Mother's Day 2021 - Jochebed

A very dirty little boy came in from playing in the yard and asked his mother, "Who am I?" Ready to play the game she said, "I don't know! Who are you?"

The little boy started to cry. "Mrs. Johnson was right! She said I was so dirty, my own mother wouldn't recognize me!"

Well, we know that’s a joke because Mom’s know their kids. Today is mothers day and I for one am very thankful for my mother. We should all be thankful for the women in our lives who raised us and have blessed us throughout our growing years.

Just like mom doesn’t forget her children I would say that God does not forget His children. What’s amazing to me is that more often than not, God will use our mothers to bring us closer to him.

I can remember my childhood Pastor always telling us that he wouldn’t be a preacher if it weren’t for his praying mother. Mom’s also have a way of saying things that can help you get back on track.

Today I want to share a passage of scripture about a mother who trusted God for her son. There are lessons we can learn from her story.

I don’t know about you, but I can clearly remember my mom teaching me many lessons in life. This mom in the Bible is no different. She is going to teach us a couple things that we need to know. Things that will benefit us in our walk with Christ.

I’d say that this mom we are going to talk about today is a hero.

I think it will also help us to recognize how we build our faith based on the outcome of her great faith.

I'm talking about Jochebed, the mother of Moses.

Do any of you ever remember hearing anything about her other than this tale of Moses being rescued? or do we just remember what happened to Moses?

Let’s read the scripture”

Exodus 2:1–10 NLT

1 About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. 2 The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. 3 But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. 4 The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him. 5 Soon Pharaoh’s daughter came down to bathe in the river, and her attendants walked along the riverbank. When the princess saw the basket among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it for her. 6 When the princess opened it, she saw the baby. The little boy was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This must be one of the Hebrew children,” she said. 7 Then the baby’s sister approached the princess. “Should I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” she asked. 8 “Yes, do!” the princess replied. So the girl went and called the baby’s mother. 9 “Take this baby and nurse him for me,” the princess told the baby’s mother. “I will pay you for your help.” So the woman took her baby home and nursed him. 10 Later, when the boy was older, his mother brought him back to Pharaoh’s daughter, who adopted him as her own son. The princess named him Moses, for she explained, “I lifted him out of the water.”

Isn’t it odd that her name isn't even mentioned in this story. We have to study the genealogy of Moses in Numbers 26:59 to find out her name.

Numbers 26:59 NLT

59 and Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She also was a descendant of Levi, born among the Levites in the land of Egypt. Amram and Jochebed became the parents of Aaron, Moses, and their sister, Miriam.

Her name wasn’t even mentioned in the story of Moses as a baby, and yet she's an incredibly important hero of the Bible.

The first lesson we can learn from Jochebed is that:

Love Overcomes Fears

Jochebed was an important heroine of the Bible because of what she did in these 10 verses. Let me give you a little background.

Remember Joseph was a part of the royal family. He and his family settled in Egypt. But a generation went by, both Joseph and that Pharaoh died.

The new Pharaoh noticed one day that the Hebrew people had grow so much that they really outnumbered the Egyptians. So, Pharaoh devised a cunning plan.

Slowly but surely Pharaoh began to abuse the Hebrew people by assigning them most labor intensive tasks and putting taskmasters over them, until finally they were reduced to nothing more than slaves.

Pharaoh thought that would cause them to quit reproducing. But as it turned out the more they were oppressed, the more they reproduced. Pharaoh was starting to get worried.

So he asked for the help of the midwives and told them to terminate every male child when it was born. But the midwives feared God and wouldn't do it. When confronted they blamed the Hebrew women and said they had the babies before they could even get there to perform their duties.

Pharaoh was both mad and afraid and ordered that all Hebrew boys should be thrown in the Nile the minute it was born. But save all the girls.

So, what Jochebed did was rescue her son. She built a little boat of papyrus reeds and covered it with tar so it wouldn't sink and then she and her sister-in-law waited for the perfect opportunity.

This baby's sister apparently knew how lonely Pharaoh's daughter must be. Maybe the sister worked in the palace. Whatever the case, she knew Pharaoh's daughter's schedule. Just before the daughter came to the Nile, the baby was pushed safely into some reeds where he could be found.

Pharaoh's daughter found the baby, recognized it as a Hebrew child but decided to raise him herself. It just so happened that the sister of Moses was close by and witnessed what had happened. And of course, she spoke up. You're going to need a nurse for that baby. I know just the right one.

And before you know it, Moses own mother is nursing him for Pharaoh's daughter.

Jochebed was certainly the hero of this story, but really she did what most mothers would do. I am convinced that mothers would do anything to save their children.

Why did she do all this? She did it because moms will do almost anything to make sure their children are safe.

A boy and girl were fishing with their mother in the Alaskan wilderness when a baby moose approached them. The children met the baby moose in a small meadow. Moments later the mother moose charged onto the scene, nostrils flaring and head lowered. The children were now in danger.

The mother of the children noticed what was happening and came to the rescue. She ran between her children and the mother moose, screaming and waving her arms. As she charged right up to the mother moose, the mother moose decided it was best to make a hasty retreat and get away from this crazy woman.

