Sermon Moves…
Intro – Baby box (S Korea)
A temperature-controlled chamber built into the wall of a church functions as a baby box, enabling unwanted newborns to be taken in without parents having to identify themselves. …
New arrivals — almost 200 last year, an average of nearly four a week — are deposited covered in blood, wrapped in material, sometimes with the umbilical cord still attached.
Pastor & Church set up the facility after hearing reports of babies being abandoned in the open air or in public rest rooms.
“Some teenagers give birth to babies in empty houses or in public toilets. They wrap them in old shirts or towels and bring them to us,”
On one occasion, a young couple brought in a baby covered in dust.
The father had been planning to bury the baby alive,
“When the father started shovelling earth over it, the mother could not bear it any more and rescued the baby.”
**In 2013 (for example), 224 babies were placed in the “baby box”
Read text – Ex 2Ex 1:15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” 20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every Hebrew boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”
Ex 2 Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it.6 She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.
7 Then his sister (!) asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?”
8 “Yes, go,” she answered.
So the girl (sister) went and got the baby’s mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” (!)
So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
10 When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
1. Situation – Jochebed Has A Baby In Egyptian Slavery
a. Because of a famine Israel is Egypt
b. Now, Joseph has died
c. And there’s New leadership in Egypt
d. 300 years into slavery…Population is growing
e. Pharoah feels threatened
f. Edict to kill baby boys
g. This couple Joch & Amran have 2 children already – Miriam and Aaron
h. They are Levites (not yet assigned as priests - no law or tabernacle yet)
i. Now another baby – what if it’s a boy?
j. Mothering is hard enough already!
Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh – 1 million Rohingya refugees (+ a STORM)
2. Complication – Release Baby Into The Nile – Or Be Killed
a. They hide him for 3 months – but babies grow… and cry… and cry some more…
b. What to do?
c. The joy of being a mom is overshadowed by the smell of death.
d. What will happen?
e. They build an “Ark” – see Gen 6 – of bitumen (Tar/asphalt)
f. Release the ARK into the Nile River.
g. Flood language/overtones
h. ** there’s no “word from God” of safety mention in the narrative.
i. How would you feel?
j. The older sister – Miriam (7) – hangs around…”to see what will happen”
During WW2 ? **My friend’s Dad - who was a Dutch teenager in Holland at the time of WW2 - hid in a deep hole in a farmers field during WW2 so the Nazis wouldn’t find him.
(he survived – moved to Canada – raised a Christ-centered family - and lived to age 92)
3. Resolution – God Has A Rescue Plan – For Moses And Israel.
a. Amazingly - Pharoah’s daughter takes baby Moses – into the palace!
b. Irony plus!!
c. The informed reader now senses God’s up to something.
d. Miriam suggests finding a “nanny” from among the Israelites
e. The princess agrees
f. Miriam recruits her Mom (!) to nanny Moses in Pharoah’s palace!
Note: Miriam and Aaron now lose their Mom(!) – she’s no longer in the family home to care for them…make breakfast…tuck them into bed…
g. Age of Miriam (7)
h. Age of Aaron (4)
i. Now for a fascinating touch - Jochebed is paid to mother her own child!
j. Q. How much time does Jochebed have in this role?
k. It must have felt very tenuous and unstable
l. 10 When the child grew older, …
i. she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter
ii. and he became her son.
iii. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.”
m. Verse 11 – fast forward to when Moses is a grown man…
n. There is a dispute …there is abuse being inflicted upon the Hebrew slaves.
o. Moses takes matters into his own hands.
p. Murder… “vicarious self-defence”?
But here’s the important point…
**When Moses grows up – he knows he’s an Israelite (!) – not an Egyptian.
i. Even though he was educated as an Egyptian
ii. Spoke the language of Egypt
iii. Ate the food of Egypt
iv. He was a prince – not a slave – but he fights for the slaves – his fellow Israelites.
**Somehow – in the few years she had - Jochebed instills in Moses his true “identity”
*Nathan ? “don’t forget who you are” … don’t forget your roots.
We waited and prayed a good number of years for Nathan to return to God – but he did – and now he is thriving.
*** the critical early years make a lasting impression”
Theology ? We slowly learn that Jochebed was part of God’s rescue plan for Israel.
Moses’ story is one example of a repeated theme in the Old Testament - the birth of a child is instrumental in God's plan of delivering his people.
• Isaac
• Samuel
• Samson
**Birth of Jesus !
God is working … “behind the scenes” – below the surface… “incognito”
**May I also point out - Moses mother didn’t know Moses was “Holy Moses” when he was a child!
**Mom’s you also don’t know what plans God has for your little rascal
– but we do know it’s beautiful and God-honoring
– but it won’t be pain free and without a few curve balls along the way!
Mother’s day is a day of celebration – but also lament
It’s a day of joy – but also grief.
And let’s remember today – that Mothering is never just about providing food & shelter… or creating memories… feeding and clothing the kids…
Ultimately, it’s about the plans and purposes of God…
and when we seek God’s will and serve him and teach our children to love and serve GOD – that what its about.
Deut 6 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Being a mom – a parent - Is not really about creating “happiness” – although its great to be happy –
There’s more… don’t settle for happiness. Mothering is about holiness… it’s about serving God and raising your children to love and obey him.
Because we know and believe - his ways are best and his word is true.
Moses - the text says was a “Fine child” = some suggest this term refers to a kind of “re-creation” of God’s redemptive people.
• “Basket” is “ark” in Hebrew – an intentional Genesis reference!
• **In all the OT this H. word is found only twice – here - and in Gen 6 !
Notice the parallels…
1. Both Noah and Moses escape a watery grave.
2. Both are placed in an ark treated with bitumen - and carried to safety on the very body of water that brings destruction to others.
3. With both of them - God creates a “new people” for his purposes.
Mothering Is about serving God and raising our children to love and honor him.
Hebrews 11: 23 tells us in one short verse - 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
We parent by faith !
We do our part – God will do his part.
What we see in his narrative isn’t exceptional parenting by Jochebed – this is God’s shepherding care - and God sovereignly working.
In the NT – in the famous chapter 11 of Hebrews we read one verse about this story …
Hebrews 11:23 “By faith Moses parents hid him for 3 months because they saw he was no ordinary child and they were not afraid of the Kings edict.
“by faith”
“Parenting by faith” – Mom’s – mother your children by faith in God’s good purposes and his relentless love!
What irony we see here!
**God defeats the enemy of his people, Pharoah - in the heart of Egypt - now Moses can grow up safe and secure - free not only from Pharaoh’s wrath – and receive a first class education!
Meanwhile – Jochebed wasn’t privy to this plan… she & Amran parented by faith.
Quote: “duties are ours – miracles are God’s”
4. App – Mothering is about the mission of God – not merely “success” in worldly terms.
a. Knowing your identity and purpose is found in God.
perhaps you’re raising a Moses!
A Samuel
A Mary
A Phoebe
A Priscilla
A Jeremiah…
A Paul…
A Timothy
By faith… for God’s purposes… mothering is ultimately about the mission of God!
Jochebed’s story is ultimately connected to the mission of God - And that’s the way it should be for all Mom’s!
