KNOWN AS THE MOTHER OF MIRIAM, AARON, & MOSES
Exodus 2:1-10; Numbers 26:59; Hebrews 11:23
IMAGINE: Just giving birth to a “beautiful” baby boy only to have the leader of the land declare he is to be thrown in the river and must not live.
Jochebed is the first person in Scripture to have a name compounded with Jah = Jehovah. Her name means: “the Lord is Glory.” She is the wife of Amram, as well as his Aunt. Amram was a grandson of her father, Levi, Jacob’s third son with Leah. She was born approximately 1523 BC.
Among her relatives are Miriam, Aaron, Moses, Samuel, Ezekiel, Ezra, Malachi, and John the Baptist. She is listed in Hebrews 11:23 as among the heroines of faith. She is definitely one of the greatest Jewish women who ever lived. She is also one of the most honored Jewish moms in history.
Her oldest child, a daughter, Miriam, was chosen by God to be called a prophetess. Her second child, a son, Aaron, was chosen by God to be High Priest and father to all those of the Jewish priesthood. Her third child, a son, Moses, was chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt along with his brother and sister. He also was the recipient of the commandments of God on Mt. Sinai.
Then Jacob and all his children went
with him to Egypt. His sons and
grandsons, his daughters and
granddaughters, indeed all his
offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.
Genesis 46:6, 7
Jacob, along with his eleven sons, entered Egypt where his twelfth son, Joseph, was now living second in command to Pharaoh. Jochebed would have been born just as this Israelite family entered their new place of residency. (Num. 26:59). As she grew she would have been taught the word of God by Jacob, her grandfather and Levi, her father.
Pharaoh then commanded all
his people: “You must throw every
son born to the Hebrews into the
Nile, but let every daughter live.”
Exodus 1:22
At the time this command went out there was a different Pharaoh than had known Joseph and his family. The Hebrews had multiplied to a degree of such great magnitude this Pharaoh grew fearful these foreigners would grow to out number the Egyptians and take over the nation.
The woman became pregnant and
gave birth to a son, when she saw
that he was beautiful, she
hid him for three months.
Exodus 2:2
Jochebed had Miriam who was approximately ten or eleven years old. Also, Aaron who was approximately three years old. Now with the decree to throw all new born baby boys into the Nile river what was she to do with her precious new born baby, Moses?
The maternal instincts had to be working in overdrive. How was she going to keep a baby from crying and a three-year-old from blabbing about his new baby brother. Pharaoh kept a diligent eye on the births of these babies, so the fear of this boy being ripped away from her and thrown into the crocodile infested Nile was real. Could she not hear the wails of the other mothers as their new babies were torn from their arms?
Scripture is silent as to how this determined mother kept this baby safe for three months without being detected by Pharaoh’s people. This was a hungry, wet at times baby, who assuredly must have cried to let his needs be known.
When she could no longer conceal him, she made a basket to put him in, keeping him safe as she placed him in the Nile. She has her young daughter, Miriam, watch over this small sailing vessel holding her infant baby brother.
As Pharaoh’s daughter comes to the Nile to bathe, her handmaidens see the basket. They take the child to her and she feels sorry for this baby as she recognizes this is one of the Hebrew babies. She may have felt the agony a mother had placing her child carefully into the Nile thus being obedient to Pharaoh’s harsh command.
Young Miriam is close at hand and asks if she can find a Hebrew woman who could nurse the child for Pharaoh’s daughter. Miriam is told to go and find such a woman and of course she comes back with the baby’s mother, Jochebed. The princess tells her to take and nurse the baby for her and she will pay her to do so.
After the child is weaned, Jochebed does indeed turn her precious son over to Pharaoh’s daughter. Scripture is silent as to when he was given back to the daughter of Pharaoh but the age of a child to be weaned was between eighteen months and five years. Jochebed would have been very diligent teaching her children the things of God just as they had been taught to her.
Knowing she was going to be giving her son into an idolatrous atmosphere she obviously trusted God for His care, royal protection, and all the advantages of Pharaoh’s palace for his first forty years of life. It appears his adopted mom never hid from him the fact that he was of Hebrew origin and not Egyptian.
It is unknown how long after Jochebed turned the child over to Pharaoh’s household did she live. Nothing is mentioned of her begrudgingly handing this small son of hers to Pharaoh’s daughter to care and nurture, instead of her. Nothing is mentioned of her emotional distress. She appears to have accepted God’s sovereign will for her and her children’s lives.
What is mentioned about this mother is her courage in the face of diabolical danger. All the Israelites had been made slaves in Egypt. If she did not act under God’s loving guidance her precious son would be thrown into the Nile River and drown. She was signing her own death warrant and possibly that of her entire household if she chose to disobey Pharaoh.
By faith Moses, after he was
born, was hidden by his parents
for three months, because
they saw that the child was
beautiful, and they didn’t
fear the king’s edict.
Hebrews 11:23
Jochebed knew this child was a special gift from God, with a special mission for God, thus her faith carried her on with the belief God would preserve this child of hers. Scripture is clear that it was by faith Jochebed endured the sequence of events that occurred.
When the child was weaned he was then ready to be turned back to Pharaoh’s daughter. As the now adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter he would have been taught the Egyptian language, protected and educated under Egyptian royalty. Because of these preparations, throughout the first forty years of his life, he was better prepared to face a defiant, cruel Pharaoh and lead God’s people out of Egypt.
As she put the little floating device of papyrus, tar, and pitch together and laid her beautiful baby boy in it she could never have imagined how God would use this one act of faith. Jochebed was an ordinary woman, wife, and mother. She took an ordinary household item of the day, a basket, and used it for an extraordinary event, the saving of her son’s life. This one event eventually led to the saving of the lives of an entire race of people. Because of her courage and faith, the entire Jewish race was preserved.
The Lord spoke to Moses
face to face, just as a man
speaks to his friend.
Exodus 33:11
We never know the plans God has for our children or grandchildren, we just have to have faith that he does indeed have a plan for them whether we ever see it or not. Jochebed gave up her son who became the deliverer of God’s people.
She reminds us of yet another famous mother, who gave up her precious Son so as to rescue and become the Deliverer of all God’s people from a cruel and diabolical enemy. Her name if Mary, her son’s name is Jesus, who is our Lord, our Savior, and our Deliverer.
Something to consider:
Your hardest times
often lead to
the greatest moments,
keep believing.
Anonymous
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