Later, when they were with the rest of their family, they excitedly told their father all about their encounter: "You should have seen it Dad, Mom scared off that moose with nothing but her face!"

Why did Jochebed risk everything to save her baby? Because Love overcame her fear.

This is lesson number one from this mom. Love must overcome our fears. The word of God very clearly reminds us of this important lesson again in the passage in 1 John 4:9-19

1 John 4:9–19 NLT

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. 13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.

We are to live our daily lives overcoming our fears with love because of the great love God has for each one of us!

Last night I was sitting on the outdoor swing with Lanie. We were talking about the tornado watch. She was pretending to be brave, but I could tell she was a little scared. We talked about life and how we aren’t promised tomorrow on this earth, but we ARE promised eternal live with God.

If we can understand this perfect love that God has for us then maybe we can be a little more like Jochebed when she, in the face of fear, motivated by love, saved her son’s life.

We must learn the lesson that love overcomes our fears.

The second lesson we can learn from Jochebed is that...

Faith Leads to Action

When Jochebed hid her baby, not only was she acting in love, she was acting in faith. Trusting that God might intercede. Imagine the situation. Other babies were losing their lives. Yet, this women said, maybe, just maybe God will spare his life. She could have said the situation was hopeless and give into what was being thrust upon her, but no, she took a step in faith.

She had no way of knowing that anyone was going to intervene to save her son. She did not know that God had already made provisions for his care and protection. All she knew at that time was that she didn’t want her son to be killed. She took a risk and put him in God’s hands.

You and I find ourselves in a very different but equal situation every day of our lives. No, we aren’t forced to try to save our child's life, but yes we are forced to decide if we are going to operate in faith.

What is faith? The Bible tells us exactly what it is:

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

1 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

In other words, faith is complete trust or confidence in God. Even when we can’t see clearly.

When you walk a life surrendered to Christ you’re not going to have all the answers. Even if you study the bible day and night and learn Hebrew and Greek you still won’t know everything there is to know about God and what His plans are.

There is always going to be the core element of Faith in our walk with God. That’s why Ephesians 2:8 is so integral in understanding our salvation:

Ephesians 2:8 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

Faith - is our part in salvation and our part in our daily walk with God. In fact, without faith the Bible says it’s impossible to please God in Hebrews 11:6

What does faith in action look like in our daily lives?

God, I just lost my job, but I am going to start sending out my resume trusting that you have something for me.

God, this sickness in my body is real, but I am going to trust you while I go to the doctors that you have a plan for my healing.

God, my child is far from you, but I am going to remain faithful to you trusting that they will come back to you someday.

God, NOTHING is going right, I am going to trust you even if I die not knowing your plan!

Faith is daily living.

Faith is what Jochebed had when she laid her child in a basket, in a river! She didn’t know what was going to happen but she trusted God no matter what.

The thing is, when Jochebed saved her baby she had a part in saving the world. Her love and faith in action not only affected her current situation, it affected all of humanity!

Mom’s are important. They have an important role to play in the family, but really they are shaping the world.

This one act of courage in the face of wrath was rewarded by God.

One small act of courage and faith. That's all it took. From Moses and through Moses the Hebrew Children were set free from slavery in Egypt, lead to their own land and formed into their own nation, Israel.

Descendant upon descendant would grow up and be lead by God. The traditions whispered in Moses' ear by his mother would be passed on from generation to generation.

From Moses' work and through the same lineage as Moses came the descendants who would face a very similar decision.

A young woman named Mary would have to choose ridicule because God called her to become a mother before she was a wife. Mary and Joseph had to decide whether or not to flee back to Egypt to save the life of their newborn son. Love and Faith in action!

Mary would choose save the baby and save the world. By fleeing to Egypt, they saved Jesus from dying in the brutal death of all the children under the age of two in the city of Bethlehem.

And because they listened to God, Jesus grew to be a man who would give His very life on the cross so we could know the Salvation of God.

He would give His life so we could have life.

He would give His life so we could be forgiven. And he would give His life to defeat death itself.

The Salvation of the World was bought by and through the love of Christ. Jesus did what He did because of what they did. And Mary did what she did because of what Jochebed did.

Because they had faith in God.

Love can overcome Fear when we act in Faith

Now we know what Jochebed did, but what can we do? This is that "so what?" part of the sermon.

Here are a few take away thoughts on this mothers day morning:

First, we must realize just how important our mothers are. Just as Jochebed did everything she could for her child, there are millions of mothers out there doing the same thing day after day. They may not get the recognition they deserve everyday, but today is a day that we celebrate her.

Secondly, I encourage mothers out there today. Babies, Kids, Teenagers, these are not easy tasks. If Jochebed can teach us anything it would be that we have no idea what any one of the children of the world will grow up to be.

Thirdly, if you are here today and you can’t say you live you life motivated by love then today you might want to get that right with God. Or you might be here today with a heart full of love, but you are afraid to walk in faith. Today could be the day you change the world.