” And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi.” Exodus 2:1 (NKJV)
It is not until Exodus 6:20 that we are given the name of Moses’ parents. There has been a lot of conjecture about who Jochebed really was. However, for this study we will limit our discussion to the 66 books commonly referred to as the Bible, without including any of the apocryphal writings.
In verse 2 the story goes on to say that the wife became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She hid the child for 3 months because he was a beautiful child. As a mother myself, I can reassure you that most mothers think their newborn baby is beautiful. Yet, she put action behind her beliefs. The Pharoah had declared that all baby boys were to be put to death. She believed enough to disobey the Pharoah and try to save her baby boy.
According to Jewish tradition, Miriam was at least 7 years older than Moses and Aaron was about 3 years older than Moses. Jochebed had brought Miriam up to be a loving, caring young lady. Even though Jochebed was considered a slave in Egypt, she taught her children about the one true God.
I can sort of relate to Miriam as my oldest brother is almost 10 years younger than myself. It often was my pleasure to take care of my brother and later our youngest brother while my parents worked. Miriam would have taken on the role of little mother because her mother still had work to do as a slave. Just because she had children did not excuse her from labor. It is possible that Jochebed was one of the midwives which would have allowed her more leeway than those working in the fields.
Do I trust God enough to disobey or go against civil laws if they are in conflict with God’s laws? Am I careful enough that I obey all of the civil laws unless they are in conflict with God’s laws? There is a difference! The first sentence presupposes that I am a law abiding citizen in all areas until something comes up that is against God’s laws. The second sentence questions whether I am actually a law abiding citizen or just using God as an excuse to do what I want to do.
Listen to the Vagle Brothers as they sing “Trust and Obey”. Lord, let me always be listening to you so that I trust your leading in every situation and then obey without question.
Published on MyBibleRoom.com 1/19/24, 6:00 am