You know the story so I won’t go into much detail here. Pharaoh had ordered the Hebrew baby boys killed and one mother had enough faith to put her infant into a lovingly woven and waterproofed basket and set it afloat in the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river to bathe and found him, and his alert and very smart big sister offered to get him a Hebrew nurse—one who just happened to be his mother.
And so Moses was raised by two mothers. Jochebed kept him close to her those first years, probably as many as five to eight, before she weaned him. But nursing was not all she did. She taught him who he was, who his people were, and who his God was. She did an amazing job. In those few years she made him strong enough to stand against the temptations of wealth the like of which we have probably never seen. And that wealth was not just contrasted with poverty, but with some of the most oppressive slavery imaginable.
After that, Moses lived in the palace with his “foster” mother for thirty years or more. She undoubtedly lavished him with luxury and provided him with one of the best secular educations of the time. Just look at the pyramids if you think those people were ignorant. He became so much an Egyptian that he even looked like one (Ex 2:19).
So here is our point today: Which mother am I? Do I check on their schoolwork, but never make sure their Bible lessons are done? Do I even know if they have their lesson book and Bible with them when we leave the house Sunday morning? Do I teach them how to make a budget and live within their means, but never teach them how to make time for prayer and Bible study? Do I make sure they get to school but actually give them a choice about whether they go to church or not? Do I teach them the social etiquette of what to wear at which occasion but never teach them about modesty? Do I teach them the Bill of Rights but never talk about giving up those rights for the sake of the gospel and peoples’ souls? Do I teach them to save for their financial security but never teach how to keep their souls secure?
Your child knows what you think is most important. He will take his cue from you. Are you a Pharaoh’s daughter or a Jochebed?
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. Heb 11:24-26
Dene Ward
And so Moses was raised by two mothers. Jochebed kept him close to her those first years, probably as many as five to eight, before she weaned him. But nursing was not all she did. She taught him who he was, who his people were, and who his God was. She did an amazing job. In those few years she made him strong enough to stand against the temptations of wealth the like of which we have probably never seen. And that wealth was not just contrasted with poverty, but with some of the most oppressive slavery imaginable.
After that, Moses lived in the palace with his “foster” mother for thirty years or more. She undoubtedly lavished him with luxury and provided him with one of the best secular educations of the time. Just look at the pyramids if you think those people were ignorant. He became so much an Egyptian that he even looked like one (Ex 2:19).
So here is our point today: Which mother am I? Do I check on their schoolwork, but never make sure their Bible lessons are done? Do I even know if they have their lesson book and Bible with them when we leave the house Sunday morning? Do I teach them how to make a budget and live within their means, but never teach them how to make time for prayer and Bible study? Do I make sure they get to school but actually give them a choice about whether they go to church or not? Do I teach them the social etiquette of what to wear at which occasion but never teach them about modesty? Do I teach them the Bill of Rights but never talk about giving up those rights for the sake of the gospel and peoples’ souls? Do I teach them to save for their financial security but never teach how to keep their souls secure?
Your child knows what you think is most important. He will take his cue from you. Are you a Pharaoh’s daughter or a Jochebed?
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to share ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he looked unto the recompense of reward. Heb 11:24-26
Dene Ward
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