Finding the Faith of Our Heroes
Part 7: Great Lessons from Moses' Godly Parents
Hebrews 11:23; Exodus 1:6-22; Exodus 2:1-11
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 2, 2023)
BACKGROUND:
*We have been studying Old Testament heroes of our faith, and today we will focus on some great lessons from Moses' godly parents. Our launching point is Hebrews 11:23 where God's Word says, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command."
*The original report was written by Moses himself in Exodus 2. There the Holy Spirit did not lead Moses to mention his father. But dad, mom, and Moses' older sister Miriam all helped protect baby Moses. Older brother Aaron probably helped too. Let's get started by reading Exodus 2:1-11. And as we read, please think about the difference we can make in our world today.
MESSAGE:
*Godly people matter. Godly parents matter, and that includes the parents in today's Scripture. Exodus 6:20 tells us that their names were "Amram" and "Jochebed." Those names may sound strange to us. But Amram sometimes means "Kindred of the High," "Friend of Jehovah," and "Exalted people." Jochebed also had a great name, because her name means "Jehovah is glory" or "The glory of Jehovah."
*Both of these parents brought great glory to God. They were parents who made a difference 3,500 years ago. And they still matter, because Moses' parents can help us make a difference today. In fact, they can help us make a difference for all eternity. Glory to God!
1. FIRST, THEY TEACH US TO FOLLOW GOD OVER GOVERNMENT.
*We see this essential truth in Exodus 2:1-2, where:
1. . . A man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
*Amram and Jochebed hid their new baby for 3 months. That seems like a strange thing to do, especially today, when most people spread the news as far as we can. But these parents were lowly Hebrew slaves under the cruel tyranny of Egypt.
*Exodus 1:6-22 helps us understand how bad it was for the Jews to live as slaves in Egypt. There God's Word says:
6. And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation.
7. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.
8. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9. And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;
10. come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land.''
11. Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.
*That word "afflict" means treating them in a hard way, threatening them, forcing God's people to bow down, making them depressed and downcast. (2)
12. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel.
13. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor.
*That word "rigor" means treating the Children of Israel with harshness and cruelty. The idea of this word was to fracture something or break it apart. The Egyptians were trying to shatter God's people. (2)
14. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage in mortar, in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service in which they made them serve was with rigor.
15. Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah;
16. and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.''
17. But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
18. So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?''
19. And the midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them.''
20. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.
21. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.
22. So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.''
*Moses' parents were in a desperate and dangerous situation. The law said that they had to murder their son by throwing him into the river. Rick Mobley said this was "a period of time in which every day was a dark, sad and miserable day for mothers, fathers and family members alike. God's people were under the oppression of a ruthless pharaoh or Egyptian King. Cold hearted and murderous, he had given the order to kill every male child born among God's people. Each baby boy was to be tossed into the Nile River and drowned. Precious lives, created in the image of God were being destroyed. . ."
*Then Pastor Mobley asked, "If you had of been there in the first chapter of Exodus what would you have done? Imagine for a moment that you lived back then, and you or someone you love was expecting a baby. You didn't know if it was a girl or a boy. If it was a girl, the news could spread throughout the community: 'We have a new baby!' But if it was a boy, you knew that the soldiers would come to make sure you threw your baby in the river. If you refused, you would be beaten or possibly killed, and the baby child would still be taken away and killed." (3)
*That was a time when it would have been easy to choose death. But Amram and Jochebed chose life. They treasured life, because God treasures life! Those parents chose the Lord over man's law. They chose God's way over the government's way. And that's what we should do.
*This Old Testament story strongly reminds us that just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's right. Our first obligation is to follow God, knowing that He will never take us down the wrong road in life. Moses' parents teach us to follow God over government.
2. THEY ALSO TEACH US TO FOLLOW THE HEROES OF OUR FAITH.
*We can see this lesson in vs. 3, where God's Word says this about Jochebed: "When she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank."
*How did Jochebed know to build that little boat? She probably recalled the story of Noah, and the ark God told him to build, the story of how Noah's family escaped the great flood in an ark. I feel sure about this, because the Old Testament word used here for "ark" is only used in one other place, and that is in the story of how God saved Noah's family and the animals in an ark. And the Lord later led Moses to include Noah's story in the book of Genesis.
*But surely Moses' mother knew about Noah, and she was inspired by looking back to the heroes of our faith. So, if you really want to move forward in life, one of the best things you can do is look back. Look back to the heroes of our faith. Look back to the ordinary people who lived extraordinary lives, because they followed our extraordinary God. Moses' parents teach us to follow the heroes of our faith.
3. SHE ALSO TEACHES US TO DEPEND ON GOD'S DIVINE CARE.
*If we read between the lines in Exodus 2, we can definitely see God taking care of Jochebed and baby, Moses. Please listen, starting in vs. 3:
3. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.
4. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5. Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river. And her maidens walked along the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6. And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children.''
7. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?''
8. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go.'' So the maiden went and called the child's mother.
9. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.'' So the woman took the child and nursed him.
*Moses' mother was definitely depending on divine care. But that doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing. Jochebed did all she could do for Moses in vs. 3. Then she had her daughter Miriam watch to see if anything else could be done.
