Faith in a Basket:

“By faith Moses, when he was born was hidden three months by his parents…” (Hebrews 11:23, NKJV). Jochebed’s faith and courage are written in the Bible for all to read. Her story is a testament to her faith in the face of overwhelming odds.

What would you do if your child's life was at risk? This is the question this mother had to answer, and she did it with complete faith and trust in God. I can’t imagine how she felt knowing that her beloved child was in danger but like her, I would protect my child at all costs. What she did is remarkable and a lesson to us all.

Who is this woman and what lessons can we learn from her? She is mentioned a few times in the Bible and is remembered throughout history for her courageous acts and faith in God.

Who is Jochebed?

“Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses…” (Exodus 6:20, NKJV). Numbers 26:59 reads “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister” (NKJV). Jochebed was a wife and an aunt to Amram. Jochebed in Hebrews means God’s glory.

How did She Save her son?

“But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the rivers bank” (Exodus 2:3, NKJV).

Moses’s sister, Miriam, looked after him to ensure that he was safe. Miriam mentioned to Pharoah’s daughter about finding a Hebrew woman to nurse, Moses. “… So the maiden went and called the child’s mother. Then Pharoah’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages. “So the woman took the child and nursed him” (Exodus 2:7-9, NKJV). Jochebed, with God on her side, was the only Hebrew mother to save her son, and to see her son grow up. Moses was born when “So Pharoah commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22, NKJV). Can you hear the crying of the heartbroken mothers whose sons were drowned? During this dangerous time, it takes courage and faith to stand up to your adversary or in this case, the Pharoah.

Lessons Learned from Jochebed

Have Faith in God.

God will protect His people who have faith in Him. “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment” (Hebrews 11:23, KJV). Jochebed must have had faith when she hid her son. That would have been hard keeping a son a secret for that long.

Stand up for what is right.

Jochebed could have obeyed the Pharoah’s decree, but she chose to defy it. Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (NKJV). Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing.

She had Trust in God

,,, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank” (Exodus 2:3, NKJV). She had trust in God when she made the ark and laid her son in the basket so that the child would not drown. Do we have as much trust in God as this woman did?

God gave Jochebed the strength she needed to give up her son so he could live and be the one that God chose to lead his people out of Egypt years later.

Conclusion

Jochebed’s story is a testament to the love of a mother and the courage of her faith. Her faith saved her son and set in motion events that would lead to the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. Jochebed is an inspiration because she did what was right in the face of danger. Let us be like Jochebed and stand up for what is right even in danger.