May 8, 2020.

and I would like to

give honor where honor is due and that is to all the Godly
Mothers and Grand Mothers, and Spiritual Mothers in
the world.
The Bible says in Proverbs 6:20-23. “My son
keeps your father’s command and do not forsake
your mother’s teaching. 21 Bind them always on
your heart; fasten them around your neck. 22
When you walk, they will guide you; when you
sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake,
they will speak to you. 23 For this command is a
lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and
instruction are the way to life,”

Some history here about how Mother’s Day was instituted. Anna M. Jarvis (1864-
1948) and she first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all
mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for
her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower)
to each person who attended. Within the next few years, the idea of a day to honor
mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in several large cities in the
U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed
the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for
"public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country? By then it
had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to
honor the living, a custom that continues to this day. Sources ↑ Wikipedia contributors,
"Anna Jarvis," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikipedia: Anna Jarvis (accessed May 2,
2019).
Bible says that the law of a Mother shall lead you and shall be a light unto you
and you will remember what your Mother taught you throughout your life…you young
people may not think so but you will remember those acts of love and kindness that
your Mom or Grand Mother did when you get older. That is a love that only comes from
our Lord in Heaven. I have seen in other countries how mothers are the most under-
appreciated people in the world.
But today's reflection is not about how to be good to your mother; is about a
mother who had to make some hard choices for the welfare of her son. Being a mother
or a father is not for the faint of heart. It requires some tough decisions—decisions that
are risky and heart-wrenching, decisions that require faith.
The Background that Lead to Jochebed's Heroism. In order to completely
understand what this woman did; it is necessary to give a little historical background.
From the book of Genesis, we learn that the Israelites settled in the land of Goshen in
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Egypt during the time of Jacob and Joseph because of a famine. Joseph, the son of
Jacob became a ruler in Egypt who had power that was only exceeded by the Pharaoh
himself. God used Joseph to save His people from starving to death and they enjoyed a
wonderful life in Egypt for a period of years.
But time went by and Joseph, as well as that whole generation, died and there arose a
Pharaoh that didn't know Joseph. The Israelites who entered Egypt were 70 in all but
during that time they grew in number, which worried the Egyptians that they would begin
to outnumber them and rebel. They feared that the Israelites would side with their
enemies if war ever broke out in Egypt (Exodus 1:1-10).
So, Pharaoh placed slave-drivers over God's people and made their life harsh.
Not only that but, to control the population, Pharaoh told the Hebrew midwives that they
were to kill any male babies that were born to the Israelite women. The midwives,
whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, feared God and didn't do it and when asked
why by Pharaoh, they made up a story that the Hebrew women were more vigorous
than the Egyptians and gave birth before the midwives could arrive. This infuriated the
king and he gave orders that every Hebrew boy born must be thrown into the Nile River
and killed (1:11-22).
I would like for us to reflect on
the story of a woman who is mentioned
only a few times in Scripture. Yet
despite her low profile, she provides a
finely drawn portrait of a mother with
faith. In fact, she even made it into the
"Hall of Fame" for faith in Hebrews
11:23. Her name, according to
Numbers 26:59, was Jochebed. She
was Moses' mother. We learn about
this godly woman's story in Exodus 2:1-
10, although her name is never mentioned
there. We later learn her name, as well as Amram's in Exodus 6:20 and again in
Numbers 26:59.
It must have been quite suspenseful and agonizing for this tough but loving lady,
however. For she spent her pregnancy waiting to see if it was a boy or a girl in order
find out whether her new-born child might be ripped out of her arms and killed by a
tyrannical government. And when he finally was born, she probably cried knowing his
life was immediately in ultimate danger of ending even before it had a chance to begin.
But like any good mother, she would never let him die if she could at all help it.
Jochebed may not have known all that Moses would ultimately mean to God's plan, but
she did realize that he was a gift from God, and she loved him and would protect him at
all costs.
Knowing that she could never give her son over to Pharaoh, this mother risked
her own life by hiding Moses for three whole months. How she did it, the text does not
say. But somehow, she was able to keep his presence secret (Exodus 2:1,2).
However, when she could no longer hide him, God inspired her to come up with a plan
to put him in a papyrus basket coated with tar and then put it among the reeds along the

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bank of the Nile. It seems that she did all that she could to protect him. The plaited
reeds that the basket was made of were believed to serve as protection from crocodiles.
However, then she left him to the protection of God under the watchful eye of her
daughter Miriam. Moses' sister stood at a distance to see what would become of the
infant (3-4).
As God's providence would have it, Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe,
along with her attendants. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female
slave to get it. When she opened the basket, Moses was crying, and she felt sorry for
him even though she recognized that it was one of the Hebrew babies (5-6).
Seeing the opportunity, Miriam went up and talked to the daughter of Pharaoh and
asked her if she could get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby. By God's
blessing, the woman agreed. And who do you think Miriam got? She got Moses' own
mother to nourish and nurture him until the time he was weaned. Not only that but
Jochebed got paid by Pharaoh's daughter to do it (7-9).
Then, when Moses grew older, this godly mother once again sacrificed her rights as a
parent. For the second time she gave him up because she desired for Moses to have
what was best for him. She took him back to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her
son. Interestingly his new mom gave him what was probably a Hebrew name. The
name Moses sounds like the Hebrew for 'draw out.'
She did this because she "drew him out of the
water." (10).
What can we learn from this Godly Mom.
In this day and age of selfishness in which we live;
a day in which the rights of the mother are above
the rights of the baby in the womb, it is refreshing
to see that this mother put the welfare of her child
above her own. She loved this child even before he
was born and refused to allow anyone to harm him.
**And when he entered the world, she gave up her
rights as a mom to Pharaoh’s daughter because
she knew that her son's life and future were at
stake if she didn't do it. The word sacrifice is not
heard much in our modern society. But that is just what
a good parent does. Their love for their children causes them to sacrifice themselves
and their conveniences for the good of those to whom God has entrusted them as their
children. A right to choose selfishness is given up making sure that their offspring has a
right to survive and to thrive in life.
But not only did Jochebed have a major role in saving the physical life of her
beloved son. She also, in a short period of time, had a major influence on his spiritual
life as well. He certainly didn't learn about the God of his ancestors from the household
of Pharaoh's daughter.
Good mothers, as well as fathers do that. They make sure that their child has an
adequate spiritual education and they teach them all about the God of the Bible. They
make sure that they do everything in their power to pass along their own faith to the
children whom they love the most on this earth.

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 Apparently Jochebed's love and dedication to the Lord and to Moses' spiritual
growth paid off, for we see from Scripture that when he grew up to be a man, he never
forgot what she taught him.
We don't know how long Jochebed lived after she gave Moses up to be adopted
by the Egyptian princess. But her influence on him and his siblings lived on as they
wandered through the wilderness, being led by the Lord into the inheritance God had
promised them and their ancestors.
It was Jochebed's love and devotion to Moses that preserved his life and allowed
him to lead the greatest salvation event in Old Testament history. And her influence is
felt to this day by the followers of the God of the Bible as we read about the great things
that her son did for the people of God of his time. We need more Jochebed's who will
stand up for the Lord and for their children and do what is right no matter the cost to
self. They are rare jewels in the crowns of their husbands.

Prayer. My prayer for all the mothers out there and those who will one day be mothers is
that they will take a lesson from the great faith of Moses' mother. She is indeed one of those
women of which it can be said: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain. But a woman who fears the
Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31:30). May we continue to praise Jochebed and all mothers who
follow in her footsteps. For they are truly a gift from the Lord!