She sees the little Ark flowing down the river.

Transcription

1 Grace Bible Church Pastor Teacher Robert R. McLaughlin Tree of Life Weekly Review Dispensations of the Mosaic Law. The Doctrine of Flaws. Part 2. The Doctrinal Mother of Moses We begin with a woman named Jochebed, (jock-a-bed) who was the Momma of Moses. For we read in NUM 26:59 And the name of Amram s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. Notice that she had three children: Aaron appointed as Priest (EXO 28:1); He was also appointed as a spokesman for the Jews in EXO 4: Miriam was a female prophetess (EXO 15:20); which was a teacher of doctrine and songs to the Jewish women, probably about seven years older than Moses. Moses -- baby Moses came at dangerous time in the life of the Hebrews in Egypt. The point is that she reared up all her children in the word of God, in the ways of the Lord. This is why David taught Solomon in PRO 1:8, Hear, my son, your father s instruction, and do not forsake your mother s teaching; A godly doctrinal mother will teach her children, not drop them off at prep school known to some of you as Sunday school and say to the teacher - teach them. She will teach them herself. For example, a momma of doctrine obeys DEU 6:4-9, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. And talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead [the hand represents working and doing things as unto the Lord. The frontal on the forehead represents the proper mental attitude and motivation]. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. This refers to individuals in your neighborhood or periphery or surroundings knowing who and what you stand for. As Joshua said in JOS 24:15, And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Now, at the time that Moses was born, the Jews had grown in great numbers and the Pharaoh at the time (the king of Egypt and a type of Anti-Christ) ordered all the male babies born to Hebrew women killed by throwing them into the Nile River. Jochebed reminds all Mothers of certain facts: 1. Childbirth is never easy especially when a pagan King orders your child to be killed by drowning it in a Crocodile infested river. The analogy here is that a godly doctrinal mother will protect her child from involvement in the cosmic system. 2. Protecting your Child from the world is a constant job of a mother and so very critical for her to do so. And one of the main reasons mom s are so critical is because children are so impressionable especially at an early age. That is why PRO 22:6, Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it. DEU 4:9, Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons including your daughters and your granddaughters.

2 3. Also notice a third principle that Moses Momma faced and that is that Releasing your child to God s care is always heart-wrenching. Sometimes it is very difficult for moms to let go and let God when it comes to your children. Jochebed lives in the great Hall of Faith, for in Hebrews, chapter 11 and verse 23, it says, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king s command. Notice that it was his parents, namely his mother Jochebed, who by faith or en pistis which is by means of doctrine when he was born was hidden for three months by because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king s edict or command. What does this tell us? Well since Heb 11 is a record of God s hall of fame believers, that the parents of Moses, his father and mother, are being recognized or identified as winner believers who glorified God in the midst of the angelic conflict. They are simply identified as the parents of Moses. Now, you don t see their names mentioned because like most of the winner believers in the Church-age, they were invisible heroes. We will not know who the winner believers of the Church-age really are until the Judgment Seat of Christ! As the great apostle said in 1CO 4:5, Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men s hearts; and then each man s praise will come to him from God. In REV 3:5, winner believers are told: He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. So, on this Mother s Day, we are going to look at four things about this great Mother, Jochebed, the Momma of Moses, and why she should be considered a great mother. 1. First of all, she was willing to conceive him. During national turmoil and tragedy, many parents decide not to have children or at least not a big family. However, even though they would be born into slavery, the parents of Moses wanted children and they had them. In other words, Jochebed raised her family in very difficult times. Pharaoh wanted her baby dead and to defy his orders meant death to the family. However, at birth, the Momma of Moses saw something very special in her son. Now, all mothers believe their children are precious even the Mothers of Hitler, Charles Manson, and Osama Benladen once looked at their sons with adoring eyes. That s because Mom s, especially biblical ones who have the word of God or Bible doctrine, try to see the best in their children, and many times they do. That s why in the doctrine of typology, God the Holy Spirit who is called the Comforter, the one who sustains and empowers His children. The Holy Spirit reflects the longsuffering and the patience that normally the mother has to the children. He is the one who feeds us the milk of the word of God as the apostle Peter said in 1PE 2:2, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, The Holy Spirit is the One who comforts us in all of our afflictions and the analogy is that when many do not, mom s usually do! In the book of Proverbs David recognizes how precious he was and felt in the eyes of his mother. For his son Solomon writes in PRO 4:3 When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only son in the sight of my mother. Mom s usually have that gift of making their children feel precious in their sight...that is doctrinal momma s especially. Jochebed saw that Moses was more special to God than even to herself! She loved her son, but she somehow saw the hand of God on his life. And so God chose this humble woman to conceive and give birth to the redeemer of the Hebrews from Egypt. 2. Not only was she willing to conceive him but also she was willing to conceal him. According to Heb 11:23, notice that Jochebed and Amram hid baby Moses for three months in their home. HEB 11:23, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king s edict.

