Exodus 1:22-29
The Good Mother
What does it take to be a good mother? Was she even a good person?
Let’s consider Jochebed. Her name is not listed in this text. She is
simply portrayed as Moses’ mother. We get her name from \\#Ex 6:30\\,
where Moses’ genealogy is given. Let’s consider a couple of thoughts
about Jochebed.
I. Jochebed had principals.
A. Principals are values, rules, standards that a person uses to
govern their lives. This was early in man’s existence, before
God had given the law. Many simply did that which was right
in their own eyes, but not Jochebed.
B. Jochebed was selfless. She was willing to die for what she
thought was right.
1. The Bible does not tell us, but I believe the risk of death
was real for Jochebed.
a. Pharaoh had parents throwing their children into the
Nile River \\#Ex 1:22\\.
(1) The Bible does not say soldiers came and threw the
babies into the river. It says the parents were
commanded to do it.
(2) Parents would not do that without an over-riding
reason.
b. My own theory is that Pharaoh not only threatened the
parents but probably any other siblings.
c. If I am correct, Jochebed was risking her life and the
entire family was risking theirs.
2. Some things are worth the risk of death.
a. What things?
(1) Family is. I don’t know my heart but I believe
that I would give my life for my family.
(2) The Savior is.
(3) Some countries are. I believe if we could restore
America to God, it would be.
(4) Some principals are worth dying for. Freedom and
justice are principals worth dying for.
(5) If you have a big enough heart, even a stranger
is worth dying for.
Ro 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one
die: yet peradventure for a good man some would
even dare to die.
b. Which of these things, if any, you would die for, you
must decide; however, it is obvious that Jochebed had
made her choice. She was willing to risk her life and
the lives of her family for this newborn baby.
3. I noticed that Jochebed’s enemy was her own government.
a. Pharaoh was the ruler, the king, the potentate.
(1) Pharaoh gave an order to cast the male babies into
the river. Jochebed refused.
(2) Did God want her to cast her son into the Nile?
No.
(3) Why not? Aren’t we supposed to obey the authority
over us?
(4) Not when the authority commands us to violate one
of God’s commandments.
b. Every human being has an obligation to obey God over
men. \\#Acts 5:29\\.
(1) This obligation needs to be understood as our
government continues to make into law commands
which are in direct opposition to God.
(2) In fact, it was that very obligation which
justified existence.
(a) Those who decided to break away from Britain,
believed that when a government refuses to
care for the best interests of its subjects
and further, violates the subjects God-
given rights, that those subjects have a
duty to God to overthrow that government.
(b) That does not mean that Christians or any
citizen can be belligerent or defiant of
government.
(c) God calls us to be respectful of our
government, to obey it unless it commands us
to disobey God, and to submit to it.
C. Jochebed had courage.
1. What is courage?
a. Some think it is the lack of fear, but that is not it.
b. Courage is determination to do what is right regardless
of the outcome.
2. Jochebed had the determination to do what was right
regardless of the outcome.
a. Some seem to think that Christians in the Bible knew
what the outcome of their actions would be.
b. Maybe God promised them they would be safe. Maybe
they had a vision.
3. There is no reason to think that.
a. Jochebed did not know if Moses would live or not.
(1) The basket could have sunk.
(2) A crocodile could have swallowed the basket and
the baby.
(3) Someone could have found the basket and just
dumped it.
b. She did not know that Pharaoh’s daughter would find the
basket.
c. She did not know that Miriam would make the suggestion
she made to the princess.
d. She did not know that she would be her own baby’s
nurse.
4. The only thing that we know for certain was that Jochebed
knew that if Moses was cast into the river, he would die.
5. A thought.
a. You don’t have to know how things are going to end to
refuse to do wrong.
b. You only have to know what is right to refuse to do
what is wrong.
(1) Christian, you cannot let uncertainty stop you
from refusing wrong and attempting right.
(2) I think one of the reasons people love the story
of David and Goliath is because David has no
assurances of what was going to happen. He just
knew what he was not going to let happen. He was
not going to let some Philistine bad-mouth his
God. Do you remember the question David asked?
"Is there not a cause." If there is a cause,
stand up! Enter the battle. Fight the good
fight. Don’t worry about what happens. Be
courageous.
