Watertight and hidden among the bulrushes at the water’s edge, the basket held a most precious passenger. For three months, his parents have been able to hide this little baby boy from Pharaoh’s edict to kill all male children. But now their trust in God will be stretched to the limit. And so, mom places the baby in the basket and the basket in the river – but more importantly, she places him into the faithful care of the Almighty.
The trust that Jochebed placed in God allowed her to place her son in the Nile River. Do you wonder what went through her mind when she walked away from the river? What did his cries do to her heart if she heard them? Surely, her faith in God gave her hope of seeing him again, but in her wildest dreams, did she expect it to be like this? That she is now given the joyful task of rearing her own son on behalf of the family of Pharaoh! And they don’t have to hide him anymore – Pharaoh’s orders are countermanded by his own daughter’s concern for this baby.
When Pharaoh’s daughter looked into that basket, she saw a baby boy. But in that basket lays the future deliverer of God’s people. Along the way, he was her adopted son, though he later abdicates that position. He was a fugitive from Pharaoh and he was the shepherd of Jethro’s flocks in Midian. In all of this, it would be easy to miss this fact - Jochebed’s faith and trust in God made these things possible. Faith hid Moses for three months. Faith enabled Jochebed to leave him in the basket at the river’s edge. Faith believed that God would be faithful to his promises.
Like Jochebed, our faith should serve as a springboard propelling our children forward into the role that God has for them. As we look at our children, we may see only what is in the here and now – but God sees what they can become. Our faith can help, serving as the bridge between what is and what can be. Thank God for women like Jochebed – how different would the account in Exodus have been without her faith. And thank God for women of faith today who, through their great trust, continue to prepare their children for great tasks of service to God.
Thomas Larkin
Kommentare