3 They shielded the baby from the dangers of our cold, cruel world. That s what a godly doctrinal mother does. Moses was concealed or hidden in the loving arms of his Momma as long as possible. I m sure when Jochebed heard that Egyptian soldiers were coming down their street, she thought the worse was about to happen. She held him tighter and prayed even harder. And a lifelong bond was established during those three short months. Jochebed was also thinking and praying during this time. She must have been asking God for a plan. And, suddenly one day it must have come to her. For she remembered and recalled the Bible story of Noah and his Ark. She remembered how Noah built an Ark and covered it with pitch inside and out. She remembered how Noah and his family went into the Ark and they were saved. She must have thought to herself, If God did it once, He can do it again. So this faithful couple built their little Ark and they placed their baby boy in it and they prayerfully released him into God s care and keeping. Apparently they believed that God always honors faith. 3. By placing Moses in the river, she committed him to the Lord. Jochebed committed her baby son to the Lord as she placed Moses in that basket boat and sent him drifting away into the largest River at that time in the world. And so we read in EXO 2:1-3, Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it, and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. Think about it. Think about the faith that the Momma of Moses had to have to do such a thing. As a conscious act of believing God, she put her total faith in God. She knew that she didn t have the power to save him. She knew that keeping him in their home would only postpone her son s death and sooner or later Pharaoh would know. She also knew that some of the less Godly parents who took their sons to the river and drowned them would tell on her and her husband. In other words, danger was everywhere. Some will call it a coincidence that the little Ark committed into the hands of God floated into the royal waters and the royal princess sent her maid to fetch the basket boat...but we know that was not true. For notice what we read in EXO 2:4, And his sister [that is Amram, the father of Moses] stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him. And now we have the divine decree and a ROM 8:28 passage about to happen...which is; ROM 8:28, And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. EXO 2:5, Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. She sees the little Ark flowing down the river. EXO 2:6-8, When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews children. Then his sister said to Pharaoh s daughter, Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for you? And Pharaoh s daughter said to her, Go ahead. So the girl went and [guess who she called without knowing who she was calling] she called the child s mother. - She just so happened to call Jochebed, the doctrinal momma of Moses. Here once again is God honoring the faith of a doctrinal mother and all things working together for good for those who love God. So we can picture it for a moment, what it must have been like, as the covers were pulled back, little Moses let loose a charming cry. Little Moses stole the heart of the princess in that fateful moment. The princess took Moses into the palace and raised him as royalty. Well, that s not even the half of it. God doesn t forget about the faith of Jochebed. Since there was no baby formula and bottles back then God used Miriam the sister of Moses to recommend someone who was able to nurse the child. The princess hadn t thought about that but it sounded like a

