This morning as I was rocking my 9 month old baby to sleep, I began pondering a woman name Jochebed. Jochebed, the mother of Moses, was an incredible woman of faith. Once she found out she was expecting a child, she had less than nine months, to consider how to save her baby's life if he were a boy. In her days where she lived in Egypt, all Hebrew baby boys were slaughtered at birth. As a mother, I know I would be spending those months of my pregnancy brainstorming on how to keep my baby alive if it ended up being a boy.
Jochebed delivered Moses, and was able to keep him secretly until he was three months old, but it was soon going to be impossible for her to keep him without someone asking questions. So, she and her husband Amram, made a basket out of bulrushes (floatable weeds found in Egypt) and used tar to seal out any water from the basket. In the daytime, Jochabed would put Moses in the basket and let him float in the thick Nile weeds, while Miriam, Moses sister, would keep and eye on him. I cannot imagine putting my baby in a basket every day like that-not knowing if he would cry and the wrong person would find him, but most of all, I would ache to not being able to enjoy him and watch him learn and play.
Jochebed had no choice but to trust God for Moses' well-being, she was incapable of doing more to protect him. She could not prevent him from drowning, being spotted by Egyptian soldiers, being carried away with the current, or being eaten by an crocodile. As a mother, I can only imagine the concerns that would be on my mind as I set my 3 month old baby out to float on a river. Jochebed was left with no recourse, but to trust the Lord for what good or bad may happen to her child.
God allowed the Egyptian princess to find Moses. The princess did not know Jochebed was Moses' mother, and asked her nurse Moses until he was weaned. In ancient times, women nursed their baby until the child was 3-5 years old. As a mother, I would have dragged out nursing as long as possible, knowing that after those few years, my baby would be taken to live in a heathen home and I would have no more time with him. It brings tears to my eyes to think of how hard it must have been for Jochebed to know that she would only have 3-5 year to be with her son. At the same time, she must have been comforted that her son would be allowed to live, and the Lord had seen fit to protect him for a purpose.
So, knowing that she had been given 3-5 years to instill godliness and Hebrew culture in her child, I wonder if Jochebed's mothering took on an increased vigor. She knew that after he was five, Moses, would be trained in the religion and custom's of the heathen Egyptians. What she taught him in his first five years of life would be crucial. Yet, still, she was ultimately unable to control how he would act and react when placed in an ungodly culture. As when she left her son in a basket in the river, Jochebed was able to do all she could to teach her son to be God-fearing, but she ultimately had to trust God for his spiritual well-being.
As a mother, Jochebed's example stuck fiercely in two ways. First, do I rely on my ability to protect my child physically, or am I totally resting in God's protection and guidance for my child? Ironically, as a mother, I find myself believing the lie that I am able to protect my child from illness, tragedy, death, or pain, but in reality, I am just as incapable to protect my children from harm as Jochebed. I am limited in strength and wisdom. Furthermore, as much as I believe I know what is best for my children, I do not-God has already formed a plan for their lives and will preform what is best for them, whether He allows disease or death to be a part of it, is good. As Jochebed, I must do what I can to protect my children, but ultimately rely on the Lord to bring about in their lives What he has planned for them since the time they were in my womb. (Ps. 139).
Second, how seriously do I take my children's spirituality, even when they are very young? I wonder if I would take my children's Spiritual training much more seriously if I knew I only had only 3-5 years to teach them all they will learn about the Lord? Like many mother's, I assume I will be able to raise my children throughout their childhood, with that assumption in mind, do I give them less than my best as a mother? Do I squander teachable moments? Do I substitute good things for the best things in their lives? Do I use every method possible to influence their lives for godliness? Am I a consistent example of faith and godliness in my children's lives?
Making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5:16
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