A teacher gave her K2 class a lesson on the magnet and what it does.
• The next day in a written test, she included this question: My full name has six letters. The first one is M. I pick up things. What am I?
• When the test papers were turned in, the teacher was astonished to find that almost 50 percent of the children answered the question with the word MOTHER.
A teacher asked a boy this question: Suppose your mother baked a pie and there were 7 of you - your parents and 5 children. What part of the pie would you get?
• A sixth, replied the boy.
• I’m afraid you don’t know your fractions, said the teacher, Remember, there are seven of you.
• Yes, teacher, said the boy, but you don’t know my mother. She would say she didn’t want any pie.
A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday school presentation. His mother was in the front row to prompt him.
• She gestured and formed the words silently with her lips, but it did not help. Her son was playing the role of Jesus but his mind was blank.
• Finally, she leaned forward and whispered the cue, ‘I am the light of the world.’
• The child was delighted and with a loud voice said, ‘My mother is the light of the world.’
Mothers make the difference in our lives.
• It will not be too far-fetched to say, without them, we may not be what we are today, or who we are today.
• Mothers are a gift from God. We are blessed because of them. We thank God for them!
We want to take a look at Moses’ mother today.
• She is not as well known, but like all mothers, she did what many mothers would do – to love, protect and nurtures their children in God’s ways.
• Few might have noticed her efforts or knew much of what she had done, but the fruit of her labours testifies to her greatness and contribution.
Let’s read Exodus 2:1-10
By all human standards, Moses never had a chance.
• Not only was he born to a slave, but there was already a death sentence upon him.
• Had he been born a girl he would have been allowed to live, but as a boy he had no life expectancy.
Exo 1:22 set the context: “Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: ‘Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
• Moses was a Hebrew, born in the cruel culture of ancient Egypt where Pharaoh had declared that all the Hebrew boys that were born were to be exterminated. Throw them into the river (to the crocodiles – that’s what the Nile was famous for).
• Pharaoh became one of a long line of lunatics who have attempted to exterminate the Jews.
What caused this attempt to eradicate an entire race? Exodus 1 gives us the background.
• 1:7 “the Israelites became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.”
• 1:10 “…and if war breaks out, [they] will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”
• It has always been Satan’s passion to exterminate the Jewish race. He knew that through them would come the Saviour of the world.
• So, he has used men and women throughout human history to reach his goal, even today.
Into this situation Moses was born! You can say he was born at the wrong time (only in the eyes of man!).
• But one young woman was determined to do things God’s way. Her name was Jochebed (not even mentioned here).
• She was only in passing, in 6:20 when they listed the family record, and in Num 26:59 when they listed the census.
• No one noticed her. People know Moses, but few if any, knows Moses’ mother.
Jochebed was determined to honour God’s gift to her. While everyone bowed to this new order, she would not submit.
• No one, not even mighty Pharaoh could lay his hands on her God-given child.
Her courage saved a child. Let’s put it in another way, her bravery saved a nation!
• For child was Moses, the great deliverer of Israel.
• Only eternity will show the greatness of this mother. Only the Lord knows the full extent of her contribution in God’s kingdom.
In fact, Moses was her third child.
• Her first born was Miriam, the sister who was stationed near the river to watch over him and suggested to Pharoah’s daughter to let one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby.
• Miriam led the victory chorus after their crossing of the Red Sea [see Exodus 15:20-21]. She was the first one identified with prophetic and musical gifts.
• Jochebed’s second child was Aaron, who later became the High Priest and from his family comes all the priests of Israel.
Has any mother in history ever raised three more noteworthy children? And remember, she raised them in slavery!
• And she raised them in the ways and the teachings of God. We saw the faith of her children in Jehovah their God.
• She was determined in her heart to stand firm against the forces of evil in her world.
• In the words of Heb 11:23, she “was not afraid of the king’s edict.”
• It was not easy. They had to hide Moses for 3 months, after he was born.
Finally, it’s was time to let him go. They had to find a long-term solution.
