Meet Moses' Mom

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him.”—Exodus 2:1–4 (NKJV)

The second chapter of Exodus opens with what is arguably the most important event in the entire book—the birth of Moses. With the introduction of Moses, the biblical narrative takes an important turn because he will become the primary person through whom God will reveal and accomplish His will for the nation of Israel and all humanity. Only Jesus and David are mentioned more times in the Bible than Moses, and it’s no stretch to say that his life stands as one of the most significant in human history.

Exodus chapter two also introduces us to one of the more memorable moments in the Bible. Keeping in mind there was an edict in Egypt that all Hebrew males were to be killed at the moment of their birth, Moses’ life was immediately threatened. However, God’s agenda was above this, and He saw to it that Moses would be saved from this fate through the actions of his mother.

We don’t have a lot of information on Moses’ biological mother, but we do know that she (along with her husband) descended from the tribe of Levi. This means she inherited a Hebrew heritage that served as a foundation for her faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. As a matter of fact, we can reasonably assume that the events we read about in the Book of Genesis had been retold from one generation of Hebrews to the next until they were eventually passed down to her.

But it’s what she does next on her son’s behalf that really makes her faith shine. We should put ourselves in her place and then think through what she was doing here. She had most likely heard all of the stories we read about in Genesis, including the account of Noah. And what do we see there? We see God save lives by way of an ark as it passed through the waters. Do you see a connection? By putting her precious son’s life in an ark and placing it in the water, it was a declaration of faith. She’s essentially saying, “God, I know this is how You’ve saved people in the past, and I’m trusting You to save my son in the same way.” If this was the prayer of her heart, God certainly answered it and blessed her with much more, as we will see.

God responds to our faith in what He’s revealed to us. Given our place on God’s timeline, He’s revealed a lot more to us than Moses’ mother. And with this added blessing comes added responsibility. The Lord expects us to trust what He’s shown us concerning Himself. When we do, when we rest our faith in Him (though we don’t deserve it), He responds to this. The response may not be what we expect, but there will be a response that will prove to be for our utmost good in the end, just like Moses’ mom.

Pause: What do the actions of Moses’ mother reveal to you?

Practice: Consider how you are responding to what God has revealed to you about Himself. How has this revelation changed your life?

Pray: Lord, help me to rest my trust in what You’ve revealed to me about Yourself from Your Word. Let that be my basis for my belief and behavior . . . period! Amen.