Jochebed - A Mother's Faith That Changed History | Exodus 2 Bible Study

[0:00] A remarkable mother. Perhaps someone you've never heard of. Her name's not mentioned very often. Jochebed. And we'll learn about her and find out the story of her life in part.

[0:18] ! Looking at Exodus 2. Looking at a mother's faith in the face of fear. A mother's faith.

[0:30] Jochebed. The mother of Moses. And she gives for us an inspiring model of a mother. She defied fear and she shaped a nation's destiny.

[0:44] So let's go to Exodus 2. And we'll read about her faith, her courage and her love during a time of tyranny. And her legacy teaches us how a mother's faith can move mountains, change history and glorify the Lord. Exodus 2. She is a powerful model.

[1:06] And we can learn much from her today. As we see pictured there, represented there. And we'll unpack some of that shortly. Exodus 2. And there went a man of the house of Levi and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bare a son.

[1:26] And when she saw him that he was a goodly child. She hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes.

[1:40] And daubed it with slime and with pitch. And put the child therein. And she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Farrah came down to wash herself at the river.

[2:00] And her maidens walked along by the river's side. And when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child. And behold, the babe wept.

[2:18] Add the sound effects there. The crying baby. And she had compassion on him and said, This is one of the Hebrew's children. Then said his sister to Farrah's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?

[2:41] And Farrah's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Farrah's daughter said unto her, Take this child away and nurse it for me.

[2:55] And I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And the child grew and she brought him unto Farrah's daughter.

[3:07] And he became her son. And she called his name Moses. And she said, Because I drew him out of the water. An intriguing story.

[3:22] The context here is of a hostile culture. It was a time of crisis. To set the scene, Jochebed lived in this time of fear and oppression. And the Israelites, once honoured in Egypt, through Joseph's leadership, they'd grown into this huge nation.

[3:39] Some two million of these folk in this foreign land. Nearly two million people over this 350, 400 year time span.

[3:53] So Exodus 1 verse 7 says, The land was filled with them. And a new Pharaoh who knew not Joseph came. Exodus 1 verse 8.

[4:05] He saw their numbers as a threat. And he enslaved them, making their lives bitter with hard bondage. You see there, the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.

[4:22] This is Exodus 1 verse 13. And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage. In mortar and in brick. And in all manner of service in the field. All their service wherein they made them serve.

[4:34] Was with rigour. And so to set the scene, notice the setting. It's a hostile culture. And we see for all of this burden and bondage.

[4:47] Yet the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied. Fulfilling God's promise to Abraham. Exodus 1 verse 12. Genesis 15.

[4:58] 13 to 14. Pharaoh's fear escalated to such a degree that he issued a genocidal decree. He first ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill the male newborns.

[5:11] But they feared God and spared the boys, earning God's blessing. Enraged, Pharaoh commanded all Egyptians to cast the Hebrew male infants into the Nile River.

[5:24] So you see there, Exodus 1 verse 22. Pharaoh charged all his people saying, Every son that is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive.

[5:35] Interesting that the Nile River was a symbol here of death in a pagan culture that worshipped the river among countless false gods.

[5:48] So in this hostile world, Jochebed, a lowly Hebrew slave, gave birth to her third child, Moses, after Miriam and Aaron.

[5:58] I can think for myself, having children. I know when I had my first son, I was really excited.

[6:11] It was the first boy. And I ran down to where I was working at the time, Elizabeth Social Security. I was working there. And I just, I was on leave.

[6:23] And I just went in the door. And I yelled out to everybody, It's a boy! It's a boy! And I was so joyful. And they must have thought I was a bit crackers at the time.

[6:35] But a boy is born. It's a time of joy, isn't it? And my third child, my second boy, such a joy as well. And you think, oh, every birth is a joy, isn't it?

[6:50] But it was a sad time for Jochebed because to bear a boy meant a death sentence for him. In this hostile world now, we think of Pharaoh's cruel decree.