(3) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not know how
things would turn out. They said as much. "If
it be so, our God is able to save us. But if
not, we will not serve thy gods."
\\#Dan 3:16-17\\
6. Instead of looking for assurances which can never be given,
look for courage to do what is right whatever the outcome.
D. Jochebed had faith.
1. At this point, I am not going to attempt to make you think
that Jochebed had a great faith in God, for the Bible does
not say that.
a. The remainder of Moses story tells me that she will
have a great faith in God—Moses will display great
faith in God when he renounces the pleasures of Egypt
to be identified with the people of God.
b. But right now, we have no idea how much faith she has.
2. But I do know that she had some faith in God. How much,
the Bible does not say, but she had to have some.
3. The Bible tells us what the least amount of faith you can
have is.
Heb 11:6 …he that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
4. For Jochebed to risk the family that she had, she must have
believed that God was and that He rewards those who seek
Him.
a. That is the bear minimum of faith one can have to have
any relationship with God.
b. It is not much—no more than the size of a grain of a
mustard seed, but Jochebed believed that God was and
that He would do something good for her and her son
or else she would have been a fool to risk the rest of
the family.
c. I don’t think this woman was a fool.
E. So here are three principals that Jochebed had.
1. But what of our question? Is Jochebed a good mother?
2. Having these principals does not prove that Jochebed is a
good mother.
a. It proves that she was a good person.
b. A principled person is a good person but that does not
necessarily mean he or she will be a good parent.
c. What makes a good parent? Passing these kinds of
principals to your children.
d. The difference between a good person and a good parent
is that the good parent is successful in building into
the lives of their children godly principals.
e. The goal of parenthood…
(1) …is not just to produce a child,
(2) …not to get that child to adulthood,
(3) …not even to produce a working, married, and
happy child.
(4) Our goal has a parent is to get our children to
worship Jesus, to think like Jesus, to live like
Jesus, and to love Jesus.
II. In that case, Jochebed was a very good parent.
A. Moses was not a perfect man, but he was a principled man who
understood the importance of work, marriage, being a good
father, duty, faithfulness, and more.
B. But the thing his parents taught him best was the importance
of serving God—even if it cost him his place in the palace!
Heb 11:25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction
with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season;
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him
who is invisible.
C. Moses chose to identify himself with God and God’s people
instead of enjoying the comforts and pleasures of the world.
1. Maybe it is difficult for us to understand what Moses
had.
2. He was the rock star of his generation! Whatever he
wanted, he could have.
3. Moses left the mansions, the money, and many pleasures to
join with the slaves of the land.
4. But it was not just the people he joined. He saw the One
who was invisible!
5. In fact, \\#Acts 7:25\\ says that, at the time, Moses
thought the people understood that he was to deliver
them.
Acts 7:25 For he supposed his brethren would
have understood how that God by his hand would
deliver them: but they understood not.
D. Where did Moses learn those things? He was raised by
Egyptians, even worse—worldly, wealthy, powerful Egyptians.
1. It takes some kind of mothering skills for your children
to be raised in the den of iniquity but still to love God
and want to serve Him.
2. That was what Jochebed did. She was a good mother!
3. Wouldn’t you like to be a good parent? a good mother? a
good father?
III. What does it take to pass God’s principals to your children?
A. You have to have them.
1. You must be saved.
2. You must be right with God.
3. You must be serving God.
B. If you are not, start today.
1. If you started when your children were young or even
before, that is wonderful!
2. However, if you did not, don’t let that keep you from
getting after it today.
3. There are advances and disadvantages to both.
a. The advantage to having always tried to live for Jesus
is that is the only culture they knew.
b. The disadvantage—and we who have raised our children
right do see this as a disadvantage—is our children
know all the right answers without necessarily knowing
the Lord.
c. The advantage to getting right with God and starting to
serve Him with your children watching is that they get
to see the power of God change your life right before
their eyes.
d. The disadvantage is that they may have so much of the
world in them that they prefer the world to God.
4. What every parent needs to understand is that God is the
One who convicts, saves, and changes!
a. If He can do those things for you, He can certainly do
them for your children.
b. So you just start living for Jesus today!
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