Moses' Mom

Her name isn't a household word, but her influence extends to millions of households. Jochebed is best known for the children she bore: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam (Numbers 26:59).

What was it like to be the mother of Moses? What can we learn about motherhood from the woman who gave birth to one of history's leading figures?

She sacrificed her personal comfort. Childbearing has been a painful process since the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:16). According to the World Health Organization, today more than half a million women die giving birth each year, mostly in developing nations where the risk of maternal mortality is one in 16. Half of all maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where trained midwives or other birthing attendants are rare.

Most of us don't give it a lot of thought, but when was the last time you thanked your mother for enduring the pain—and the danger—of giving you birth?

She risked her personal safety. Moses' mother lived in dangerous times. Fearing the growth of Egypt's minority population, Pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew baby boys should be thrown into the river. In a brave example of civil disobedience and faith (Hebrews 11:23), Jochebed hid her baby for three months in a valiant effort to spare the boy's life. When it was impossible to conceal her strong-lunged infant any longer, she placed him in a waterproof basket and floated it among the reeds by the Nile River.

When was the last time you thanked your mother for her resourcefulness and courage—and for all the times she put her own comfort and safety aside in order to care for you?

She experienced the pain of letting go. It's hard to imagine the sadness Jochebed felt when she walked away from the riverbank that day, leaving her child behind. Today's moms feel similar emotions when they drop their son off at his freshman dorm or kiss their daughter's cheek on her wedding day. Maternal instincts move them to cling to their children, but wise mothers willingly endure the pain of separation because they know their children must stand on their own two feet, supported by the Lord alone.

When was the last time you thanked your mother for allowing you the freedom to grow up?

She received unexpected blessings. Providentially, God saved the life of Jochebed's baby. Pharaoh's daughter came to the Nile to bathe, noticed the basket among the reeds, saw the baby crying, and felt sorry for him. Watching nearby, Moses' sister Miriam volunteered, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" In a wonderful plot twist, the baby was returned to Jochebed's arms and Pharaoh's daughter actually paid her to nurse her own son (Exodus 2:9) until he went to live in Pharaoh's palace. The songs and lessons about God that Moses heard as a toddler on his mother's lap shaped his thinking for life, just as Lois and Eunice influenced young Timothy (2 Timothy 1:5).

Someone asked a wise teacher, "When should a child's education begin?" and he responded, "In the life of his great-grandmother."

When was the last time you thanked your mother for teaching you about the Lord and his blessings?

She gave the world a lasting gift. Moses' name means "drawn out" because he was drawn out of the water, and years later he became the leader God used to draw his people out of Egypt. Tomorrow's great leaders are being nurtured today by the sacrificial love of their mothers.

When was the last time you thanked your mother simply for being herself? She is God's gift to you, so that you, like Moses, can be a gift to others.