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.
Acts 7:20 At this time, Moses was born and was well pleasing to God; and he was brought up in his father's house for three months. NKJV
The LORD creates some people, possessing gifts from a very young age, because He knows what someone’s life entails before they are ever born.
Think about the strength of Samson, or how Samuel was lent to the LORD as a child, or even the early life of King David.
Many people think Moses’ parents hid him for three months because of fear, but scripture teaches that they hid him because of their faith in the LORD, not out of fear.
Hebrews 11:23 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. NKJV
Moses can be seen as a type of Christ, who, as a baby, was forced to flee to Egypt and was wonderfully preserved, while many innocent babies were killed by the king.
When Jesus was a baby, Matthew 2:16 He (Herod) sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under. NKJV
Some people believe the LORD gave Moses’ parents a special revelation to cause them to escape with Moses and preserve Israel. Faith in the LORD will always help us escape fear.
In vs. 3, the sister placed Moses in a waterproof basket and set him in the reeds by the river in a perfect location.
Notice vs 4, Moses’ sister stood afar off to know what would happen to him. The LORD, in His foreknowledge, saw this whole scene before.
The LORD put these plans into their hearts, to fulfil His purposes, so that Moses might be brought into the hands of Pharaoh's daughter, and that he would become the deliverer.
The LORD skillfully worked within the parents of Moses, the sister of Moses, and even the daughter of Pharaoh, but Moses’ parents had to cooperate and exercise their trust in the LORD.
As Jochebed instructed Miriam on how to handle the baby, her children would have witnessed faith in action.
The main way a mother demonstrates trust in the LORD is by following and obeying Him in life’s choices. Even when things seem scary, mothers with faith do what the LORD tells them.
Christian mothers also demonstrate their faith through actions by loving, serving, and sharing their beliefs with their children.
By demonstrating their faith in those ways, mothers have a practical impact of their faith, showing that their faith is more than just a belief system, but a way of life.
Jochebed showed a great example of trusting Moses’ welfare and future to the LORD.
When Jochebed left the basket by the river, she demonstrated complete trust and faith in the LORD, even though she had no physical proof that the LORD would answer her prayers.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV
III. A daughter’s compassion.
Read Exodus 2:5-10
I believe the LORD Himself moved in Pharaoh’s daughter’s heart to have compassion for the baby and then raise him as her child, in the Egyptian culture as an heir apparent.
The LORD had this whole scene planned out before the foundation of the world.
J. Vernon McGee said, “At that very moment was the right time for the bay to cry. In fact, the LORD pinched little Moses, and he let out a yelp.
And God brought together two things that He has made - a baby’s cry and a woman’s heart. Pharaoh’s daughter just could not pass this little baby by.”
The LORD led Jochebed to the decision to place the child at the riverside. He led Pharaoh’s daughter to be there at the right moment to save a nation, and He led Miriam to help as well.
Miriam was given wisdom from the LORD for this suggestion.
Moses and his whole family were blessed because of the faith of his godly mother.
What a reward Jochebed received for her trust in the LORD, as she became the child’s wet nurse. Instead of mourning the death of her son, she was reunited with him.
Miriam will be remembered for how the LORD used her in this narrative, as later she joined Moses, leading Israel out of Egypt.
Moses was adopted into the royal family as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter before becoming the Promised Prophet for Israel.
In the New Testament, we are told in Acts 7:22, And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds. NKJV
At this time in history, Egypt was academically and scientifically sophisticated as a society.
Moses would have been well instructed in geography, history, grammar, writing, literature, philosophy, and music.
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote that Moses was heir to the throne of Egypt and that while a young man, he led the armies of Egypt in a victorious battle against the Ethiopians.
Notice, Exodus 2:10 So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water." NKJV
That is exactly what Moses’ name means, "drawn out" or "saved from the water.
It is ironic that later in Exodus 14, Moses would lead the Children of Israel to cross over the Red Sea on dry ground, even though the Egyptian army would drown in the Red Sea.
Again, the LORD in His perfect foreknowledge knows the beginning of our days as well as the end of our days and had named Moses before he was born.
Please turn over to Hebrews 11…
This whole narrative shows us how the LORD gives His people wisdom to make the right decisions as He blesses those decisions when they are mixed with faith in Him.
IV. The faith of Moses.
Read Hebrews 11:23-29
Hebrews 11 ironically attributes the faith of Moses’ parents to Moses.
The faith of Jochebed makes her a heroine for having the faith to hide the baby for three months, because “the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.”
Jochebed’s faith was somehow passed down to her son, as we later see Moses give up a life of luxury and favor, to be used by the LORD in so many ways.
Moses was raised in the palace in Egypt as the grandson of the Pharaoh, who had all the money, power, and education you could ever imagine.
After Moses grew up as a potential heir to the throne of the most powerful kingdom on earth at the time, he began to realize the LORD had created him for so much more than a life of luxury.