4 great idea. So only as Jehovah God can do He re-connected baby Moses with his real Momma and she got paid for nursing him, too! Listen God rewards faith! And, Jochebed is living proof. 4. Moses Mother cultured him. We have no clue to the length of time Jochebed got to nurse and nurture Moses. It was common for children to nurse their Mothers from two to five years. Therefore, Jochebed knew that she only had a limited amount of time to pour her love and the love of the Lord God into the tender heart of Moses. Before he went to live in the palace, this Mother would teach and instill into the mind and heart of her son the great truths and traditions of the Hebrew Oral teachings. She would teach him the great lessons of the creation story, the fall, the confusion at Babel, and tell him of the early Patriarchs. She taught him of the things of the One, True God of History and the ways of His people. Now, Moses could walk in two worlds (Egypt and among the Hebrews). She explained to young Moses why the Hebrews were slaves and held in bondage. She planted the seeds of greatness in his young heart and mind. These seeds sprouted into greatness in the years that followed. One lonely day, the order must have arrived at the home of Jochebed that Moses must move to the palace of the King. She must have cried as he was escorted away and given royal robes. Yet, the Momma of Moses knew that God s Word never returns void. Her son would even write the beginning books of God s Word. Jochebed s faith followed Moses all the days of her life. She was a Levite. And, Levites truly believed in prayer. So, Moses was blessed with a Godly, praying Mother. She is a model to all Mothers here today! Therefore, as we close let s look at what the word of God has to say about all of us...but especially those of you who either have a mother or you are a mother. So, we will close with some doctrinal principles: As God relates to us as His children, so we must relate to our children We are to be imitators of God as His children (EPH 5:1) And remember that God has a goal in mind for His children which is to conform them to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; (ROM. 8: Our overall goal: that our children may be growing in love for God and for others as they grow in submission to the lordship of Christ If you aim at nothing, you ll probably hit it. As parents, we need to keep our objective in front of us: To see our kids grow up to love God with all their hearts, and to love others as they live daily by submitting their thoughts, words, and deeds to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several components of this goal. Seek to bring your children to genuine conversion to Christ This is foundational to all else4. Help your children grow in godliness This is a lifelong process, of course. But your goal is to get your kids to have a God-ward focus in their lives They are accountable primarily to God, not to you. Help your children cultivate godly relationships Practicing the second great commandment, loving our neighbor as we do in fact love ourselves, begins in the home Our kids need to learn what biblical love (as opposed to worldly love) means (1Co 13:4-7; 1Jo 3:16-18; 4:7-21). Train your children in life responsibilities. Kids need certain skills to be able to function as adults. These include domestic duties, such as cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. They need to learn proper hygiene and care of the body through nutrition, rest, exercise. Our overall method: As God relates to us, so we must relate to our children. I believe this statement sums up every aspect of raising children. Does God love us in spite of our many shortcomings and sins? Then we should love our children and not withdraw our love as a means of punishment. Does God patiently correct us for our good, so that we may share His holiness? Then we should do the same for our children. Your example is the primary means for training your children. Your example is the primary means for training your children. Your kids will learn far more from your life than from your lectures, especially if your lectures don t back up your life. Grace and love should be the defining characteristics of your life10. Teach your children to respect you from their youngest ages through proper correction and discipline11. Respect your children as unique human beings Your children are not yours, primarily; they belong to God who has uniquely made them for His purposes (Psa 139 You have the assignment of training and releasing them into His service They re described in Psalm 127:4 as arrows. Arrows are designed to shoot at the enemy, not to hold on to So many Christian parents try to force their children to excel, so that the kids will make the parents look good, or they ll make a lot of money, or so that the parents can boast

5 in their children Of course we should encourage our children to work heartily as unto the Lord (Col. 3:23 But they are not you! They are unique human beings, created and gifted by God who will direct them in His perfect paths So your task is to train your children to be godly and to follow wherever the Lord directs them. As they grow older, you feed them more responsibility and gradually release them unto Him Since each child is different, you must not treat them all the same Some are ready for responsibility sooner than others. Major on the majors. Don t get hung up with petty, legalistic issues and miss the heart of things. The key thing is to get your child to live daily under the lordship of Jesus Christ Some well-meaning Christian parents get hung up about external things If your son wants to wear an earring, so what Is he walking with Jesus? If he is, the Lord Jesus will deal with his earring if it s a problem If he s running with the wrong crowd, that should be a concern Or if a daughter is dressing in a sensual manner, that needs to be dealt with But be careful to major on the majors, so that you don t drive your child from the Lord over petty issues Conclusion None of us are perfect parents Thank God for His abundant grace that covers all our sin