Mother’s Day
(Bible Study Time 5-8-05)
(Bible Study Time 5-8-05)
We have been studying the book of Ephesians where we find the Apostle Paul describing the blessings that belong to the believers of our present age. When we are saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we are added to the Church which is the Body of Christ, and we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places.
Our blessings stand in contrast to the blessings of those who lived under the Law of Moses. Those who lived under the Law were promised all physical blessings on the earth, if they would but live by the law. They were promised a public health system, a national security system and a nation economic system that would have been the envy of the world.
The Apostle John said that the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, and this statement shows clearly the superiority of Christ over Moses. However, this does not mean that somehow Moses was not a great man. His greatness did not compare to that Jesus Christ, but the book of Hebrews says that:
Hebrews 3:5 (NKJ)
5 . . . Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
But since today is Mother’s Day, I wanted to spend some time talking not only about Moses, but about Moses’ mother. In the little we know about Moses’ mother, many great lessons are there for our learning. In Exodus, Chapter 2, we read:
Exodus 2:1-10 (NKJ)
1 And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
2 So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months.
3 But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river's bank.
4 And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.
5 Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it.
6 And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, "This is one of the Hebrews' children."
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?"
8 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the maiden went and called the child's mother.
9 Then 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.
10 And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. So she called his name Moses, saying, "Because I drew him out of the water."
What a blessing it is to have a godly mother! As we look to Moses’ mother for characteristics of a godly mother, we find, first of all, that Moses’ mother was a godly wife. Verse 1 says that a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.
Many young ladies have a great desire to be a mother because they love the idea of tending for and caring for a baby. But they would do well to prepare themselves first to be a godly wife. According to Exodus, Chapter 6, Moses’ mother was named Jochebed, which is derived from the word Jehovah, and I think we can safely assume that Jochebed was well taught in the things of the Lord and was well prepared to be a godly wife. A godly wife needs to know God, know about God, and have a desire to please God.
The role of the wife is so important in a home that is pleasing to God. Sometimes even when the marriage is not a particularly happy marriage, a godly wife can be the glue that holds everything together. God has great rewards for those who remain faithful to Him in difficult situations. God said through Peter:
1 Peter 3:1-4 (NKJ)
1 Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives,
2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.
3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward -- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel --
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
From this we are reminded of the fact that a young lady who wants to be a godly mother, needs not only to prepare herself to be a godly wife, but she needs to seek a godly husband. As a daughter in a priestly family, Jochebed married a son from a priestly family. She was not meant to married just any old boy that came along. She was meant to be a special blessing to a godly man, and she was willing to wait for just the right man.
It is a blessing to see families that are established in the love of Jesus Christ. In such families the blessings flow from God to the parents, to the children, to the extended family, and to society. But as Psalm 127 says:
Psalm 127:1 (NKJ)
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it . . .
In verse 2 of Exodus 2, we find that God blessed Jochebed with a son whom we know today as Moses. The Bible says that Jochebed saw, as soon as Moses was born, that he was a beautiful child.
Isn’t that beautiful? Mothers have a way of seeing the beauty in their own children, maybe even when others can’t. Mothers, you should never be ashamed to think that your children are the most beautiful children in the world for every child is a beautiful gift from God.
Then we read that when Jochebed saw how beautiful Moses was, she hid him for three months. She knew that Pharaoh had given the orders for all male children born to the Jews to be killed. A godly mother will be keenly aware of the dangers that lie ahead for her children.
This world is not always a kind and loving place. Satan, himself, is the god of this world, and according Peter, the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Children need to be protected and sheltered. They don’t even need to know about all of the dangers that surround them. Moses did not need to know that the king of Egypt was trying to kill him because he had a godly mother who was willing to hide him and protect him from all the dangers.
In verse 3, when Moses grew too big to hide, Jochebed made an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with pitch. She put Moses in the ark and placed the ark in the river where Pharoah’s daughter could find him. Jochebed was desperate to save her son, and as we know, desperate times call for desperate measures. Jochebed was anticipating future problems and was planning ahead.
Good parents look to the future, anticipate problems and begin solving them early. It is much harder to solve problems after you’re in a crisis mode. We need to start solving problems before they become a crisis.
In verse 4, Moses’ sister, Miriam, stood off to the side while Moses was floating in the river in his little basket. When Pharoah’s daughter discovered Moses, Miriam did not hesitate. She stepped right up and offered assistance. From this we see that a godly mother is able and willing to accept help from others when help is needed.
