A Mother's Faith: Lessons from Jochebed

Sunday May 12, 2024

Title: A Mother's Faith: Lessons from Jochebed

Scripture Reference: Exodus 2:1-10

Introduction

Someone once said:

Have you ever heard of a job that requires no experience gives no training pays nothing and you can’t quit? That’s motherhood. Oh and peoples lives are on the line.

Today we're going to take a quick trip out of genesis to the book of exodus. We'll take a look at a mother who faced A challenging problem. And mothers know how to handle problems. They face the most challenging the problems head on every day.

Mothers today have to contend with a world changing at an extraordinary rate. They have to face violence and injustices happening in the news. They have to somehow equip their kids to face a world that is different at a faster rate than the world changed in the past. Mothers to day face challenging times.

And so perhaps some of you can relate to the story that we will unpack here today. Hopefully none of you have had to make the choices this woman made. But still this is a woman who faced an extraordinary challenge. This is the story of jacobabad.

Exodus 1:22 ESV

22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.”

You probably know the story of exodus. The Israelites have moved to exodus at the end of the book of genesis. They've made their home there and several 100 years have passed. Now a new pharaoh comes to power a new ruler takes over and he's very afraid of all these immigrants. Sounds like some of the rhetoric of our politicians today. Nevertheless pharaoh decides to do whatever he can to get rid of these Hebrews to reduce their population. Previously in the chapter he tries telling the the midwives to to kill the Hebrew boys as they're born and the midwives refuse they lied to pharaoh. And then finally he besides the most effective way to accomplish what he needs to happen the Hebrew wars need to ceased to exist... he orders every hebrew boy to be thrown into the Nile which by the way has alligators and stuff in it not to mention being a river... he commands that they are thrown into the nile if they're born a boy.

OK so let's back up on this story. Jacobed is going to be a mother in a moment and she lives in a world that was threatening the life of her child. The government had explicitly commanded that she do something that harms the child that is born to her.

The fundamental duty of a parent is to protect their child. God entrusts these children to us he literally designs them to be cute so we go out of our way to protect them. That's why Disney imitates children's features in all of their Disney characters:)

So our job is to protect our children. And pharaoh commanded that jacobin and all the other Hebrew women killed their sons.

If your job as a parent is to protect your child what do you do when the government tells you to do something that you believe is harmful?

We look at this story and we think of how crazy it would be that a leader of a government could tell mothers to throw their children into the river. And yet to day our children face many threats.

And sometimes those threats are even mandated by the government. We have to weigh the health choices that we make for our children evaluating and understanding that the government isn't always right. We have to weigh what our children are being taught in school and step in to protect our children.

As parents and as mothers in particular we must face the reality that we do live in the time. Where harm can come to our children and sometimes that harm can come through official looking sources. And we need to be vigilant but also to take heart because this is not the only time in history where mothers have had to face these problems.

Read Exodus 2:1-2 ("Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son...").

Exodus 2:1–2 ESV

1 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.

It’s been said:

“Motherhood is like a fairy tale, but in reverse. You start out in a beautiful ball gown and end up in stained rags cleaning up after little people.”

We need to realize when we read the story that Moses is the second son of his parents and the third child. Jacobabad had already been blessed by several children but now she becomes pregnant again and must decide what to do with the order of the government.

And yet in that moment she realized that she could not do what pharaoh had ordered. She could not take the action that was asked of her.

I. The Courage to Protect

It’s been said that “Silence is golden….but with children, silence is suspicious”

Also,

A mother once said, “My children asked me what it was like to be a mom. So, I woke them up at 3am demanding to know where my luck sock was.”

Mothers worry nonstop and sacrifice sleep and more to protect their children. And Jocobed was no different

Highlight Jochebed’s bravery in hiding her son (Exodus 2:2).

There is a very small step between fear and courage. Between facing the danger of what could happen and taking a step in faith. Instead of acting in obedience and quickly getting rid of this illegal child she hid him she protected him even though it could have costed her life and the life of her husband she defended this life.

It takes courage today to stand up for your child as a mother. It takes courage today to protect your child. It takes courage today to have a child. A child transforms a woman's life. It can wreck havoc on career plans. It's a total change. Any woman who becomes a mother demonstrate extraordinary courage simply in that act.

