Y" a \ ' W A Woman’s Faith
D o YOU KNOW THE n am e of the mother of Moses? It is mentioned only twice in the Scriptures, and then only incidentally in Exodus 6:20 and in Numbers 26:29. Her name was Jochebed. One of the greatest, most won derful women who ever lived upon this earth, she was married to a man named Amram, mentioned a few times only in the general genealogy of the tribe of Levi in the Old Testament. Israel as a nation had gone into Egypt to escape the great famine while Joseph was still alive. However, after Joseph died, a king arose in Egypt who had not known Joseph, and seeing the rapid increase of these foreigners, these Hebrews, and fearing that soon they would outnumber the Egyptians themselves, he sought ways and means to reduce their numbers, and make them subject to the Egyptians. He, therefore, reduced them to abject slavery, robbed them o f their liberties, put them to work in the brick yards of Egypt under the cruelest of taskmasters. Their condition was indeed piti- ful. Yet even this stern and severe treatment of these slaves did not serve to accomplish the purpose of Phar aoh, for the Israelites still increased. In desperation the king adopts a different approach, and commands the midwives in Israel to put to death at birth all the male children of these slaves. But the midwives refused, and the plot failed again. Thereupon the king issues another edict: “And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is bom ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive” (Exodus 1:22). It is in this setting that Exodus 2, telling of the birth of Moses, opens. These certainly were dark days indeed, days of despair and hopelessness for these helpless slaves. Most of these poor Hebrews had given up in utter despair and discouragement. Naturally, if all the male children were murdered, it would be only a generation or two and they would be wiped out as a nation com pletely. This, of course, was the purpose of Pharaoh, and that was his plan. Among all .these poor slaves there was one couple, Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Moses, who did not despair. They had no fear of the king’s edict. The worn- an, Jochebed, was expecting a child and one can easily imagine the thoughts which passed through her mind. Suppose the baby should be a boy! She, therefore, turned her unborn child over to the Lord entirely. I imagine that Jochebed must have said to her husband, “Amram, I am soon to become a mother. Suppose it is a boy, what shall we do with him?” Surely there can be no doubt that they discussed the possibili ties many, many times, as parents will. And then they came to a most wonderful and startling conclusion. They took it to the Lord, and dedicated the expected child to Jehovah. Why could not this unborn child, in the event that it was a boy, be God’s promised and chosen deliv erer of Israel ? They knew that Israel could never perish, for the covenant promises that God had given to Abra ham were absolutely undeniable. This brings us to the basis and the ground of their faith, which prompted them to spare and to dedicate this child to the Lord. There can be no question at all in our minds that these parents knew something of the promises of God. Way back in the days of Father Abra- ham God had foretold this very bondage in Egypt which they were now experiencing. He told Abraham about the very situation in which they now found themselves:
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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