This post is from Moms Take Ten episode 25, “Moms in the Bible–Jochebed”, which you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts or at https://sites.libsyn.com/403493/moms-in-the-bible-jochebed.
The narration of Jochebed’s story is short, only ten verses. Yet they are full of faith, strength, courage, and hope. Her life and actions set in motion the rescue of God’s people from Egypt and the creation of the nation of Israel. I wish more was included in the Bible about this amazing mother or that I could have tucked into a corner of her home to watch and listen and learn from this woman of faith. Jochebed is my favorite of all the mothers in this study. I want to be more like her. I want to name a daughter after her. My prayer is that you will be inspired by her too.
Let’s read Exodus 2:1-10
Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And 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. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
Jochebed entered the scene at a very difficult time for the people of God. Rachel and Leah’s children had long since established their families in Egypt and the Lord multiplied them greatly. Exodus 1:7 says that “the land was filled with them.” The new king of Egypt enslaved and attempted to suppress the Israelites but “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.” So in an act of desperation, he ordered that all newborn Israelite boys be killed. Despite having lived in the pagan nation of Egypt for generations, the name of the Lord was still known and worshiped amongst the Israelites. The midwives, who Pharoah had ordered to kill the baby boys, “feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them.” God blessed them for their obedience and helped his people continue to grow.
Realizing that he could not trust the Israelites to implement his plan, the Pharaoh ordered his own people to do the killing. What a horrible time to be a pregnant woman. Instead of being able to enjoy pregnancy, to delight in the wonder of it, the Israelite mothers spent the months in fear of what would happen if they gave birth to a boy. It is at this time of evil and heartache that Jochebed discovered she was pregnant again. A younger sibling for Miriam and Aaron, a boy they discovered as he was brought forth. What would Jochebed do? This is where we begin to see how incredible this mama is. She looked at her child and saw that he was beautiful, that his life was worth a great risk. Jochebed chose to disobey the Pharaoh’s orders and follow in the footsteps of the midwives. She chose not to fear the king, but to follow God. The writer of Hebrews honors this act by including Jochebed in the “Hall of Faith,” chapter 11.
The Israelites were trapped in a land that looked upon them with hatred. Each baby boy that was sentenced to death was a reminder that the Israelites did not belong. Each baby boy that was spared by the midwives, by Jochebed, was a declaration that they did in fact belong. These women showed each child, each family, and all of Egypt that every baby was a life worth saving, every baby had something to contribute to this world, every baby was loved. I can hear Maverick City Music singing, “When the world said no, you said yes. When they pushed me to the side, you said yes.” Hallelujah!
That is how our God looks upon us and our children. God wants us to create spaces in our home and in the community for our children to belong. Like the sign that hangs in our foster daughter’s bedroom declaring, “Darling, you belong here.” Our children will be told over and over by other people that they do not belong. They might not wear the right clothes, play the right sports, fit in with the cool kids, look how the world says they should, or act how people think they ought. They might be labeled or bullied. They will be left out. As they stand up for their faith, they will be ostracized and told they are weird, or worse. When they come back home, weary and bruised, we should wrap them up in our arms and speak words of life over them. We get to tell them and show them that they belong.
More than that, we get to help shape their identity. Jochebed only had Moses for a short time but he grew up knowing who he was. Pharaoh’s daughter probably played a role in that as well. He knew he was an Israelite and that changed the course of his life. For however long our children are in our home, we have the privilege of telling them who they are to us, and even more importantly, who they are in God. We get to call out their strengths, gifts, and growth that we see in them. We get to celebrate who God created them to be daily. When we are feeling weary from all the bad behavior, the disrespect, and the challenges we are facing with our children, remember they are God’s and they are so precious to him.
Through Jochebed’s story, we see that the role of mama is powerful. We are culture shapers and changers in our home, setting the tone for our family. Jochebed and her husband created a culture of faith, obedience and courage. Aaron and Miriam watched as their parents chose faith instead of fear and protected their baby brother. Miriam’s courage in her conversation with Pharaoh’s daughter reflected the courage her parents displayed.
As we impact our home, we impact the neighborhood and community that our family interacts with. Jochebed, as well as the midwives and all other Israelites who defied Pharaoh, birthed a nation. Take a look at Exodus 1:20-21, “So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” When they should have been reduced as babies were killed, Israel grew. New families formed, families who were committed to following the Lord. Jochebed and Amram too saw their family grow and by their example raised world changers.
This is why I love the story of this woman. It motivates me in the raising of my children and the managing of my household. It reminds me that what I do, what every mama does, every day within the walls of my home is so much bigger than I even realize. Lord, let it be to your glory and for your good purpose.
Lyssa Stoyko 