[7:05] The terror that if she was to bear a son, death sentence loomed for him. Yet Jochebed's faith shone brightly, defying the odds to protect her son and God's purpose for him.

[7:21] So we'll unpack how Jochebed's faith moved her. The mother's faith that changed the course of history. And her character, her life, gives us timeless lessons, even for today.

[7:36] For all the mums and the dads today, to think of these truths today. What are some of the characteristics of Jochebed? We see that she had a perception about her son.

[7:50] Now, not to big note me in any way, but I know that my mother had some big plans for me. Some big thoughts about me. She thought that at the time, my family were Roman Catholics.

[8:02] And my mother, bearing a son, she thought, oh, he must be a priest one day. But I let her down badly about that.

[8:13] I could be the Pope now. I mean... But no. Being a priest, a Roman Catholic priest, is not for me. But, you know, you see the perception of a mother.

[8:25] They've got the hopes for their children, don't they? The hopes of what their child can be. And this is with Jochebed. It says, And the woman conceived and bare a son. And when she saw him, that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.

[8:40] It's interesting, the Hebrew word goodly. It implies uniqueness, favour, divine potential even. Something excellent. There's something about Moses that he was a goodly child.

[8:53] There's something excellent about him. Those kind of dimensions you could put to such a word. And likewise, other scriptures that tell of his birth. In Hebrews 11.23, it reads, When he was born, he was hid three months of his parents.

[9:08] Because they saw, again the perception, they saw he was a proper child. And they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Acts 7.20, likewise it reads, In which time Moses was born and was exceeding fair and nourished up in his father's house three months.

[9:26] So these words, exceeding fair, proper, same word in the original. It's got this sense of exceptional, extraordinary. And we see the faith and courage of the parents.

[9:42] Jochebed, she didn't just see a baby. She discerned Moses. There's something excellent, something exceptional. There's something God had in store for him.

[9:54] You could read into that. That she could discern Moses' divine destiny. And mums and dads, we can think of our children. We've got the best hopes for them. And Jochebed had this expectation for her son of his destiny.

[10:12] To be, potentially she could see, who knows, whether he could be Israel's deliverer. And as Mary pondered the birth of the Saviour in Luke 2 verse 19, she pondered.

[10:25] You could think of Jochebed. She might have pondered about this. Even though, hey, look, his life is going to be cut short. We've just got to throw him in the river and be done with him. That's what his expectation was as far as the world, the hostile culture.

[10:42] But Jochebed saw that Moses had a destiny. And can we also learn to look with spiritual eyes for our children's sake.

[10:52] To think of what they can become. You know, sometimes we think of them as little toddlers. I know, I knew Eli when he was about this high. You know, you think of the little toddlers. You think, what can they become?

[11:03] What will they become? And sometimes we discount the little ones. We ought not. See what they can become. Have that perception. And look with spiritual eyes. See God's potential in others.

[11:15] God uses mothers, doesn't he? To fulfil his purpose in children. And so the faith and courage here. She was hiding Moses for three months.

[11:27] Defying the Pharaoh's edict. Risking her life. This was really life and death. For her too. For her to disobey. To not follow the law.

[11:41] Risking her life and her family's life. Not just Moses. Miriam, who was some young teenager. About 13 to 16.

[11:53] And Aaron too. He might have been about three. And Hebrews 11.23 it reads that they were not afraid of the king's commandment.

[12:04] They feared God above any Pharaoh. That was the scale of it, isn't it? And it's like to the midwives too. That they refused to kill the Hebrew boys in Exodus 117.

[12:18] Marking the first recorded act of civil disobedience in scripture. An interesting thought. We've been talking about Christian ethics Wednesday night. Civil disobedience.

[12:29] Well, oh we didn't disobey the government. Well, there's a higher law. There's a higher government. And there's a duty to obey God above man.