Moses made plenty of mistakes in the beginning, but the LORD remembered him for the faith and trust displayed in the LORD.
Instead of being a great statesman under Egypt, Moses desired to serve the LORD and be identified with Christ and His people.
Moses publicly refused the title of statesman, insulting the most powerful man on the planet at that time in history.
R. Kent Hughes said, “Faith is courageous! True faith will announce its discord whenever God and conscience call for it.
Believers can love their culture, and there is much to love in most cultures, but they will refuse to be identified with the godless spirit of the age.”
Re-read Hebrews 11:25 as it tells us that Moses did two things:
• Moses chose to be identified with the people of God.
• Moses accepted affliction rather than the passing pleasures of sin.
Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater than the treasures of the land of Egypt, because he was looking forward to the reward in Christ by faith.
I love that the Bible does not hide the fact that sin presents itself as fun and attractive, but sin does not reveal its consequences.
The enemy has had thousands of years to perfect the illusion that sin is enjoyable and gives temporary pleasure.
But Moses realized these pleasures were only passing—sin’s pleasures are fleeting highs followed by deep and real lows.
Once stung by the lies of the evil one, you will realize following the LORD is the only way to true fulfillment and real happiness.
As Christ-followers, we have an enemy who has rigged the world system to try and punish the righteous with affliction.
But the affliction the world tries to put on God’s Children will soon pass, and the LORD will make us more than conquerors.
• Sin lies about the actual cost to us and those around us.
• Sin’s pleasures only last a moment and leave us empty.
• Sin’s consequences last a lot longer than we bargain for.
If sin did not make false promises, who would want to sin?
Sin is like water that never satisfies your thirst; like eating salty popcorn, it leaves you quenched for water.
Scripture tells us that Moses did this for Christ, even though Moses walked the earth hundreds of years before Christ’s birth.
How? Moses met the LORD at the burning bush.
Exodus 3:4 So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" NKJV
Every time in scripture where God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel.
Matthew 1:23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." NKJV
Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; NKJV
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
Jesus was the One who appeared to Moses at the burning bush!
So, Moses had his eyes firmly fixed on the LORD rather than focusing on the things of this world.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. NKJV
Moses forsook Egypt and its empty promises, even though it could cost him his life, he abandoned his old life!
Moses also endured, which means he stood strong in faith and was fully committed to living his life for the Lord.
Moses had never seen the Promised Land; he had no idea where he was going, but he had eyes of faith and followed the Lord.
By faith, Moses kept the Passover, the most important Jewish holiday, which foreshadowed Christ’s death and resurrection.
Hughes said, “By faith he kept the Passover” actually means that he instituted the Passover (perfect tense);
Moses actually instituted the Passover “as a statute forever” to be done year after year.
The Lord told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Hebrews leave Egypt. After 9 plagues, Pharaoh still would not let the people go.
The 10th plague was the Passover, where the Lord instructed to sacrifice a spotless lamb and place its blood on their doorposts.
Then, the Lord passed through the nation, killing all the firstborn of every household except He would “pass over” the households that had blood on their doorposts.
The New Testament tells us Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. NKJV
Jesus bled and died to save us on the cross at Calvary, because He is qualified to be called the Lamb of God “without blemish”.
1 Peter 1:19 with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. NKJV
Moses looked forward to Christ’s salvation with eyes of faith!
The original Passover set in motion the freeing of the Hebrews out of Egypt, but it was simply a picture of what Jesus, our Passover, did on the cross that frees us from the bondage of sin.
V. Practical Application.
By demonstrating their faith in life’s challenges, mothers can pass on the importance of faith in Christ to their children.
Mothers can instill a sense of moral values, as they encourage their children to come to their own individual belief in Christ.
By modeling faith, mothers can help their children develop a strong moral compass.
Godly mothers demonstrate faith by praying for their children, living for Christ as an example, and teaching the Word of God.
George Washington said about his mother, “All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all of my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother. I remember my mother’s prayers, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
Moses’ faith saved Israel. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NKJV
Parents, if we are going to be virtuous, people of character, it is impossible unless we are empowered by God Himself.
We must die to ourselves and realize we are completely incapable of living lives that are pleasing to God on our own.
Paul put it perfectly in Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; NKJV
Paul also said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” NKJV
The Bible is the written Word of God, and Jesus is the Living Word of God.
It has been said, “If you have only the Word, you will dry up. If you have only the Spirit, you will blow up. But if you have both, you will grow up.”
When we come to know both the written Word and the Living Word together, we receive the power for Christian living through His Holy Spirit.
We need them both to experience the Lord’s peace, presence, and Power! We become a parent with godly character when we surrender to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.
For us personally…
1. We must exercise our faith over our feelings to have the discernment to recognize and refuse sin.
2. We need to exercise our faith in order to have the determination to leave the comfortable false security the world offers us.
3. We need to exercise our faith to do the unusual things the Lord calls us to do, even when people around us may not understand. Test all things by the Word!!
