Can you tell me who Amram was? Does someone know who Jochebed was? Were they male or female?
Hebrews 11:23 (NIV) By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.
Exodus 2:1-10 (NIV) Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, {2} and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. {3} But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. {4} His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him. {5} Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. {6} She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said. {7} Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" {8} "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. {9} Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. {10} When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
The passage in Hebrews is not dealing with the faith of Moses. The subjects of this verse are not mentioned by name. These two people get lost in the pages of Scripture, yet we do know their names. Amram, Moses' father, is mentioned 14 times in the genealogies. Jochebed is only mentioned 2 times. They are referred to as the parents of Moses
They were just ordinary people. They were faces in a crowd. They were common slaves in the land of Egypt. They had no outstanding personalities. They were of the tribe of Levi
Moses was born 64 years after Joseph died. The pharaoh in power did not know Joseph. He resented the great number of slaves in the land of Goshen. Their slavery was cruel and brutal. Even in slavery their number grew. Pharaoh's plan to slow the growth rate was to kill every boy as he was born.
The midwife was to fling the infant into the Nile and allow it to drown. We read that this did not happen to Moses. They hid him for 3 months. At 3 months they could not hide him any longer. They build a little ark of bulrushes or papyrus (NIV= papyrus basket) and put Moses in the ark and then set the ark onto the river of death (Nile).
His sister, Miriam, was sent to watch as the ark (basket) floated among the reeds and waves of the river. As we read that story our heart goes out to the slave couple. Its bad enough to be a slave, but to not be permitted to keep your baby boy is worse. We could identify with them in their plight.
Without a doubt they loved their boy, Moses. The writer of Hebrews points out the faith of their actions. They somehow had believed in a sovereign God. "He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
Their faith permitted them to put Moses in the ark (basket) and place the ark on the river. They were simple Hebrew people. They were not outstanding in their personalities or lives. Yet they acted upon an active faith in Jehovah.
THEIR FAITH WAS INSPIRED BY HOPE
They knew that He was a beautiful baby yet, they were in a hopeless circumstances. In spite of the slaughter of other babies they trusted in God. I doubt that they had any special revelation of how things would turn out. Most of the time we don't understand the details and how god is working. We must simply entrust God will all we are and have.
Amram & Jochebed had a hope. They acted upon the hope God had put within their hearts. It was quite an adventure for their faith. Circumstances gave them no hope.
THEIR FAITH CREATED COURAGE
They were not afraid of the king's edict They were all too aware of the danger. Their faith made them know that Jehovah was greater then any Pharaoh. That faith is what we all need in our lives.
THEIR FAITH WAS RATIONAL
They had a plan as to how to build the basket (ark). They sent their daughter to watch what happened. Miriam said to the daughter of pharaoh "shall I find a nurse?" Too often we thing that faith is not rational.
Faith does not ignore circumstances, Faith works in spite of the circumstances. Faith believes in God and obeys His laws and principles. Laws of the universe and the principles of life. I'm sure you have heard this quote from Cromwell: "Trust in God, and keep your powder dry"
Amram & Jochebed prepared the ark, put Moses inside, closed the lid, and sent Miriam to watch.
God had set it up!! They were doing a rational thing in preparing the basket. We all have heard the end of the story. Things worked out great. Moses grew up learning about his history as a Hebrew. He learned how they got to Egypt. He learned about the great men in Jewish history - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and others.
Then he went and sat under the greatest teachers the world could produce. He learned the sciences and all they had to offer. He was prepared as no other person could have been for the task God was to call him to do.
We have no reason to believe that Amram and Jochebed knew about Moses' future. We do not see them saying anything to their neighbors and friends. He only thing they could "claim" was that God is greater than any other power.
They had faith in a great God Faith in God often does a work we know not of. We do not need to have a direct promise from God to have faith. Faith without the "carrot" is the greatest faith.!!
Give me people who have faith in God to direct the seeming insignificant details of life. Give me a people who have a confidence in God that will stand in the uncertainty of circumstances. Give me a people who do not see the final result, and still stand firm in their trust and confidence in God. Give me a people who will march with God through life trusting that God is leading them in the right path.
I pray that God will bless this church with some Amrams & Jochebeds!
We will all be surprised when God reveals the true giants of faith. The list will be filled with "people in the crowd" We would never suspect them as being people of great faith.
My challenge to you today is to be an individual of faith.
GOD IS GREATER THAN ALL OTHER POWERS! God has a plan for your life! Cooperate with Him to see it fulfilled.
Be as faithful as was Amram & Jochebed.
Other Message from LMC