The Ministry of Mom

The Church in the Home

The Ministry of Mom

Exodus 2:1-10

1.      Mom

2.      Very few other words can create stronger emotions.  Even As I said the word, thoughts, emotions, and memories flooded your mind.

3.      Maybe you’ve already stopped listening because of your memories.

4.      Let’s come back together now and turn our attention to a specific mom from the Bible.  Let’s look at Exodus 2.

5.      –Passage—

6.      Remember that Israel came into Egypt as the honored guests of Pharaoh back in Genesis.

7.      Genesis 45:16-17 (KJV) 16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

8.      By the time we get into the book of Exodus, a new age has come to Egypt.

9.      Exodus 1:8 (KJV) 8 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.

10.  Exodus 1:15-16 (KJV) 15 And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: 16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.

11.  We have moved past Joseph and forgotten the help and blessings of the past.  Egypt is looking around at this family turned nation and thinking that these people are getting ready to really hurt our nation.

12.  As we come to chapter 2, we recognize the birth of the greatest prophet in Israel’s history.

13.  In the background is an important woman, his mother.  Today, let’s allow Moses to take a back seat to the women of his early life.

14.  As we come to Mother’s Day, we look at how these women changed the course of history by their impact on their son.

15.            Everyone Must Celebrate Mothers.

I.                   The Sacrifice of Motherhood.

1.      As we look at our passage, we see Moses’ mother make several sacrifices.

2.      She had to hide him for three months.

3.      Most mothers can’t stand not talking about their babies.

4.      You’ve seen the new moms.  They’re the ones with the shiny new strollers and all of the stuff.  There is some scent or chemical that they seem to release because as soon as they get anywhere, everyone within 50 yards senses the new baby and comes running.

5.      Moses’ mom couldn’t do that.  She didn’t go to the market with her new baby son.  Maybe she was able to go out with the baby, but she didn’t get to brag on her son.  So, she silently suffers for three months.

6.      She had to leave him for his own good.

7.      Imagine what must have gone through her mind as she built a small boat to put her son in so that she could leave him in the river.

8.      If Moses’ mom was anything like mine, she imagined the most horrible things happening to her baby and she blamed herself for it even though it never happened.

9.      Moms are great for giving themselves what I call pre-guilt.  This is guilt for something that they haven’t done yet.  You know, something happens and mom has a vision of visiting her son in prison and immediately she blames herself that he’s serving a life sentence in the state pen.

10.  All he did was take his diaper off in Wal-Mart.

11.  Moses’ mom thought within herself that no matter what happened to her son it would be better for him than if the Egyptian baby policy showed up to inspect his diaper.

12.  I find it ironic that Moses mom puts him in the river and the penalty for being born a Hebrew boy was to be tossed into the river.

13.  Exodus 1:22 (KJV) 22 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

14.  She sacrificed knowing that she would give him up again.

15.  Although, she was paid to nurse her own baby, she was doing it knowing that as soon as he was weaned, Moses would belong to Pharaoh’s daughter.

16.  Even though it was common for mothers to nurse their babies longer than we do today, I wonder if Moses’ mom didn’t nurse him a little longer than normal.

17.  Moms invest all of their time and energy bringing up their children knowing that one day they will leave the house and start their lives.

18.  Mom wonders where her children will go to college and will they meet someone there?  Will her children live near by or move hundreds or thousands of miles away?

19.  She sacrificed in that she couldn’t name her son.  When we receive the law finally, God tells us to present our children before the Lord with a name after a week.  Moses is three months old before we take note of his name and mom didn’t give it to him, but his adopted mom named him.

20.  Maybe he didn’t get a name early because of the danger to his life.  Maybe he was given a secret name by his Hebrew family.  Either way, once Pharaoh’s daughter found him, that didn’t matter any more.

21.  While our moms may not have had to put us in a river, she made her share of sacrifices.  The moms in our lives sacrifice daily for the family, often those sacrifices go unnoticed.

II.                The Security of Motherhood.

1.      Moses’ mother sacrificed for him but what about the security that she offered him?

2.      Notice an interesting note from the Bible about a mother bear.

3.      Hosea 13:8 (KJV) 8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

4.      There is no more dangerous creature in the world than a mother protecting her children.  Even the meekest of women when facing a danger to her children can become a fierce fighter.

5.      Moms will go beyond merely looking out for the safety of their children but will also put the child’s safety before any of their own needs.

6.      Turn over to 1 Kings 3:16-26 and we’ll see Solomon dealing with two women.  Both claim to be the mother of a child.

7.      Solomon knew that the real mother wouldn’t care about winning, but only the safety of her child.

8.      She hid the child.

9.      The Bible says that she hid her son for three months from those who would kill him.

10.  Moses would eventually do things that would get him into serious trouble, but his only crime so far was being born and he had no control over that.

11.  ILL: Child sexual predators.

12.  She taught her daughter to protect the child.

13.  She left Miriam to watch over Moses.  She couldn’t meet any of the baby’s needs, except that she could make sure nothing happened to him before someone could come and claim him.

14.  It could be that she knew that a certain time on certain days that Pharaoh’s daughter would come and bathe.  It could be that she knew that someone would be by to bathe and would save her son.

15.  While she waited for that moment, she left Miriam there to watch over him

16.  Moms are the most suspicious people in the world.  They seem to assume that someone somewhere is out to get their babies.  This is a good thing because dads have a tendency to react to known trouble but don’t expect it to come like the moms do.

III.             The Supply of Motherhood.

1.      Even as she was giving her son up for adoption, making him the grandson to Pharaoh, she was still able to meet his needs.

2.      Look at verses 8-9.

3.      In all of my dealings with mothers, whether mine of someone else’s, I have found that they all will do whatever it takes to meet the needs of their children.

4.      Whether it’s to travel 1,000 miles to help their child recover from surgery, or it is to buy a house to help their son to pay lower rent, mom always wants to do what she can to help.

5.      Even in the toughest times, mom still does all she can.

6.      1 Kings 17:10-12 (KJV) 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

7.      Proverbs 31:14-15 (KJV) 14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. 15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

8.      In our world, it may be that mom has to step outside of her home to help care for her family, but she does all that she can.

1. As we look at Moses’ mom, one thing remains in the background, not directly mentioned, but important nonetheless.
2. While sacrificing for her son and providing security and supplying his needs, there is something else that she’s doing.
3. She’s teaching Moses about the God of Heaven and Earth.  He’s being told the old stories about how God has worked in the lives of Israel.  He hears the creation story.  He hears about Abraham and Job.
4. Moms take care of the physical needs of their children, but God bless the mom that looks beyond the physical and peers into the hearts of their children, begging God for their souls.