[12:42] Certainly it's very clear in scripture. Of course we ought to be law abiding citizens otherwise. Mind you, I won't go there. I like the scripture.

[12:55] It says the king's business requireth haste. But no, I'm always careful about the speed cameras. But no, I'm not excusing that. Not condoning that. Don't follow me on that one. But no, honestly, there's no excusing our...

[13:07] If the law says do this, we ought to do it. Amen. Don't excuse breaking the law. And so this first recorded act of civil disobedience, when Moses cries grow so loud, Jochebed placed him in this basket on the Nile's edge amongst the reeds, trusting God.

[13:29] Amidst the crocodiles, the currents, the uncertainty, faith was there. Faith. Notice it says, by faith.

[13:42] Moses telling of his parents, telling of Jochebed. It was an act of faith. She trusted God. And her faith overcame the fear, all of the goings on, the hostile culture, all that was against her.

[13:57] Teaching us to honour God above all authority, all human authority. Acts 5.29 Obey God rather than men. So what an amazing act of Jochebed.

[14:11] When she could no longer hide him, Exodus 2.3, she took him... She took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch and put the child therein.

[14:23] And she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. So she took there this ark of bulrushes, took it there by the reeds and made sure that it was watertight. I'd imagine she was stringing that basket together.

[14:37] As some of you ladies are good at handicrafts and such things. She used her skill, her ingenuity. And God used her to make provision for her son.

[14:51] Think of God's provision and her godly action, her wisdom. She was resourceful. She took faith-guided action to secure her son's safety.

[15:05] A God-inspired plan. God's provision. She followed through her protective instincts. And that's the same for mothers, isn't it? We want the best for our children.

[15:15] We want to see them choose right and to be safe, to preserve them, to protect them. And so Jochebed crafted this papyrus ark.

[15:30] And she sealed it with tar and pitch to be waterproof. She did everything she could to preserve her son's life. This term for the ark is also used of Noah's ark.

[15:48] Sometimes we think of the ark, we think, well, it's Noah's ark. We forget about the other two. There's Noah's ark. There's Moses' ark. And then there's the ark of the covenant.

[15:59] There's three arks that tell the one story of salvation. They've all got a theme through them that's telling the same story.

[16:12] Ultimately, they point to Christ, to his salvation as the ultimate vessel of salvation. Our refuge. Christ, who shelters believers from God's wrath.

[16:23] As you think of the ark, Noah's ark, sheltered them from God's wrath. Then in the middle you see Moses' ark, sheltered from the Pharaoh's attack.

[16:37] And you could understand the Pharaoh to be representative of Satan, of Satan's attacks. And then thirdly, the ark of the covenant. Christ shelters us from the law's condemnation.

[16:52] Noah's ark, a vessel of salvation from God's judgment, the flood. Saving humanity and animals. Moses' ark, a vessel of salvation from Pharaoh's judgment, the Nile decree.

[17:09] Moses' ark saved the future deliverer of Israel. Ensuring God's covenant promises. And of course, Christ to come through his line. And then the ark of the covenant.

[17:20] It contained God's law, the manna, Aaron's rod, the lid, the mercy seat, where atonement was made. All three tell the one story.

[17:31] The one story. The themes of God's preservation. Of his deliverance. Of his presence. And each ark speaks of Christ to us today. For the believer.

[17:41] We're sheltered from God's wrath. From Satan's assaults. From the condemnation of the law. Each ark was a symbol of judgment. Speaks of death. Yet also speaks of the perfect place of safety and life.

[17:55] Noah's ark speaks of the judgment of God. The mighty flood destroyed all but eight. Eight people. All outside were under sentence of death. All inside were perfectly safe.

[18:08] Moses' ark teaches the same lesson. All the male babies of the Israelites in Egypt. Under sentence of death. By the decree of Pharaoh. Only little Moses was completely safe in the ark of bulrushes.

[18:24] Completely safe. Then the ark of the covenant. That rested in the tabernacle. Was the broken law of God. Which condemned the Israelites to death.

