A PROTECTIVE MOTHER
Exodus 2:1-4
#MothersDay
INTRODUCTION… Famous Mothers
Today is Mother’s Day! It is a day to honor those women in our lives who have made an eternal difference. Maybe it was the woman who gave birth to you, but it also may be an aunt, a sister, or another dear woman who has changed your life for the better.
To warm us up to the idea of mothers, let’s review some famous mothers:
The first mother that comes to mind is Mother Teresa. Oddly, Mother Teresa was never a mother, but did have great influence. She was born in 1910 in what is now North Macedonia. Her father died when she was young, and her mother raised her and her siblings with a deep sense of compassion and faith. At 18, she joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish Catholic order, and moved to Ireland for training. In 1929, she went to India, where she spent most of her life. Mother Teresa initially taught at St. Mary's High School for girls in Calcutta where she learned about the severe poverty and suffering in the city. In 1946, while traveling to the hills near Calcutta, she experienced what she described as a "call within a call", urging her to leave her comfortable life and dedicate herself entirely to the poorest of the poor. She then left her teaching post to found the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 which was established to care for the "hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." That is a great mother who was not really a mother, but had great influence.
Another mother that I thought of is Mother of Pearl. Oddly, mother of pearl is not a mother, but does have great value. Mother of Pearl is a lustrous substance that forms the inner layer of the shell of certain mollusks, like oysters. It’s the material that gives the inside of the shell a beautiful, shiny finish, and it’s often used in jewelry, decorations, and various crafts. Believe it or not, mother of pearl is not the same as a pearl in jewelry or the Pearl from Hee Haw. Basically, mother of pearl forms when an irritant gets in the oyster. In various cultures around the world, mother of pearl is often associated with wealth, elegance, and purity. In some traditions, it is thought to possess protective and healing properties. That is a great mother who was not really a mother, but is very valuable.
The last famous mother that came to my mind is of course… Mother Bears. Again, oddly, the restaurant itself is not a mother, but does serve up comfort. Mother Bear's Pizza in Bloomington, Indiana, is a beloved and iconic spot that has been serving locals and visitors since 1973. Mother Bear’s Pizza opened in 1973 by two Indiana University students, Bob and Sue Lowe. It quickly gained a loyal following, especially among university students, and has since become one of Bloomington’s oldest and most popular pizza joints. The name "Mother Bear" is part of the charm and feels like a nod to comfort food and nurturing hospitality, evoking the warmth and care you’d expect from a "mother" serving up great food day in and day out from 11am to 9pm. This is another great mother who was not really a mother, but provides comfort.
Today is Mother’s Day! It is a day to honor those women in our lives who have made an eternal difference. Maybe it was the woman who gave birth to you, but it also may be an aunt, a sister, or another dear woman who has changed your life for the better. We are celebrating those women who have…
… great influence in our lives.
… have brought great value in our lives or are valuable to us.
… give comfort when we need it.
THE FIRST MOTHER AND OTHER MOTHERS IN THE BIBLE
In the Bible, the first mother’s name was Eve.
READ GENESIS 4:1-2a (ESV)
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel.
Eve was the mother of all living people who have been and who will be. Her name, “Eve,” means “living.” She was the first mother and the first woman to ever give birth to a child.
I wonder if she knew what to expect when it came time for Cain to be born?
I wonder if she was afraid of motherhood… no one had ever done it before?!
I wonder if she knew what an important and influential job being a mother is?
I wonder if she doubted if she was valuable to her family?
I wonder if she naturally brought comfort to Adam, Cain, Abel, Seth, and her other children?
I wonder if laundry day or Adam’s forgetfulness of their anniversary or other issues bothered her?
Eve had three sons mentioned by name in Scripture: Cain, Abel and Seth. Genesis 5:4 tells us that they had many sons and daughters in their life together, but we focus on these three boys. Cain murdered Abel. Eve is not only the first mother, but also the first mother to lose a child in death. Really, Adam and Eve lost two sons because the other left and wandered the lands. It was through the line of Seth that people began to “call upon the name of the Lord” (Genesis 4:25-26).
Since the time of Eve, it has fallen to mothers to raise their children for the Lord. Our mothers bring us into the world. They nurture us. They provide for us. They raised us up. They teach us. They discipline us. Mothers and influential women in our lives have a remarkable ability to change the world through their children and those they influence. There are other mothers in the Bible that could teach us about the influence that mothers have on all of us.
