The Sacrificial Love Of A Mother
There are thousands upon thousands of mothers that qualify for “mother of the year” I know I felt deserving of that title a few times over the years. It’s in a mothers DNA to be sacrificial when it comes to our children. The Bible certainly has many heroic mothers that we read about; but today I want to highlight Jochebed. Most people do not even know her name; however she is one of the most courageous women in the Bible.
Her name means Yahweh is glorious! She is the mother of Moses; which means “drawn out” a name that she did not even give him. He was named by Pharaoh’s daughter. “She called his name Moses, saying, Because I drew him out of the water.”
What is the exceptional and courageous act of love of Jochebed? The Pharaoh had just put out a decree of death for every Hebrew baby boy. “Every son that is born to the Hebrews shall be cast into the river, and every girl saved alive.” We are not told how much time had past after that decree was made that Jochebed discovered she was pregnant, we only have the details of what she did after his birth. She had nine long months to think. She had no idea if she would have a boy or a girl. I would imagine that she spent a lot of time praying for wisdom….and quite possibly asking the Lord for a daughter.
When he was born, it says that she saw he was “goodly.” This means she discerned immediately that he was-desirable, beautiful, well favored, precious, moral goodness, and gracious. This mama knew that there was a calling on this little ones life. We learn that she “hid” him for three months. Hid here means- concealed, treasured, cherished, kept secretly. I can only imagine her mama heart every time he whimpered or cried out; fearing one of Pharaoh’s guards would discover her precious son in hiding. This tells me that her little boy never left her; he was most likely bound in a sling like carrier on her body.
There came that day of realization that she could no longer hide her precious son. There just may come that knock on her door, and all options for saving his life would be gone. She then put her infant son in a papyrus basket that she had created for him. She made sure to “daub it with slime and pitch” It was a waterproof sealant made from mortar and resin. A small floatable ark to save her newborn son from absolute death if discovered; yet she had enough faith and trust that God would protect him as she prayed and let him float into the reeds of the Nile River.
She absolutely planned where and when to release her son in this little ark. She knew when Pharaoh’s daughter and maid servants came down to river. This was a very calculated plan carried out with the utmost faith and trust. How do we know this? It says she “laid” the basket in the reeds. It means she set it in place, considered, and purposed. There was no haphazard sending him off into wild waves as old movies might have you belief. She loved her son far too much for such a careless act.
Jochebed’ s daughter Miriam was close by watching to see what would happen. It says she “stood afar off” As soon as she saw him rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter she immediately shows up and asks “ Shall I call a nurse from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you?” Who do you think that nurse was? Yes…his precious mama Jochebed!
How do you not see the mighty hand of an all Sovereign God in every detail of this story? How can you not feel the depth of love of this mother for her son? There was a death sentence for him! According to Pharaoh he was destined to die….however according to the LORD God, he was destined to be His mighty deliverer!
We are living in a day of disposable babies; unwanted clumps of cells as the pro-death side chants “my body, my choice.” You may see Jochebed as some ancient story of a slave women, and that it doesn’t carry any relevance for today; but I strongly disagree! There are Jochebed’s and unborn baby Moses’s everywhere. These women may be young, older, married, or single. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that there is a precious unborn life with a purpose and a destiny within that womb. We cannot play God and decide whose life is valuable, and whose isn’t.
It is about choice. Jochebed had a choice. She could have waited for the knock on her door when the sound of her newborn son’s cry alerted the guards to his life…or she could be strong, courageous and full of faith; releasing him in that little ark, trusting the God that had a purpose for his life.
We are called to make choices all the time. Some of them are gut wrenching choices; ones that cause us to reach deeper than we ever thought possible. They may even come with some painful consequences; however let the consequences reflect a choice, that in the end will bring beauty from some painful ashes. Choose life!
Happy Mother’s Day to every mother young or old. Everyone that is alive and breathing today is here because your mother chose to give you life!