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Exodus (4) Raise your character
(Exodus 2:1-10)
"The Birth of Moses"
Moses was from the Kohathites of the tribe of Levi (verse 1). Moses' father was Adram and Moses' mother was Jochebed. Moses had a good appearance from birth (verse 2). Rather than simply saying he was handsome, it means that he had an unusual energy. Moses' birth year is estimated to be 1526 B.C.E. This is because it was about 1446 B.C. when Israel left Egypt under the guidance of Moses, who was 80 years old. Of course, Moses was not the only son or eldest son. Moses had an older brother, Aaron, and an older sister, Miriam.
Jochebed gave birth to Moses and hid it, but after three months she could no longer hide it, so she put the baby in a reed box and placed it among the reeds by the Nile River. . Then Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe, and when she saw a box among the reeds, she sent her maid to bring it and open it, and she found the baby crying. Then Pharaoh's daughter took pity on the Hebrew child (verse 6).
Then Miriam said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Princess! Shall I go and get a nanny from among the Hebrew women to nurse this baby?” When Pharaoh's daughter gave permission, Miriam brought Jochebed, the mother of herself and Moses, along with her. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to Jochebed, “Take this baby and breastfeed for me. I will pay for it” (verses 7-9). So Jochebed was able to directly breastfeed and raise Moses.
After that, when Moses grew up to a certain extent and took him to Pharaoh's daughter, Pharaoh's daughter took Moses as her son and named him Moses. The meaning of the name of Moses is “Dued out of the water” (verse 10). As the name suggests, Moses later becomes a great leader in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt.
< One person is important >
It was entirely because of God's good providence that Jochebed was able to raise his own son Moses while receiving the royal royalties of a princess under the royal order to throw a Hebrew boy into the Nile River. At that time, Moses must have clearly identified his ethnic identity and received valuable religious education from his mother. In particular, Moses' growing up shows how important a mother's religious education is and how important it is for a single person.
In fact, it was because of some women who played heroic roles that Moses was able to live. The first heroes are the midwives ‘Shibbra’ and ‘Beah’. They rejected Pharaoh's command to kill a Hebrew woman if she gave birth to a male child. Their lives were in danger if they violated the king's command, but they were unable to follow the king's command with a sense of reverence for life.
The second hero is Jochebed, who showed the courage to hide and raise Moses for three months after giving birth. The third hero is Moses' sister Miriam, who walked along the bank of the river with tears in her eyes when Moses in the reed was washed away in the Nile River. The fourth hero is the daughter of Pharaoh, who rescued the child and raised her as her own, even though she knew that the child that had washed up along the Nile was a Hebrew child. These women were warm-hearted people where the fear of death abounded. Moses was able to exist because of the women who obeyed the voice of God planted within him rather than the king's command.
The strength of one person is not a small force. The power of a woman is not a small power either. People are weak, but those who know love are stronger than anyone else. The world is changed by one changed person. Although lacking, each person is a part of the Lord's brilliant dream. Therefore, become a person who lives by faith in the love of God. No matter how difficult times are, if there is only one person who faithfully follows God's will, there is always hope.
In particular, you don't know how important it is to raise a single person. Many people say that Moses is great, but the role of Moses' mother Jochebed who raised Moses as a child of faith should not be taken lightly. Are you paying attention and devoting yourself to nurturing people of faith? Even if you can't make more money, don't give up on saving souls and raising people. When you live with that purpose, your life will be the happiest life where you will get the best results through the best investments. Whether you're becoming a character or growing a character, one or the other must be done nicely.