Jochebed, his mother, Mariam, his sister, and Pharaoh’s Daughter (Exodus 2:1-10; Heb. 11:23)
Do you remember when you studied the story of Moses in Sunday school and the focus was on Moses' sister staying with the basket?
Well, today as we look at the last three women of the Bible in our series, we will shift the focus to all three women:
Jochebed:
1. A Levite woman who gave away her son, Moses, to protect him and a nation.
2. A woman who kept her baby quiet for three months. Just think of all the ways to soothe a child, but you have to do it in fear.
3. A woman of faith in God taking care of the outcome. She is part of the great cloud of witnesses.(Heb. 11:23)
4. A woman who noticed in Moses that he was different…”She saw that he was a fine child, or goodly” (Exodus 2:2; Acts 7:20; Hebrews 11:23). This means that Moses was not only a lovely child to look at, but also, he was “fair to God,” implying that there was something other-worldly or angelic about his features. As he may have laid in her lap, Jochebed may have felt that he was sent from God, and that he, along with her mingled faith and love, again, to protect a nation. Who, in turn, would protect us (the church).
5. A woman who cleverly designed a basket to preserve the life of her baby boy in the Nile, which was full of crocodiles.
Mariam, Moses sister:
1. Stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
2. She Intervened immediately and offered a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for her.
3. She went and got her mother to nurse him.
4. You also see boldness in her approaching Pharaoh’s daughter.
5. She later led the Israelites in a song, playing tumbrel, and dancing. In this passage she was called a prophetess. (Ex. 15:20)
6. We also find that she took her calling too far, and God punished her with leprosy. After Moses interceded for her, she was healed. There is a lesson learned in her boldness. It was good when Moses was a child, but when he became an adult, she misused her gift. Let us be careful how we use the gifts God gives us. (Numbers 12)
Then we have Pharaoh’s daughter:
1. She was royalty
2. She saw the child in the basket and had compassion on him.
3. She recognized he was a Hebrew, knew that her father desired to have every Hebrew boy be thrown into the Nile, but kept him anyway.
4. She knew she needed to feed the child and there were a lot of mothers who had lost their babies to the Nile that could feed him.
Just like God had a plan for Moses to save his people by using Jochebed, Mariam, and Pharaoh's daughter, just think of the people he is using to save our children.
We, as mother’s, sacrifice a lot to see our children succeed. We are now the Jochebeds, the Mariams and the Pharaoh's daughters. We must put our faith with our works as we continue to guide children and others in the Nile where the crocodiles of this world try to consume them, but God is in control. No matter where your child is now, keep the faith. Deliverance will come if we don't become weary and well doing.
Women of the Bible: Esther (Read Chapters 1-10) - Part 1
“And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her.” Esther 2:15
(Take a seat on your deck or in a park and read about her. It won’t take long. )
1. She was a virgin.
2. She was only brought before the king because of Queen Vashti’s disobedience (we will talk about her another day. Please read Esther, Chapter 1.)
3. She was Jewish. Her Jewish name was Hadassah (we will talk about this another day also).
4. She was an orphan. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, a Benjamite, who checked on her daily to make sure she was fine. He raised her on “who” she was, but told her to keep this information to herself. (2:10, 20)
5. She was young, beautiful in form and face.
6. She was transferred to the best harem of women because she pleased Hegai. He also gave her cosmetics, food, and seven choice maids from the king’s palace.
7. For 12 months, days of her beautification they used oil of myrrh and spices on the women. The harem would go before the king. If the king delighted in one person in the harem, she would go before him again, only if he called them out by name.
8. She didn’t just find favor, but she found kindness from the king and He loved her. This kindness was an abundant favor.
9. She became the king’s queen.
What can we learn from this great woman of God with these facts?
She was obedient to her cousin who raised her, and as a result, she found favor as he directed her life.
In picking Esther, I wanted someone a young person could relate to. I wanted them to see the rewards of an obedient life because Esther didn’t just become a queen, she became a leader.
What does it take to be a leader?
What does it mean to have favor?
We will talk more about Esther as you read the book dedicated to her leadership. It is also a book where you don’t see God’s name, but you know He is sovereignly in control.
I want to challenge all of you that are mothers, aunts, sisters, or friends to a young lady to sit down with them and talk about Esther. Challenge them to learn from this young lady as YOU plant a seed of knowledge into her life. Let us know how your journey went! Also invite her to come with you to our retreat on July 16. It’s all about “women helping women”. God bless!
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you”.1 Peter 5:5-7
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