“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14)  Paul was in prison when he wrote this and his future didn’t look particularly promising from a human perspective, but Paul was a man with a forward look.  He was unwilling to rest on the glories of the past or to dwell on its failures.  He just kept movin’ on.  Even when he knew his life almost over (II Timothy 4), he maintained a forward look – movin’ on to see his Savior and gather in his rewards.  That’s the normal Christian life…we just keep movin’ on to the next phase.  We don’t stop growing (even after we’re “full grown”).  We don’t stop learning (even after we graduate).  We don’t stop living (even after we die physically).  We simply move on to the next phase of life in Christ.  Several from our church have reached a milestone in their lives and they are “movin’ on”.  As we honor these graduates this morning, I hope it encourages all of us to keep movin’ on for Christ!

May 13, 2012 - AM - Pastor Stan Lightfoot

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Theme: The Active Faith of Jochebed

INTRODUCTION

* The Character Trait of Courage 

Courage has always been the domain of ordinary people - people who didn't seem particularly courageous prior to the event, but who found the strength of character to do what was right in frightening circumstances.  We often wonder what prompted ordinary people to do extraordinary and courageous things.  Was it something they learned in childhood?  Was it some aspect of their training?  Was it the cause for which they stood or the people with whom the fought?  Well…yes.  All of those play into the displays of courage that we have seen over the years.  In every case, people laid aside their fears in order to step up when the occasion called.  Notice that courage isn't the absence of fear; it's the ability to act in spite of fear - to do what needs to be done in the face of threats and danger.  That's courage.

* Mothers of Courage

Mothers may not be the first category we think of when we discuss people of courage.  Soldiers, firefighters, people who resist tyranny - those kinds of people come quickly to mind.  But we tend to view mothers in more pedestrian, less dramatic terms.  That said, there is no shortage of mothers who have displayed courage.  Amy Carmichael was moved by God to become a missionary in India.  At age 24, before she made the final decision, she wrote her mother to ask if she had "given her child unreservedly to the Lord" to do His will.  Her mother, Catherine, replied, "My own precious child; yes, dearest Amy.  He has lent you to me all these years.  He only knows what a strength, comfort and joy you have been to me.  So, darling, when He asks you now to go away from within my reach, can I say no?  No, Amy, He is yours - and you are His - to take where He pleases and to use you as He pleases."  The stories are legion of women who have persevered through the death of a spouse, through the tragedy of injury and illness, through separation and through a myriad of other challenges to be the mothers their children needed.  This morning, we're going to study one such story - the story of Jochebed.  Many don't know her by name, but they know her son and they know her story.  Her son was Moses.  

I. HER VISION ("a beautiful child" - 2:2)

Exodus 2 opens with the story of the birth and harrowing early days of Moses.  It starts, as so many other stories start, with romance.  A descendant of Levi, living under the harsh rule of the Egyptians, was married to a daughter of Levi.  The man's name was Amram.  His new bride was Jochebed.  This section of Scripture doesn't identify them by name, and tells us nothing of the early days of their marriage and family, except we eventually find out that they have a daughter.  We don't find out what her name is here, but we learn later that this is Miriam.  We also find out later that little Moses had an older brother - a kid named Aaron who was 3 when Moses was born, but he was not part of this story.

So, Moses is the youngest in the family.  His birth is recorded for us in v. 2, and the story of Jochebed's courage begins there, as well.  The text says that Jochebed "conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months."  I remember when I was a little boy wondering what she would have done if he had been an ugly baby!  I don't think this means she thought Moses was better looking than all of the other babies in her community (although, I'm sure she did think that!).  The word means a "fair" child - a "proper" child.  As Jochebed looked into the eyes of her newborn son, she sensed something in him that was different.  She didn't know what, but she sensed God was going to use this boy.  Hebrews 11:23 tells us again that his parents saw that he was "a beautiful child" and hid him…"by faith".  Somehow, God must have communicated to Jochebed that He was going to use this little boy, and she took the steps she had to take to preserve his life on the strength of her faith.  I think God gave her a vision of what Moses could be, and she acted on that vision.  Now, there is one more thing to consider here.  Aaron was only 3 years old when Moses was born, so he may well have been under Pharoah's edict, as well.  This wasn't Jochebed's first time around this block.  She was familiar with the rigors of raising a little boy in secret, and she wasn't afraid of taking the risk.  It was what a mother did - what any mother would do.  