*Jochebed did all she could, but there is only so much we can do. And we have to cast our cares on the Lord. We have to turn the situation over to God, even though it's not always easy to do.
*Marc Bertrand brought this story to life with these questions for Jochebed: "What were you thinking Jochebed? Did you weep as you wove the little basket? Did you pray as you covered the little ark with tar? Did the other children shower you with questions? Did you tell them the story of Noah and the ark that God used to save his life?
*Did your faith waver? Did you feel hollow from hopelessness? Did you feel weak and powerless? Did you dare to sing to your baby as you wove the little ark? Did you brush his cheek one last time and kiss his little forehead before you closed the lid? Did you dare to hope that the God you depended on had some sort of plan? Did you dare to hope your child would see another day? Or was it all you could do to just pray?" (4)
*It is not always easy to trust in God. But there comes a time when we have done all we can, and we must count on God to take care of us. But we can count on God to take care of us, because He will! God made a way for Moses, and He will make a way for us!
*The Nile is one of the biggest rivers in the world. There was no way Jochebed could have known that she would put Moses in the river at just the right place, at just the right time. But God knew! There was no way she could have known that Pharaoh's daughter would have compassion on the baby. But God knew! There was no way Moses' mother could have known that Pharaoh's daughter would allow Jochebed to care for her own baby. But God knew! And Jochebed even got paid to take care of baby Moses!
*Someone said that God turned the river of death into a river of life for Moses. And God can make us overcomers in an overwhelming situation. Jochebed trusted in the Lord, and so should we!
*Do you know that God cares for you? We can see signs of God's love all around us and all through this story. We can see God's love in His faithful followers, like the midwives who spared those baby boys in Exodus 1. We can see God's love in mothers like Jochebed: Mothers who do all they can for her children.
*Think of a godly mother's love. That is one of the same ways God loves us, only He loves us infinitely more. In Isaiah 66:13 from the NIV, the LORD speaks to those who love His city, Jerusalem. And God said: "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem."
*In Isaiah 49:15-16, the LORD said: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
*And in Isaiah 46:3-4, the Lord also made this plea: "Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
*God loves us with a good mother's love, only infinitely more. We can even see this kind of love in the Egyptian mother who adopted Moses. Pharaoh's daughter had compassion on a stranger, on someone who was weak and defenseless, on someone who was totally helpless on his own. And that is the way God has compassion on us, reaching down to draw us out of danger, even dying on the cross to save us from our sins.
*How foolish we would be to reject a love like that! If you have never opened your heart to our risen Savior, you should run to Jesus Christ, and receive Him as the Lord and Savior of your life. Jesus is the one who really saved Moses, long ago. And He is the only one who can save us today!
*Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and He will save your soul, but Jesus will also help you in every situation of life. Moses' mother teaches us to depend on God's divine care.
4. SHE ALSO TEACHES US TO PASS OUR FAITH ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS.
*Again, we have to read between the lines, but in vs. 9-11, we can understand how Jochebed passed her faith on to little Moses:
9. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.'' So the woman took the child and nursed him.
10. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water.''
11. Now it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out to his brethren (that is, the Children of Israel) and looked at their burdens. And he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
*Way back when Jochebed was taking care of Moses, she wasn't just giving him physical food, she must have been giving him spiritual food too. Moses' mom was bringing her children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. She passed her faith on to them. And vs. 11 reminds us that though Moses grew up with all the splendor of Egypt, he never forgot that he was part of the family of God.
*The New Testament makes this truth clear in Hebrews 11:23-27. There the Word of God says:
23. By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.
24. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
25. choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
26. esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
27. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
*All of this happened, because Dad and Mom were willing to pass their faith on to the next generation. And we must do the same. As a church, we must care about children, and do all we can to pass on our faith in Jesus Christ. Aren't you glad somebody passed the faith on to you!
*Never underestimate the difference you can make. Pastor John Smithson told the story of a young girl who grew up in California during the Great depression. When she was ten, her family was so poor that they lived in a tent. Her home life was horrible. Her father was an alcoholic, and her sisters were prostitutes.
*But one day a man and woman came and invited the girl to church. Then they started taking her to church. After church, they would also take the girl home with them to feed her and visit with her. They showed this young girl the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. And because of this, she eventually came to know the Lord.
*John Smithson told that story and then said, "This little girl was my grandmother and because of the love shown her 55 years ago, every one of her descendants are Christians and working for God. Because of her, I am here. All three children pastor churches. Three grandchildren pastor churches, plus music leaders and Sunday School teachers. A whole army from one person!" (5)
CONCLUSION:
*Today we have seen some great lessons for all of us from godly parents who made a giant difference in our world. So never underestimate the difference we can make when we follow God over government, follow the heroes of our faith, depend on God's divine care, and do all we can to pass our faith on to future generations.
*Let's ask the Lord to help us do these things. And if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on our crucified and risen Savior to save you now, as we go to back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-Matthew George Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary - public domain
-Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions - Published in 1906; public domain
(2) Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions - Published in 1906; public domain
(3) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "God Is Working It Out" by Rick Gillespie Mobley - Exodus 2:1-10
(4) SermonCentral sermon "Moses and the Ark" by Marc Bertrand - Exodus 2:1-10
(5) SermonCentral illustration contributed by John Smithson