[18:35] But God provided a mercy seat. Speaks of Christ's blood. Shared as the answer to the law. God's mercy seat. God's grace.

[18:46] Where the blood was sprinkled. The shelter from the judgment of God. Think of these themes. Moses' ark. Speaks of God's provision.

[18:57] And it reads there of Jochebed. That she strategically placed the ark. Where Pharaoh's daughter bathed. With Miriam watching nearby.

[19:08] We see there it tells of the situation. Exodus 2 from verse 4. Miriam the sister stood afar off. To see what would be done to him. So I wouldn't expect that Jochebed trained Miriam what to do.

[19:22] As well. She had motherly wisdom to guide her daughter. To act for her. And then Pharaoh's daughter came to the river's edge. To wash herself. And her maidens were alongside her.

[19:35] And then they saw the ark. Amongst the flags. Amongst the reeds there. And she sent her maid to take the ark. And when she had opened it.

[19:47] She saw the child. And behold the babe wept. And she had compassion on him. And said this is one of the Hebrew children. Jochebed was used of God.

[20:00] In this amazing plan. Really it was the purpose of God. Behind it all. And she took that action in faith. And it reads on verse 7. This was not some abandonment of Moses.

[20:15] But it was a prayerful plan. It tells there. Then said his sister Miriam said. To Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of a Hebrew woman.

[20:26] That she may nurse the child for thee. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her. Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her.

[20:37] Take this child away and nurse it for me. And I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child. And nursed it. And the child grew. And she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter.

[20:50] And he became her son. And she called his name Moses. And she said because I drew him out of the water. You could think maybe a situation of adoption there too.

[21:01] Some mothers are adoptive mothers. See the situation here. Of the intervention of God. In preserving Moses' life.

[21:13] And we see the creativity of Jochebed. Her ingenuity. Her resourcefulness. Turning the Nile from death to safety. Showing how God equips us with creativity to navigate crises.

[21:28] And interesting that even the princess, Pharaoh's daughter, was going to pay the mother. Now, it's kind of a situation of childcare there.

[21:41] That even the mother was paid to look after her son. Amazing turn of events, isn't it? And we see further the various characteristics of Jochebed.

[21:54] Just to unpack that, really touching on these things, really. We see the protection there of Jochebed. Her fierce love wanted to protect her son.

[22:06] And Jochebed's love drove her to protect Moses at all costs. She risked everything to preserve his life and his divine destiny. As the Hebrew midwives as well.

[22:18] She shielded Moses from Egypt's godless culture. Think of her fierce love. It's like a lioness guarding her cubs, isn't it? It reflects the heart that we have.

[22:29] As mums and dads, especially mums today, as we think, we want our children to be safe. They've been entrusted to us. We want to protect them. And how can we take a leaf out of Jochebed's book?

[22:42] Maybe it's about protecting our children from harmful influences. In this hostile culture, isn't it? It's an Egyptian culture to protect our children from harmful influences.

[22:53] Think of media, of peers, of cultural evils. There's a lot out there that our children are at risk of. And how can we mentor others too, in a wider way, to realise their potential.

[23:06] Think of the love. Think of the sacrifice of Jochebed. Her greatest sacrifice was releasing Moses first to the Nile, then to Pharaoh's daughter at perhaps age two to five, when she ultimately handed him over for Pharaoh's daughter to be the mother, as it were.

[23:29] So both acts required this profound faith, didn't they? This sacrifice. Entrusting him to God amongst the risks of the crocodiles, of perhaps someone else finding the basket, and not being so kindly minded.

[23:47] But miraculously, God provided through Pharaoh's daughter, and hired Jochebed to nurse him, even paying wages. Yet, in all of this, we see the sacrifice of Jochebed, giving her son into a pagan palace.

[24:03] What a heart-wrenching thing it must have been. Yet, we could consider Psalm 37, 5, how she would have perhaps seen the truth of this scripture, Commit thy way unto the Lord.