Mrs. Noah: Mother of Ham, Shem, and Japheth
Sarah: Mother of Isaac, the promised child to Abraham
Rebekah: Wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau
Leah: One of Jacob’s wives and mother of six of the 12 tribes of Israel
Rachel: Jacob’s beloved wife and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
Jochebed: Mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
Hannah: Mother of Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord
Naomi: Mother-in-law of Ruth, and mother of two sons who died young
Ruth: Mother of Obed, the grandmother of King David
Bathsheba: Wife of David and mother of Solomon
Abigail: Wife of David and mother of Chileab
Elizabeth: Mother of John the Baptist
Mary of Nazareth: Perhaps the most prominent mother in the New Testament; of Jesus
Salome: the mother of James and John, two of Jesus' disciples
Eunice: Mother of Timothy who was the companion of the Apostle Paul
Lois: The mother of Eunice who was the mother of Timothy who was the companion of Paul
Those mothers all have their own story. Those mothers all have influence, value, and comfort either to the children in their lives or to us as we read about her story (not history) in the Bible.
TRANSITION
I’d like to focus on just one of those women I mentioned a moment ago as a famous mom from whom we can learn. She had influence, value, and comfort. More than anything when I think of her I think of a gutsy woman who protected her children. Let’s focus on Jochebed, the mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. We find some of her story in Exodus 2.
READ EXODUS 2:1-10 (ESV)
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 3 When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. 4 And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 5 Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity 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 you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” 8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child's mother. 9 And 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 When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
TRANSITION
Wow! That is some tale. Moses’ mother, who we find out later in Exodus 6:20 and Numbers 26:59 is named Jochebed, took great risks to protect her son and was successful! Let’s dig into this passage a little more.
THE PROTECTIVE MOTHER: JOCHEBED in EXODUS 2
Unfortunately, this woman was a slave among a very brutal people. Exodus chapter 1 introduces us to the situation in which Jochebed finds herself in chapter 2. The people of Israel are in Egypt and have become enslaved. A plan set in place in Exodus 1 by the Pharoah of Egypt (the king) to control the Israelite people though controlling the male population. The Egyptians were killing all male babies of the Israelites. Jochebed and her people would soon be a stagnate race. Egypt would have total absolute control over them. The problem for the Pharaoh (Exodus 1: 17-22) is that the midwives did not obey his command and allowed boys to live and the nation of Israel grew strong in spirit and in number… which was the fear of Egypt. Egyptian cruelty did not end, but only continued.
Not only did the midwives disobey, but women like Moses, Aaron, and Miriam’s mother also disobeyed the law of the land. Verse 2 tells us that she had her baby and hid him from the authorities. After three months, she could no longer hid him. She did not know what to do, but decided to send him away in the hands of God.
Moses mother put him in a basket to protect him. She could no longer hide him and feared that death would come to her son. She placed him in the Nile and trusted God. I cannot fathom what was going on in her heart. Fear. Anger. Faith. Trust. Hope. She did all that she knew to do. In my imagination, she packs her kid in a Longaberger basket and tossed him in the Nile River when no one is watching. Miriam, his sister, having serious FOMO issues followed the basket and watched. She watched him from a distance and saw his rescue. She even offered “a woman” to be the nurse for the baby and Moses’ own mother became his nanny (2:7-9).
When I look over the narrative presented in Exodus 2, I cannot help but think of the word “protection” and other words related to it: “protector,” “protective,” “shield.” Jochebed protected her son the only way she knew how: she trusted him to YHWH God.
PROTECTIVENESS IN THE BIBLE
I could not help but look up this word “protect” in the Bible. The word “protect” and words like it occur around 20x in the Old and New Testament. But, there was one word picture in those verses that caught my attention because the same picture is used in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
READ PSALM 91:1-4 (ESV)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.” 3 For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
And then in the New Testament as Jesus Christ is weeping over Jerusalem He says:
READ LUKE 13:34-35 (ESV)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
One fact presented about YHWH God in the Bible is that He protects us. Those verses and many others like them show us this. But again, look at the word picture used. The repeated metaphor or symbol used is a mother bird or a hen gathering and protecting her chicks. When the Bible seeks to illustrate the protection of the God of the Universe, it chooses to use a mother to relate to us. I find that interesting given that we normally think of God as our Heavenly Father… which He is! Hopefully you know that God is far beyond us that such descriptions are our only hope to try and understand Him. The common image is a mother bird protecting chicks.
