A Mom like Jochebed

I want to be a mother like Jochebed. Your first thought might be Joche who? Let me tell you.

1 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, 2 and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid
him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus
basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. Exodus 2:1-4

Her Heritage
Jochebed was a woman of faith, married to a Levite man named Amram. Through Levi, she learned of the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Her faith would be both tested and rewarded. What kind of heritage do you have? What kind of heritage are you leaving for your children and grandchildren?

Her Situation
Mother of a newborn in a very tumultuous time. Was it any more tumultuous than our times? Pharaoh, the ruler of the land had given the order that every Jewish born son would be cast into the Nile to their certain death. What? You've got to be kidding me! The son they prayed for, a gift from the Lord. How could she allow this to happen? She couldn't just let him die.

Her Faith
Motivated by her faith in God and her love for this child, she took a giant leap of faith by hiding little Moses in a papyrus basket made from the reeds of the Nile. Hebrews 11:23 tells us

By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they
saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

Don't you love that where faith is exercised there is no fear!

Her Decision
Her faith in God gave her courage to disobey Pharaoh and not to fear him. Jochebed's faith was in her God. His will be done. Her precious baby was given to her through birth and she lovingly gave him back to God in faith. God had great things in store for her Moses. He was no ordinary child. Have you given your children back to God in faith believing? Do you trust them into His care?

What I love about this story is that after giving Moses into the care of the Lord, we find that Moses was given back to Jochebed for her to nurse until he was older. God reunited this family so that God's purpose could be fulfilled Moses' life. He needed to learn about his Jewish heritage and the faith of his family. It was critical to God's plan for Moses the man to be the deliverer of His people.

When Moses was older, once again Jochebed would be called upon to give over her son to the Egyptian Princess, Pharaoh's daughter. Once again, she trusted her child into God's care.

What faith! What love! I want to be a mom like Jochebed. One who leaves a strong Christian heritage. One of faith that has stood the test of time. One who meets here fears with faith. One whose answer to God is YES before He even asked; no matter how difficult the request. As Beth Moore says,

Our part is to believe God.
His part is to be God and to do
what is ultimately and eternally best.

God make me that kind of mom. May I walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Thank you for Jonathan. May he be a young man who loves you with all of his heart, a young man after your own heart. Teach me to teach him the way he should go. May he honor you with his life.