[24:18] Trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37, 5. So God turned this loss into a miracle, and Moses was preserved by the grace of God.

[24:30] Jochebed teaches us to also entrust our loved ones to the unseen hand. As she laid him in that basket into the Nile, she laid him into the unseen hand of God, to preserve her son, trusting his unseen plan.

[24:47] We too can release our loved ones to the Lord, can't we? There's times when, obviously, they leave home, they go and get married, they do other things, and they might be living far, far away sometimes, yet they're still our son, our daughter.

[25:01] And there's that connection. As much as some families can be fractured, it's not always the ideal, but there's that sense of that sacrifice of a mother.

[25:13] And then thirdly, there's an impartation of a mother too. Think of it, during those early years, Jochebed nursed Moses, likely some two to five years, we can picture how she would have imparted to him.

[25:30] She would have imparted to him. In her arms, by her side, imparting faith, laying that foundation for her child, that would withstand Egypt's pagan influences.

[25:43] Now, worldly commentators tell us that a child's personality is formed in those first four to five years.

[25:53] It's that window, that crucial window. And Jochebed sees that window, singing over Moses, praying, teaching him about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

[26:06] Think of it, those early lessons shaped his identity, enabling him in that pivotal moment at the burning bush to recognise God.

[26:19] He already had something implanted, imparted from his mother. You could imagine, you could expect. So by age 14, Moses knew his call to deliver Israel.

[26:31] He knew it. In Acts 7.25, it shows how there was something implanted in him. And later, he chose God's people over Egypt's pleasures. Jochebed's influence was there, imparting.

[26:45] Proving a mother's nurturing can shape a nation. Mothers, you've got a crucial role to nurture. It's such a wonderful blessing you have, mothers.

[26:58] And for parents, it's for all of us, really, that parental responsibility, they're only in our care, under our roof for a certain season.

[27:10] We want to impart and seize every opportunity, every moment you can. As Proverbs 22.6 tells us, train up a child in the way he should go.

[27:21] And when he is old, he shall not depart from it. We think of her prayer. It's not explicitly recorded, but we can imagine of the prayerfulness.

[27:34] I can imagine her prayerful heart when she laid him in the Nile, can't you? Amongst the crocodiles for his safety, for the currents. Who knows whether there was white water from the wrong hands?

[27:46] She prayed. And we can understand, likewise, we could picture it when he was saved of her thankfulness, of her praise, and her prayers as he was in Pharaoh's palace too.

[28:02] The power of a mother's prayers. Something about that. It's been noted that every recorded prayer of a mother in Scripture was answered, underscoring prayer's impact.

[28:15] May we never underestimate the power of prayer. And we too can lift up our own children, can't we? Praising God, lift them up in their struggles to God, knowing that our prayers reach those far from us too.

[28:30] And underpinning everything, we see Jochebed's faith. By faith, Moses, when he was born, was head of his parents. They were not afraid of the king's commandment.

[28:43] Her active faith moved her to hide, to plan, to release, to teach, to withstand Egypt's laws, trusting God's overarching control.

[29:00] Interesting also that Jochebed's name, Jochebed, Yah, or Yahweh, Glory, Kibed, God is my glory, is her name.

[29:13] Think of it. Interesting that her name means God is my glory. She glorified God. Amen. Mothers, what a blessing you have to glorify God in the upbringing of your children.

[29:26] We see her name reflected her purpose to glorify God above everything. And her faith shaped Moses who mirrored her faith. And we can see the contagious power of Jochebed.

[29:40] God is my glory. She imparted that. Think of the lessons we could go on of the legacy of her life of faith. There's many more things.

[29:51] Just touching on real quickly these timeless truths. She demonstrated faith over fear. We can do that too. Mothers, fathers, when life overwhelms, there's a wayward child, there's a health issue, the society's precious.