MAMMA BIRD PROTECTION ACTIONS
What do chickens or other mother birds do to protect their chicks? Listen, I know nothing about chickens other than fry, grill, or bake. I know nothing about baby chickens other than scramble, omelet, or over easy. What do chickens or other mother birds do to protect their chicks? I took a look specific look at chickens and found it fascinating. What do chickens do to protect their chicks? Chickens, particularly mother hens, are very protective of their chicks and use several behaviors to keep them safe:
First, brooding behavior. While that sounds like they are thinking deeply and unhappy, that is not what that means. They are not being an emo mom. It means after hatching, the hen keeps her chicks under her wings to keep them warm and protected, especially at night or in cold weather.
Second, mother birds use vocal warnings. Hens use a range of vocalizations to alert their chicks to danger. A sharp cluck can signal a predator nearby, while softer clucks keep the chicks close.
Third, apparently hens can be aggression toward threats. A mother hen will often become aggressive if she senses a threat. She may fluff up her feathers, peck, or charge at predators much larger than herself.
Fourth, hens use guidance to help baby chicks. Hens teach their chicks where to find food and water, and guide them away from harmful objects or unsafe areas. They also adopt swans into their family and teach them about life, but that is another ugly story.
Finally, mother chickens shelter their hatched ones. That does not mean the hens don’t let the chicks watch TV, but rather, when threatened, chicks will run under the hen's body or wings for cover. The hen will crouch down to shield them from predators or environmental threats.
It is the brooding and sheltering behaviors that the Scriptures have in mind when the Bible tells us about the protection of God. “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge” and “I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” both refer to the same behavior. Our God protects and shields and does so like a mother bird her chicks.
CONNECTING THE DOTS / TRANSITION
We have Jochebed, the mother of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, protecting her son as best that she can. God honors her faith and protects her child and eventually will use him in a mighty way. That instinct of mothers and women to protect is even used as a tangible beautiful picture to help us try and understand the fathomless intangible God of the Universe.
SUMMARY / APPLICATION
What does this mean for us?
Mothers and other women in our lives, who make a difference, protect. They protect their children and those in their lives in as many ways as they can imagine:
* They protect children physically and keep us from danger. That is why running with scissors or jumping off the roof or seeing if the cat likes the blender are always a bad idea. Ladies, please keep protecting us from others and from ourselves!
* Mothers have protected us morally by teaching us right from wrong. That is why hickeys cause monumental meltdowns, going to church is so important, and manners are stressed and dressed and redressed. With a cluck cluck here and a cluck cluck there, women guide and instruct in ways that are wise. Ladies, please keep protecting us by giving Godly guidance.
* Many times mothers and mentors have also protected us emotionally by keeping us from things they knew would hurt us. Mothers are always an emotional shield and want their children to learn lessons before they have to live them. Ladies, please keep helping us to protect our hearts!
CONCLUSION
There is an old story from some years ago; after a wildfire swept through a small farm in the Midwest, a farmer went out to survey the damage. He walked through the smoldering debris of his barn and coops, heartbroken by the loss. As he walked past the charred remains of the chicken coop, he noticed the lifeless body of one of his hens—burned and still.
Gently, he nudged her with his boot. And to his astonishment, out from under her blackened feathers, burst three tiny chicks—alive and chirping. That mother hen had gathered her babies beneath her wings, shielding them from the flames. She had given her life so that they could live.
That is the heart of a mother. That’s what Jochebed did for Moses when she trusted God with the life of her child. That’s what Jesus longed to do for Jerusalem. That’s what many women—biological or not—have done for us in moments we may not even realize. And that is absolutely what God does for us still today; covering us under His wings, offering us protection, provision, and peace.
So today, we honor the women who have sheltered us. We thank the ones who clucked, and cried, and charged, and comforted. And we give glory to God Who designed mothers—and His own protection—to look a whole lot like love with wings.
PRAYER
INVITATION
RE-READ LUKE 13:34-35 (ESV)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!
Are you willing to listen to the message sent for your benefit? Are you willing to submit yourself to God and gather under His protection? Jesus Christ has provided the way for us to be sheltered by His blood in God the Father by way of the Holy Spirit. Won’t you hide with Him today?