II. HER COURAGE ("not afraid of the king's command" - Heb. 11:23)

The next thought I want to explore with you is Jochebed's courage.  To be fair, the Holy Spirit includes Amram in this statement.  Keep your finger in Exodus 2 and turn to the book of Hebrews - chapter 11, verse 23 [read].  Notice that last phrase: "and they were not afraid of the king's command."  I've always kind of questioned that thought in light of what I read in Exodus 2.  It sure sounds like Jochebed was afraid, doesn't it?  She hid the boy for three months, then put him in a personal ark and abandoned him to his fate along the banks of the Nile, not even sticking around to see what would happen to him.  Sounds like a woman acting out of desperation and fear.  But I think there is a better way to understand Exodus 2 in light of Hebrews 11.  Jochebed and Amram hid the boy for 3 months while they formulated their plan.  Then they put the plan in motion.  The plan was likely born out of watching the habits of Pharoah's daughter.  She probably came to the same place along the river to bathe, at the same time of the week and the same time of day.  Jochebed created this little ark, put Moses in it and carefully placed it where he would be found by the princess, and left Miriam nearby to carry out the rest of the plan ("to know what would be done to him").  Pharoah's daughter found Moses (as they figured she would) reacted with compassion (like they figured she would) and Miriam was right there to suggest that one of the Hebrew women could nurse him for her until he was weaned - a suggestion that Jochebed had probably planted in her daughter's mind.  There is no doubt that God's hand was in this - He made sure Pharoah's daughter found Moses and that she reacted with compassion.  He made sure the ark stayed watertight, didn't tip over, and that no Nile crocodiles had Moses for lunch before the girls arrived.  He even saw to it that little Moses was crying when the young woman opened the ark.  You can almost hear the collective "Awwww" that came from the river bank.  But I believe those first three months were not wasted time.  Amram and Jochebed acted according to a plan - maybe a plan that saw much farther into the future than the end of that day, or the end of Moses time at home.  No, I no longer see fear and desperation.  I see a courageous determination to resist tyranny.  They were not afraid of the king's command - they used it to their advantage, saved Moses' life and set him on a path that would lead him back to the palace someday with a message from God - "Let my people go!"  

III. HER ACTION ("hid him three months" - 2:2)

The end of v. 2 is the beginning of Jochebed's action.  "She hid him three months."  I've heard it said that she did that because at the end of three months, he was getting too loud and active to hide him anymore.  But think about that…do 1 month old babies cry - loudly - at inopportune times?  How about 2 month olds…or 10 week olds?  Do babies start walking right after they turn 3 months old so that they can escape the house undetected by their parents and get caught?  The only issue that likely related to the time is that the continuous evidence of a baby in the household would have been building, but I don't think Moses had become louder or more mobile and that's what led to the "desperate" action of making the ark of bulrushes and setting the baby adrift.  The text does say that "they could no longer hide him," but that was likely the result of continuous work with a baby.  So, Jochebed's action at the end of v. 2 was in concert with the plan - keep little Moses out of sight for three months while he gained strength and they put the details of the plan into place.  Then, when he was ready, put the plan into motion.

IV. HER PLAN ("she took an ark" - 2:3)

Her plan seems to have been a simple one - use the family of Pharaoh to save the life of the condemned little boy.  As we said earlier, Pharoah's daughter probably had a habit of bathing at the river at the same place and at a given time.  I'm sure she didn't pick a spot that was hazardous or a known crocodile lair.  She would have chosen a fairly safe haven for her regular bath.  The young parents probably monitored that and chose a time when Moses would be discovered.  So, when the time came, Jochebed fashioned a little ark for Moses out of bulrushes. She used materials that were available to her to make it as waterproof as she could, set Moses inside and "laid it in the reeds by the river's bank" - just at the edge of the river, in among the reeds where it would not drift away.  Then she left Miriam to watch and interact with the princess when she came along.  The presence of a small girl would not have raised the same questions that the presence of a woman of child-bearing age would have raised.  Miriam didn't stand right next to Moses - she stood quite a distance away and waited for the drama to play out before she came up and inserted herself into the dialogue.  Pharoah's daughter, having already decided to rear the child herself ("Dad, can I keep him??"), jumped at the suggestion and sent the young girl in search of a nursing mother.  Of course, you know where Miriam went.  If it was, indeed, a plan, it worked to perfection.  Once again, that is due in no small measure to the superintendent hand of God. 

V. HER REWARD ("took the child and nursed him" - 2:9)

The reward for her faith was that she was able to keep her son until he was weaned (much like Samuel many years later), get paid to keep him alive and healthy, and have the opportunity to instill in him a love and respect for the Lord God and the people of God - some things Moses never forgot.  At the appointed time, she brought him to Pharoah's daughter and the rest of God's plan - a plan of which Jochebed could have known very little - was set in motion.  But her reward was the life of her son, and the knowledge that God had something very special in mind for the young boy.

APPLICATION

History is filled with special mothers - mothers of courage.  Mothers who fought overwhelming odds to be the nurturing, Godly influence their children needed.  Part of that history is the Bible record.  The courage of Jochebed is reflected in the lives of Hannah, Naomi, Elisabeth, Mary, the mother of our Lord, and countless other moms who poured themselves into the lives of their children at great personal cost.  Of course, the Bible records a different kind of mom, as well - mothers who drew their children away from the truth and set them up to fail in the sight of God.  It's interesting that in the record of the kings of Israel and Judah, the name of the new king was recorded, followed by his age and the name of his mother - then the record of whether he was a good or an evil king.  Moms, you play an indispensable role in the lives of your children.  While you have them under your care, give them every opportunity to learn about the Lord and follow Him.  That may not be a long time - just a few years, like Jochebed and Hannah, or it may be the normal 2 decades or so.  Whatever God gives you, fill it with a focus on the Lord, no matter what the obstacles may be.  Be a mother of courage, a mother with an active faith in the God of Jochebed - a mother with a plan to thwart the designs of Satan and a world bent on molding them into its sinful image.  Be a mother who steps up for her children even when stepping up will be hard.  Catch God's vision for your children.  Move with purpose and courage to give life to that vision.  Plan your work of parenting and work the plan that God gives you.  Then watch as God takes that plan and works in the lives of your children.  You may not see the end result.  I'm sure Amram and Jochebed were long gone by the time Moses arrived back as the deliverer.  But they had the joy of knowing that God had used them in the life of their son.  Be a mother of courage.  Your kids need you in that role so they can be all that God has made them to be.

Let's Pray.