Many mothers need to realize that mommies can not do everything. Mommies are so good at what they do, they might try to do it all, but they can’t. And dads, you know what I’m going to say, you also need to realize that mom can’t do it all. Look for ways to help and try to learn from mom’s expertise. You can learn a lot if you watch, listen and learn.
When Pharoah’s daughter discovered Moses in the river, Miriam stepped out from her hiding place and said in effect, "If you would like for me to find a Hebrew nurse for the child, I think I know of someone who would be just perfect."
That took a lot of courage on Miriam’s part. We all need that extra measure of courage to do the things that God has called us to do. Miriam was not the type to shrink back. She stepped out and spoke right up. She must have loved Moses, almost as much as Jochebed did.
Mothers, if it’s true that you need help from time to time, be sure that those who help you love your child almost as much as you do. It is probably true that no one can love your child as much as you do, but there are probably people around who love them almost as much. Chose people like that to help you, and make sure that they have the courage to step up to the plate and do the right thing when tough decisions have to be made. Jochebed was wise to trust Miriam as her helper.
Next we see that when mothers are faithful to God, God is faithful to them. Pharoah’s daughter decided to allow Jochebed to be Moses’ nurse, and she even paid Jochebed to do it. We have to marvel at the goodness of the Lord. Who would have ever thought that God would provide for Moses in such a marvelous way? God is trustworthy. God is faithful. And godly mothers know Him and trust Him.
As I mentioned earlier, Jochebed’s name is derived from the word Jehovah which, among other things, means provider or savior. Jochebed knew of the dangers that faced her son, and she used her courage, her creativity, her family. She used every resource available to her to save her son’s life. And God, who is Jehovah, blessed her efforts. Moses’ life was spared.
Jochebed was paid to nurse Moses as a young child, and again I think we can safely assume that she took every opportunity to teach her son from the word of God the things that he would need to know to do what God had called Him to do.
Moses needed to know God. He needed to know the promises of God. He needed to know the faithfulness of God. She probably knew that she would not have much time so she took advantage of every opportunity to teach her son.
Godly mothers will realize that time is precious and fleeting. They won’t say, "I’ll teach my children tomorrow. There will be plenty of time tomorrow." No. They will teach today, and they will teach tomorrow. From the time that they first hold them in their arms, they will be singing, "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jesus Loves the Little Children." They will read them books that tell the Bible stories. They will tell them that Jesus died for their sins.
How precious it is to lead your own children to the Lord. I really appreciated Heather’s testimony a few minutes ago. Her mother was able to sit down and pray with her, and she accepted Christ when she was only 5 years old. Your children may not learn about Jesus unless you tell them about Jesus. Godly mothers teach their children about Jesus.
Then there is just one final point we need to see here in Exodus 2 and that is that Jochebed brought Moses to Pharaoh daughter, and Moses became Pharoah’s son. This must have been the hardest thing that Jochebed ever had to do, but in order to save his life, she had to realize that she had done all she could do. The time had come for her to let go of her son and trust God.
Like I said, some mothers want to wait until another day to teach their children about the things of the Lord, but the time for teaching has its limits. The day will come when your effectiveness as a teacher will be limited. If you do a good job of teaching when the children are young, you will be able to let go and trust God when they are older.
We don’t know how much contact Moses had with his mother after he moved into the palace. Probably not much. If she ever saw him at all, she probably had to chose her words carefully. I can just hear her whispering, "Moses, remember the God of Israel." And then she would pray. I think we can paraphrase James 5:16 and say that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous woman availeth much.
Jochebed must have known that God had something very special planned for Moses, but she could never have imagined the extent to which God would use him. God later said:
Numbers 12:8 (NKJ)
8 I speak with Moses face to face, and he sees the form of the LORD . . . "
God spoke to Moses, and God spoke through Moses. God used Moses to part the Red Sea. God used Moses to bring water out of a rock. God gave through Moses His perfect law. John said:
John 1:17 (NKJ)
17 . . . the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Moses indeed was faithful in all of his house, and all that he did, all that he accomplished came about because God saw to it that Moses had a godly mother.
To all of you godly mothers who are listening this morning. I want to say thank you, and I hope you have a Mother’s Day that is full of blessings from the Lord.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. The Lord willing, we will be with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
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