Mothers today have to protect their children from pandemic threats. Have to navigate myriad health concerns and issues with their children. Mothers to day have to deal with the world that is changing at an insane rate. They have to handle the onslaught of technology and social media period. They have to have the courage to protect their children.

Hebrews 11:23 ESV

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

Obviously Moses was a special child but this passage is far more about faith. Because moses's parents trusted God that trust overrode the fear that threatened to overwhelm. Because they lived by faith in God they were able to see the beauty of what they were protecting. When we live by fear instead of faith our world gets darker and we fail to see the beauty that God sets before us.

II. The Creativity to Provide

Explain Jochebed’s innovative solution using a basket (Exodus 2:3).

Exodus 2:3 ESV

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.

And so not only did Jacob bed have the courage to disobey the government she also demonstrated creativity. Their camera point where she can no longer hide Moses. There came a point when the one solution that she had tried wouldn't work any longer and she needed to try something else. And so in faith she throws her child in the Nile in faith she takes the situation she's in and comes up with a creative solution. Creatively obeying yet disobeying the government. And she sets her baby in the river. Notice that she didn't put him in the middle of the Nile river so he would float away she put him among the reeds and then watched to see what would happen. Maybe she was no fool and knew that pharaoh's daughter might wander through there and she knew she had a really cute son. We don't know. But we know she came up with a creative solution out of faith.

Mothers are endlessly creative solving food family and fun problems almost effortlessly. But make no mistake it takes work and faith to creatively solve the problems faced by our children. By our families. Jackal bed came up with a solution but she still had to trust God to provide.

We need to always remember there's a limit to what we can do for our families. And we will always need to trust God to provide

III. The Faith to Let Go

Analyze Jochebed placing Moses in the Nile as an act of faith (Exodus 2:3-4).

Exodus 2:3–4 ESV

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.

So in this passage we see that Jacob Budd shows us the courage to protect the creativity to provide and also the faith to let go. I can't imagine what it would have been like to walk away from her child of course she left The sister to watch but still.

As a mother or any parent there will be many times that we have to have the faith to let our children go and trust God.

IV. The Reward of Trust

Describe the discovery of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:5-6).

Exodus 2:5–10 ESV

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.”

And so I love how this story finishes. It's almost a fairy tale but because jacobabad was willing to protect her baby Moses was still alive. Because she was willing to let her child go God was able to provide in a way that I would bet she could not have even imagined. Who would have thought that the Pharaohs daughter would be the one to find and adopt her son?! And who would have thought that she would have the opportunity to raise her boy for a couple years?! Moses gets adopted into the most powerful family in the country and is instrumental in saving the israelite Hebrew nation. But right now this is only possible because the mother had faith to protect the life that she gave birth to. Because her mother had the courage to act the creativity to provide and the faith to let go of her child. Because if she hadn't done all three of those things. If she hadn't asked his encourage if she hadn't faithfully let go of her child then God could not have done the amazing work he wanted to do.

If she had clung to her own solutions instead of letting go and trusting God her child might have been found and executed thinking about that. Instead by trust in God with her son God was enabled to do far more than she could have imagined.

God rewarded her trust in him.

We serve a mighty God. Trust Him.

Conclusion

Recap the virtues displayed by Jochebed—courage, creativity, faith, and trust.

Acknowledge and thank mothers for their relentless roles and sacrifices.

Encourage the congregation to appreciate and support the mothers in their lives.

Because this mother acted in courage, she saved a life. Because this mother used her creativity, she solved problems for her family. And because she trusted her child to God, God used that child to save an entire country.

Where is God calling you to act with courage to protect your family and keep them healthy and whole and growing closer to Jesus? Where is God calling you to use your tremendous creativity to solve the problems before you. He is giving you greater capacity than you could ever imagine to be present for your family to solve problems around you. Where is God calling you to trust him? It may be only to you letting go and turning your children over to God in an area that God is able to do the tremendous works. He wants to do through you and your children.

Closing Prayer

Offer a prayer for all mothers, asking for strength, wisdom, and continued faith.Express gratitude for their enduring love and dedication.