Title: Jochebed
Contents
Title: Jochebed Text: Exodus 2:7-10
In South Dakota, USA, there is a famous mountain called Rushmore. The granite walls at the top of this mountain are carved with the faces of American presidents. Featuring the faces of four of the greatest presidents in American history: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The great thing about the figures sculpted here is that they all took the Bible, the word of God, as their life philosophy. When George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States, he laid his hand on the Bible and took an oath, saying, “Without the Bible, you cannot rule the world.” Thomas Jefferson, author of the American Declaration of Independence, emphasized that “the United States of America stands upon the Bible as its rock.” Lincoln said, “The Bible is the best gift from God.” Roosevelt said, 'Whoever is active in any field, if he wants to live his life truly, I would advise him to study the Bible.'
If you look at the words of today's text, Moses' mother Jochebed was a mother who raised good children even in the midst of the crisis. Despite the hardships of life as a slave and the crisis of death, he raised good children and made them a great leader of the nation.
1. Jochebed was a courageous mother.
(Ex 2:2) Jochebed was a courageous and righteous woman. The Egyptian king's order to kill all new born Hebrew male children had been issued to the whole country just before Moses was born. When Moses was born, he courageously raised him in hiding for three months. She could risk her own life to save her child's life, but like all mothers, she was a courageous mother who risked her life for her son. Where did this courage come from? It comes from a completely God-centered faith. Here, “observance” refers to Moses’ physical appearance, that is, his beauty. But furthermore, this word has the meaning of ‘beautiful in the sight of God’. (Acts 7:20) “At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God, and he was raised in his father’s house for three months.”
2. Jochebed was a wise woman.
3. Jochebed was a mother who gave thorough God-centered education.
1) He instilled a sense of choice in Moses.
(Ex 2:11) Moses grew up in a palace in Egypt. This means that the environment in which Moses was brought up was a society where worldly learning was the basis. Moreover, the palace would have been a place that insisted on a more thorough Egyptian education. (Acts 7:22) It is said, “Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was able to speak and act.” Even in such an environment, I was able to believe and depend on God and have thorough faith because I was breastfed by Jochebed until she was weaned and received religious education. Therefore, in verse 11, he could see a Hebrew and think of him as his brother. What is the sense of choice? The ideology of the chosen people is the ideology that believes in the one and only God. That there is no other god. The only living and working God is God. Also, the consciousness of the chosen people is that they are the chosen people of God, who is the only God. No one in the world has a people chosen by God, but they are the only people of God chosen by God. Proverbs 22:6
2) He instilled an attitude of service.
Exodus 2:16-17 Although Moses himself did not know who they were, he knew their suffering and helped them and served them. It was a situation where they could be in trouble if they did it wrong, but I took the risk and helped them. In a way, Moses must have been more accustomed to being served than to serving. Moses was more accustomed to being served than to serve because he had lived in Pharaoh's palace, as the son of a princess, and as the successor to the next king.