A Mother’s Faith and Love

Recently our women’s Bible study discussed the role of a loving mother, the mother of Moses. Jochebed had no way of knowing how Moses’ life would turn out but acted to save him during a desperate time.

There is a historical background to Jochebed’s situation. Joseph was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, sold into slavery in Egypt. After Joseph was elevated to a position second to the Pharaoh, his brothers joined him in Egypt and the tribes of Israel flourished. They lived in Egypt for 430 years (Exodus 12:40). That is a long time!

Then something alarming happened. The Pharoah decided that the tribes of Israel had grown to a large population living in Egypt. He felt threatened.

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” Exodus 1:15-16

He asked the midwives to perform what we call full term abortions. The midwives refused. 

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” Exodus 1:17-18
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” Exodus 1:19

Pharaoh had a new plan.

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.” Exodus 1:22

What happens to a community of people when the next generation is depleted? What happens to a nation when the babies are killed?

Jochebed and Avram did not have a Bible or even the books of the law. They knew the history of their people. They knew about their ancestor, Jacob who had wrestled with faith in God. They remembered how God had saved them from the famine through Joseph’s faithfulness. 

The book of Hebrews mentions the faith of Avram and Jochebed. 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. Hebrews 11:23

The record of Moses’ birth is found in the second chapter of Exodus.

The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. 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 his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. 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. 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.”
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?”

And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 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. 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.” Exodus 2:2-10

When we face difficult situations, we need to seek God’s help to find our response, and then trust God with the future.

The painting of Moses in the reeds is by John Ames Mitchell 1880.

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