[30:08] Choose faith. That God is bigger than any pharaoh. Amen. We can choose to obey God. God's law above man's law. When human decrees conflict with God's, who are we going to trust?

[30:21] Who are we going to obey? God. There's a truth that just because it's legal doesn't mean it's moral or right.

[30:33] There's a lot of things that are legal in Australia that actually it's not not good. Not a good thing. Obey God above all. Active faith too.

[30:44] Choc about active, praying, planning, protecting, trusting God. You too. Do your part as the mum, as the dad, as parents, as people that can influence others whether we are parents yet or not.

[30:57] We can have that influence and there's a legacy there. Her faith shaped not only Moses but Aaron and Miriam too and then through generations beyond and your prayerful, courageous choices can leave a lasting mark.

[31:14] Three remarkable children really, the three of them. Each one. Aaron, Miriam, Moses, they all played a pivotal role, a vital role in Israel's history as a legacy of influence.

[31:29] Trust in God's providence. Jochebed couldn't see what could become, what would happen but she trusted God and God used her faith. Trust God even when there's uncertainty for you.

[31:41] You know, as young parents it can even be harder, can't it? As young parents it's like, it's testing. You know, especially in the world's current economic climate and Australia's tests at the moment of economic challenges.

[31:57] Trust God. Trust God's providence that he will use you. Trust God. Have faith. Hang in there. We see the power of her love. It drove her boldness of faith.

[32:09] It fuelled her courageous action. You know, the love of Christ constrains us. It compels us. It's love that was that driving energy behind her actions.

[32:21] Then we see prayer. Her prayers protected Moses. It's the same for you and me. Your prayers can envelop your loved ones no matter the distance and then choose life.

[32:32] We're living in a hostile culture. It's a culture that devalues life. It's sad to see how our culture devalues life. But Jochebed preserved Moses.

[32:44] We've got to value the sanctity of life. And we have Moses because of Jochebed, don't we? That was a fruit. From Jochebed's faith. It reads of him, Moses, when he was come to years as he matured, he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter.

[33:02] He knew who his mum was and it wasn't the Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

[33:13] Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. and he had the lot of them. Hey, the reproach of Christ to suffer shame for Christ my Saviour is greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt.

[33:30] He had the whole shebang there, didn't he? As the, one of the heirs of Pharaoh's riches for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.

[33:40] He knew what mattered. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Jochebed's faith bore incredible fruit.

[33:52] Though she may not have seen it all through the life of Moses, we see what Jochebed had imparted. At birth God spared Moses a privilege denied other Hebrew mothers.

[34:09] At age 40 Moses rejected Egypt's privileges choosing God's people. At age 80 he led Israel through the Red Sea, received the law, much used of God.

[34:23] At age 120 God himself buried Moses honouring his life. Moses used of God to lead two to three million Israelites to freedom. He became one of history's greatest figures, a deliverer and a type of Christ.

[34:40] And it's his legacy, really it was Jochebed's legacy. It reflects Jochebed's faith. It shows how a mother's influence can change the world. Mothers, we don't know, those little ones, those little crybabies, they can become something beyond our imagination.

[35:01] A mother's influence can change the world. Think of it, friends, today. And mothers, can I urge you in some measure be a Jochebed.

[35:15] Be a Jochebed. Jochebed's story, it's a story of faith. To obey God first and trust him completely. Jochebed, she turned the Nile from death to deliverance.

[35:27] her son as a type of Christ who frees us from sin. There's themes of faith right through her story. Even though it's only a few short words, you could kind of read into it, read between the lines and see the faith was right there, right through.

[35:45] We see the theme of parental responsibility. Mothers, your role is sacred. There's a sacred role. Your prayers are powerful and your faith is world changing.

[35:59] It's a sacred role. And you could consider too there's a trust that's in your hands as mums, isn't it? You're entrusted with something very special.

[36:12] A human life in your care. There's a guardianship there. And as Jochebed, can we see with eyes of faith, she saw he was a goodly child.