• Letting him go would not be easy for any mom, but she had to, to keep his life.
• So the mother built a little basket and waterproofed it, and let him down the river. The sister watched as his baby brother floated down the river.
Now pause just a minute, and reflect on what she did. Most of us grew up listening to stories about the "baby in the basket", and simply accept what she did without a second thought.
• It would not be easy giving your child away. No mother would do that. Yet she had to, in order to save his life.
• You can imagine the agony of doing so. You can imagine the same agony that Mary had in giving up Jesus.
• It was a great sacrifice. She had to simply trust God and let go.
The river that was intended to kill Moses was the means of his salvation.
• The placing and the timing got to be right. God would make sure they were right.
• And the Pharoah’s daughter took him in. Did she do as the law ordered and immediately drown him in the river? No. Instead, she felt sorry for the infant.
• God was orchestrating everything. Jochebed simply did what she possibly could, and leave the rest up to Him.
Not only that, they would hire a Jewish woman to take care of the baby, and they got his mother.
• Now not only was Moses’ life saved, the Egyptian government would pay Jochebed to nurse and raise her own child.
But that’s only for a couple of years. When he has grown up, she had to give him up once again, back to the Pharoah’s daughter and into the Palace.
• He would live the life of a prince in Egypt, and she would continue her life as a lowly Hebrew slave.
• The Bible doesn't tell us what happened to Jochebed after that. We don't know whether she ever got to see her son again.
• Most likely, she would have died in Egypt before God would use her son Moses to come and free His people.
• She might have died in slavery, not knowing what great things the Lord would do through her son. But God knows!
But she had done what she needed to do, in those formative years of Moses’ life.
• Pharaoh’s daughter may have raised Moses in her palace. She may have given him the name Moses, his education, and the good life of ancient Egypt. Yet Moses refused to be recognised as an Egyptian prince.
• His true mother, Jochebed had taught him the ways of God and his true identity as the people of God.
The book of Hebrews describes to us how Moses thinks – in Heb 11:24-28
“24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”
23 Moses' parents …were not afraid of the king's edict.
27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger.
• Like mother, like son. His mother’s faith in God has rubbed onto him. He learned spiritual truths from his mother.
• Timothy too had a similar blessing. Paul wrote in 2 Tim 1:5 “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
If you are a mom today, or you are going to be one, one day, remember this – don’t underestimate your influence in the family.
• The things you do for your children may look insignificant or trivial, but God uses that to mould lives.
Jochebed’s situation was difficult. They were living in slavery. The son was born under a death threat. There was little hope for the future.
• She did not know what would be the end, but she did her part.
• She did not know why God would have her go through all of those pains, but she submitted to God and let her son go.
We like to know the reasons why we have to suffer as we do. We want to know why these things happen; we want to know what the future will be.
• However, like Jochebed, we may not have an answer. We are called to let go. We must let go of our hopes, our dreams, and our "rights".
• We must leave them in God's hands and trust Him to work the details out. He does indeed have a plan!
• Our place is to simply follow as He shows us scene-by-scene, and step-by-step.
Jochebed raised Miriam, Aaron and Moses, not perfect but all greatly used by God.
• She succeeded with God’s help, under very harsh environment.
• We saw similar stories in the Bible – Hannah gave birth to Samuel, also under very difficult circumstances.
• Mary had to give birth to Jesus, also with a death threat over the child.
They had all overcome, so can we.
• No matter how difficult the circumstances are, trust God.
• We all have a role to play and a script to live out.
Moms play an important role and we are all blessed because of them.
(1) Do something today or this week, to show that you appreciate your mom.
• If you don’t think about it, you will not appreciate. If we did not study Jochebed, we would not have realized what she had done.
• You need to pause and think, and show your appreciation. Else we will take them for granted.
(2) Pray for your mom.
• They face many challenges, just like Jochebed. They make sacrifices on a daily basis. They protect, they provide, they nurse us and educate us.
• Moses may not have known; his faith comes through his mom. Without her, he might have become an Egyptian.
