Jochebed: A Mother of Faith, Wisdom, and Creativity

Raising a family takes a mother of faith, wisdom, and creativity. Don't believe me? If you're a mom, look at the things you do on a daily basis when it comes to your children. If you're not a mom, look at the moms you know and everything they do for their children.

The lives of the Hebrews changed when a new Pharaoh came to the throne. This man knew nothing of Joseph and what he did for Egypt. He saw there were more Hebrew people than Egyptians and he was concerned. He wanted them to be reminded just who they were, slaves.

To keep the Hebrew people from growing, Pharaoh knew he would have to kill boy babies. So a decree went out and all the midwives were told to keep the girls but to kill the boy babies at birth. But these women feared God and did not follow through with the law. This didn’t stop Pharaoh, he sent his people to remove the baby boys from their mothers and throw them in the river.

To hear the screams and cries of mothers as their baby was snatched from their arms and murdered, it must have been agonizing. To lie down at night and replay those sounds and scenes had to be brutal in one’s mind especially when your precious boy was hidden away, safe and sound for the time being.

Jochebed: A Mother of Faith, Wisdom, and Creativity

We can’t help but wonder where baby Moses was hidden. Was he hidden behind the jars of onions, spices, dates, and loaves of bread? Or was he hidden behind the bed linens or out in the stable behind the feed sacks? While we don’t know where he was hidden, we know his mother placed him somewhere safely for three months.

As mothers, we can’t imagine having to stop our daily life to keep a baby hidden and quiet. Neglecting household chores or leaving them to a daughter of seven or eight so we could keep a watchful eye on our baby while weaving a basket. Things Jochebed must have done.

I'm sure Jochebed repeatedly told Miriam and Aaron not to tell a soul about Moses. He was their little secret. During those times of instruction, she taught Miriam what would be expected of her the day they placed Moses in the basket down at the river.

Preparing the basket took time and I’m sure there were many questions from the older two children. Questions like, are we really going to put Moses in a basket and set him in the water, how will the basket float, will he be protected from the crocodiles, and how will we know if he is safe?

As a mother who loved her inquisitive children, she answered the questions. “Yes, we will put Moses in a basket. The basket will be water proof because I’m plastering the inside and outside with pitch to make it watertight. The bulrushes will be a protection for Moses and you, Miriam, will keep an eye on him.”

God expects us to use our wisdom when we trust our loved ones to His care.

Miriam did just as she was trained to do that day. She quickly ran up to Pharaoh’s daughter after Moses was pulled from the reeds asking if she wanted for her to get a nurse to care for him. She quickly ran and brought her mother down to the river, and Jochebed was hired to nurse her own son.

Jochebed’s plan worked. Her tiny boy had been saved, she would no longer have to worry about him being killed. Until he was old enough to go to the palace, Moses would live with his family. Learning about his culture and the one true God.

Jochebed was a mother of faith who used her wisdom and creativity to save her son. While she is not credited for anything more in the Bible, we can see she had a hand in saving the Hebrew people.