[36:24] She saw there's something excellent. There's something exceptional. And really, every child is exceptional in their own unique way, aren't they? Every child is a treasure. And you've got a guardianship.

[36:35] You've got a stewardship there. Mums, dads too. We've got a guardianship role. Can we be like Jochebed? She looked at the situation. She looked at her son with eyes of faith.

[36:48] She saw what he could become. And she acted courageously. She created a God-inspired plan to protect her son, to impart faith, to release him to God, and to trust even when she let him go into the Nile, and then she let him go into the Pharaoh's palace.

[37:07] And I'd imagine there were some tears as she waved goodbye when the Pharaoh's daughter, the princess, took Moses out of her arms.

[37:18] And then she was Pharaoh's daughter's son. And what a huge thing that would have been for her, the gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching things that she went through.

[37:31] But really, when she let him go, she was letting him go into God's hands. She was entrusting him to God, releasing him to God. And it's the same for you and me as we, God helping us, we can pray for our children.

[37:44] We can, God helping us impart to them in some measure, as it tells us in Deuteronomy 6, 6 to 7, to teach them to fear God.

[37:56] As mums, as parents, there's a responsibility. This is a hostile culture. This is Egypt. Yeah, that's right. You know, we're like a, just a little bunch of strange people, strangers.

[38:10] And we're peculiar. We're in this hostile culture. Our responsibility is to guard, to protect, to nourish, is one of the things that it speaks of, Jochebed, the nourishment, the nurture.

[38:27] Choose life. Speak for your children. Encourage them. And, of course, for everyone, if you've never trusted Christ, believe on him today.

[38:39] to know that wonderful truth of his saving power. For whoever shall call upon, the name of the Lord shall be saved. And really, having God in the picture, he helps us to be a better mother, better father, a better husband, a better wife.

[38:57] Be a Jochebed. Your legacy of faith may shape generations. Again, just to recap, see with the eyes of faith, the potential, that latent potential of your child.

[39:14] It's easy to make the mistake of treating them as children all their lives. Well, they're going to become, they're going to become a man one day. They're going to become a woman one day. Well, they already are.

[39:25] You know, it's just so quick, isn't it, that they become such. Can we see with the eyes of faith, while they're in that little arms stage, baby in arms stage, or little infant, toddler stage, think, how can we impart to them for who they will become?

[39:41] It's such a precious treasure, isn't it? Privilege. And act with courage. It's a hostile world. Don't be afraid to be different. Trust God, entrust your children to him.

[39:52] Nurture faith. You leave a legacy. It's like a ripple effect, throwing a stone into a pond, isn't it? The ripple effect. The ripple effect. We see Miriam.

[40:08] We see Aaron. We see Moses. And all the ripples that came out of that, of the mother, Jochebed. Jochebed. You leave a legacy, you leave a legacy, like a ripple effect.

[40:21] And that will be going on, when you're long gone too, by the grace of God. And think of it, Jochebed, God is my glory.

[40:32] God is my glory. Glorify God. Give him glory. Lord, we thank you for the ministry of Jochebed, to her son, to her children, Lord, and the challenge it is to each one.

[40:44] Lord, for the mothers present, fathers too. We think of the responsibilities, and each of us as sons, as daughters, to us, our parents too. God helping us, Lord. Lord, we know the world isn't always how it should be.

[40:59] And we know, parents don't always live to, to the standard that you call us to. Help us yet, Lord, to find your grace, to act with faith, to most of all, be like Jochebed, to give you glory, to glorify you with our life, with our families.

[41:18] We thank you, Lord, for these things. Guide our steps, Lord, as we commit our way unto you. You will guide our way. And Lord, help us to nurture and love, and impart to be of that influence, that ripple effect that will go on and on and reach and influence and impact many others too.

[41:39] Lord, we thank you for these things. Bless each heart, each home. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.