Think back with me to I Peter 1, where the apostle speaks about our Christian faith. He says that we have been begotten unto a lively, or living, hope by the resurrection of Christ Jesus. Therefore we have an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven.” “Who are kept by the power of God through FAITH unto salvation.” Notice the importance of faith in the equation. “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season… ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.” But Christ is coming again, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet BELIEVING, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Based on the promises of God, we know and believe that our Saviour is going to return for His saints. When He appears, our trials and pains will be turned into joy. And at that time we will see that “our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (II Corinthians 4:17). Even though we may be suffering pain and penury, perhaps even persecution, we could – and should – possess great joy, living in the expectation of receiving that for which we have believed and trusted God.
The woman in Exodus 2 is an early example of the joy that is available to people whose faith is in Jehovah. As a direct result of her faith she could have been able to sing Psalm 126, if she had possessed it. “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”
This woman was in the midst of trials that you and I can only imagine. Her husband and son were laboring as slaves in the hot African sun. Their lives belonged to the Egyptians. And those Egyptians feared the children of Abraham because God was blessing them. “The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them” – Exodus 1:7. The growth of the slave community created an anxiety among the Egyptians which provoked more and more persecution, “but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And (the Egyptians) were grieved because of the children of Israel” – verse 12. So “they made their lives bitter with hard bondage…”
This mother in Israel experienced that affliction as severely as her husband and son. She had to struggle, as all wives do, to feed her family, to put clothes on their backs, and to protect them. Then the king of the Egyptians issued a proclamation that all newborn, Hebrew, baby boys were to be killed. Specifically, those babies were to be cast into the Nile river to be drowned or eaten by crocodiles. Immediately, this woman began to grieve for her neighbors who were already pregnant. But then, shortly after that, she discovered that she was expecting her third child. What terror that news must have brought to the family. Can you imagine the turmoil that roiled up in her heart? What should she do? There was probably not a great deal of earthly joy in her life at that point. Could she even sleep? How many of her neighbors’ babies died over the next nine months and in the coming years?
It doesn’t matter what the history of something might be, and it doesn’t matter what is happening to others. What touches us, is what actually touches us directly. Pharaoh’s latest law had now become personal. Now the burden which this woman had for others became a burden upon her own soul. Her prayers for them became prayers for herself and her family. And similarly, her need to trust in the Lord took on a completely new, practical aspect. Faith is all about looking into the face of God while trying to ignore the ugly face of the facts. “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Before we get to her faith, let’s consider this woman herself.
Her name is Jochebed, which means “Jehovah is glorious.” Exodus 6:20 tells us that Amram, the grandson of Levi, the son of Jacob, “took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses…” Does the near relationship between Jochebed and Amram indicate a lack of social fellowship within the slave community? Was there so little contact between families that children were forced to marry cousins and other near kin?
Both the father and the mother of this coming baby were Levites, a tribe which Jehovah had cursed. In Genesis 49 we read God’s words through Jacob: “Simeon and Levi are brethren, instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” As Levites prior to the exodus, Amram and Jochebed may have been demeaned even by fellow Hebrews. They may have been among the lowest of the low. If they hadn’t married within their own tribe and even within their extended families, perhaps they might not have married at all.
But it appears to me that as the religion of the Hebrews decayed under the pressure of the world, the faith and godliness of these two survived and prospered. Faith is the victory, and victory is often the result of faith. Was this lady’s name an indication of her parent’s spirituality – “Jehovah is glorious?” Jochebed appears to have taught her children well, despite the circumstances warring against them. Aaron and Miriam became spiritual leaders in Israel during the exodus. And in the short time she had with her youngest child, she instilled some early spiritual principles in him.
In the midst of common life and uncommon trials, Jochebed became pregnant. Jewish commentaries declare that after Pharaoh’s edict to kill the Israelite baby boys, gangs of inspectors were employed to sweep through the Hebrew ghettos looking for newborns and noting the pregnant women. Some say that Jochebed learned of her condition just after one of these inspections. Three months later, she was able to hide the truth from the eyes of the inspectors, and then, they say, Moses was born three months early. Of course this is only Jewish folklore, but perhaps there is some truth here. Who knows for sure?
