coming by using Pharaoh to order all the male children killed.

The midwives revered the LORD more than they feared Pharaoh, so they obeyed God rather than man.

In Acts 4, when the religious leaders instructed Peter and John to no longer preach in the name of Jesus, they replied…

Acts 4:19 "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge.” NKJV

Yes, the Bible encourages obedience to government authority.

But the Bible also emphasizes the fact that Christians should prioritize obeying God's commands over human laws.

Notice, “And the midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women.”

Alan Cole said, “We are not told whether the midwives were lying, or whether the quick delivery of ‘Hebrew’ babies was a biological fact…

“Even if they lied, it is not for their deceit that they are commended, but for their refusal to take infant lives.” (Cole)

So, the LORD blessed the midwives for being obedient to His command rather than sinning and obeying Pharaoh.

Re-read Exodus 1:20

One of the blessings for these women was to have children. Childbirth for a midwife in those times was not normal.

For women during this time, the security provided by many offspring was a major blessing.

The women who obeyed the LORD by protecting Israeli families were blessed with their own families.

The more Pharaoh fought God’s plans, the more Israel prospered.

II. A beautiful son was born.

Read Exodus 2:1-4

Moses’ mother’s name was Jochebed, and she gave birth to Moses at a time in history when it could have cost her life to keep her baby boy.

There was a royal edict to kill every newborn boy. Moses was not Jochebed’s first child. Moses had an older sister named Miriam and an older brother named Aaron.

Jewish legends said that Moses’ birth was painless to his mother, and that his face was so beautiful that the room was filled with light equal to the sun and moon combined.

The legend goes on to say that Moses walked and spoke when he was a day old, and that he refused to nurse, eating solid food from birth. Our narrative refutes this, as Jochebed nursed Moses.

Moses’ parents recognized Moses as a goodly child, more than ordinarily beautiful. In the New Testament, we are told in…

Acts 7:17 "But when the time of the promise drew near, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt

Acts 7:18 till another king arose who did not know Joseph.

Acts 7:19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.