Eventually the dreadful day arrived; a day which should have been joyful; the baby was born. He was an absolutely beautiful baby – “a goodly child.” Deacon Stephen later said that he “was exceeding fair,” and Paul added that “he was a proper child.” I am sure that nearly all the Hebrew mothers thought that their babies were beautiful, and many of them tried to save them whether they thought so or not. But it appears that Amram and Jochebed believed there was something special about their child. The Jews say that the birth-parents named him “Joachim” which means “established (raised) by God.”
For three months, both before and after her baby’s birth, this woman was trusting the Lord to protect them. There were probably hundreds of mothers who were doing the same during that period. But there was something special about these two parents; they were motivated by their faith in God. Hebrews 11:23 tells us, “by faith Moses, when he was born was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” They were not afraid. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” – Psalm 118:6. Two chapters after Hebrews 11 Paul exhorts believers with the words, “we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” But it’s not the fearless faith of Jochebed and Amram which kept the baby hidden that I’m most concerned with this evening.
Consider the absolutely audacious faith which is revealed next.
When her tiny baby began to flourish, it became harder and harder to keep him quiet and hidden. (I wonder if neighboring women were being rewarded for reporting babies to the authorities?) When the child was three months old, and just before the next sweep of the Egyptian gestapo, Jochebed began to implement a bold plan which was rooted in her faith in Jehovah. To keep the child and try to hide him would have been tantamount to tempting God. That was not the Jochebed way. Rather, she fashioned a little boat, just big enough for her little baby. She made sure it was sea-worthy and comfortable. It had a cover over the top with holes for some air flow. And probably during the night, so she wouldn’t be seen, she “put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by river’s brink.” Her ark was made of bulrushes or papyrus reeds, and the word “flags” refers to the same sort of plant. She risked her life by going to a special place at the side of the river, probably reserved for royalty. There she left the most precious thing in her life.
I admit to not having scriptural proof for a lot of these details, and many of my comments are coming from my imagination, nevertheless I believe that Jochebed did things similar to what I am describing, trusting God for a glorious outcome. It appears that she moored her little craft in a spot where it might be found by the right person. But it was far enough away not too appear too obvious, or to be found by someone other than her target. (I wonder if she gave any thought to Noah’s ark during all of this. There are some definite similarities.) Her ark was also among the flags in order to keep it from floating out into the current of the river. Then, walking away, she committed her son to the Lord. She sacrificed her son to God, so to speak.
There was only a small window of opportunity for the salvation of this baby. An infant that small would have to nurse quite often. By the morning’s light, he might have gone several hours without milk. And then in the rising Egyptian heat, he would have died in a few hours. What if one of the Nile’s predators had smelled the baby and came searching for an easy meal? There is faith in every step this woman took. But Jochabed had little choice but to trust the sovereign God. Did she find it easy to walk away and leave her son to God? Or was she like us, wanting to be in control? Was she trying to dictate to God what He needed to do?
I have said in the past that Miriam was stationed nearby by her mother to help facilitate the plan. But having spent several hours thinking about it, and based on these scriptures, today I’m not so sure. Verse 4 says, “And his sister stood afar off, to wit (to learn) what would be done to him.” I’m convinced that the mother was trusting God for His blessing, but it doesn’t sound like the sister was. I now doubt that Jochebed even knew her daughter was there. This girl was probably not more than seven to ten years old. I think she was there to satisfy her own curiosity about a baby brother she had learned to love. And yet, she was there because it was in the will of God, whether it was in the plans of Jochebed or not. It is important that we learn to trust the Lord to work out His will, even when we aren’t permitted to watch.
Did this mother in Israel know what the Lord was going to do? No she didn’t, but she was trusting Him. Did she remember that God promised Abraham that his seed would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky? Did she believe that God had promised Israel that Canaan would be their homeland? It seems she was living in the faith that Israel would soon leave that God-forsaken country. She was praying for a deliverer, just as you are praying for the return of the Saviour. Why couldn’t the Lord come today? And why might not this baby become the secular saviour of Israel? Jochebed couldn’t guarantee anything, of course, but she could certainly pray and trust the Lord. She cast everything she had on God, not fearing crocodiles, currents or the cursed Egyptians.
Almost as audacious as Jochebed’s faith was the way God blessed her faith.
If we didn’t find this history in the Bible, we might have been tempted to think it was a Jewish fairytale. “The daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river.” My research produced a variety of reasons for what she did, from eczema treatments to religious rites. But it really doesn’t matter, because it was God’s will she be there at that precise time – within that tiny window. Some say that she bathed in a special pool prepared at the edge of the Nile and filled with filtered river water. Others say it was in a secluded backwater cove. The scripture suggests that she was left alone to bath while her maidens gave her some privacy. And that provided opportunity for the princess to see the ark before the others did. If any other person found the baby, things might have gone decidedly differently.
The princess called and then sent one of her maidens out among the flags to retrieve the little ark. When it was brought to her, she lifted the lid, and the blaze of light ignited the crying of the little baby. No doubt lots of women would have instantly fallen in love with this tearful child, or at least have become sympathetic to its needs, but this woman was special. Historians tell us that she was the only child of Pharaoh. And it is said that she had been married for several years, but as yet had not given her husband a child or given to her father an heir to the throne. Her purpose in life was to produce a son, and no doubt she was grieved that thus far she had failed. But then when her eyes fell on this child, she saw a solution to a difficult situation – an adoption. Yes, this was obviously a Hebrew child, but she was the daughter of Pharaoh, and the king needed a grandson. She had the power to work out the details of a difficult adoption.
The faith of Moses’ mother was being honored by the God who rules over all things. Miriam, who was probably on hand completely of her own will, instantly found the boldness to risk her life to run up to the cluster of women, although she probably didn’t give the risk much thought. One commentator suggested that some of the women were trying to nurse the child, but not succeeding. “Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?” It was only because of God’s will that the princess agreed. She certainly didn’t need to save this baby or to take the child. This was completely illogical. To make a Hebrew baby the heir to Pharaoh’s throne was unimaginable. This was a miracle of God. When Miriam heard, “go,” off she ran toward home, to summon her mother to come to mother her brother. And when she arrived a few minutes later, “Pharaohs’ daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.”
This princess obviously lacked the wisdom of Solomon. Remember when Solomon was able to spot the true mother in a custody dispute? Was Jochebed able to hide the fact that she was the baby’s mother? Wasn’t it amazing that she could hide her joy and a half dozen other emotions? Or was the princess so overwhelmed withe the situation she just didn’t notice? On the other hand, maybe she simply choose to ignore the apparent details of the case. Again, it doesn’t matter because this was God’s will, and He was in complete control.
The omnipotent, almighty sovereign God was doing exceedingly abundantly and above all for which Jochabed asked or even dared to think. Not only was her son spared from certain death, but she was privileged to hold him to her breast for months to come. Not only did she get to see her baby grow into a little boy, but she was going to be given a royal salary to help him develop. She was going to be generously paid to do what a mother would be willing to do free of charge.
I have heard preachers say that Jochebed and Amram had the opportunity to raise their son into his adolescent years. I doubt that, but I admit that verse 10 doesn’t shed much light on the idea. All we are told is “the child grew, and (Jochebed) brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son.” I think that most likely Moses’ mother nursed her son for about three years with the princess checking on his progress from time to time. The woman certainly didn’t loose interest in her adopted son during that time. And when the baby was weaned, that was when he was brought to the royal palace. But those three years were extremely important for both the mother and son.
Conclusion
A few minutes ago I quoted the beginning of Psalm 126. Please return with me to that Psalm of Degrees, and let’s read it all. “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
My purpose in this series of lessons is this: I yearn to see the Lord turn again our captivity and once again to do great things for us. I long to see us using this baptistry often, because the Lord is once again saving souls in this place. I want us to be able to rejoice in bringing the Lord’s sheaves into His church – our church. I am praying for revival; for a stirring of the Holy Spirit similar to what the Lord has done in other places in other times. But I am convinced that unless we are pleading with the Lord, tearfully sowing the seed, and trusting Him for the harvest, we’ll not see much harvest. Our mouths are not going to be filled with laughter and song until we are extending our faith by risking ourselves while trusting the Lord for His glorious will.
Jochebed teaches us that the only way to fully experience God’s miraculous power and control over all things is to step out and take some faith-controlled risks. In a sense, we possess the Saviour; He is a part of our family, and He lives in our home church. But until we are willing to set Him free we are not going to see God really work. The key to our reception of the Lord’s blessings is our faith – real, practical, sacrificial faith.