My favorite Bible character is an unsung hero, a rarely mentioned woman who impacted the world dramatically. She’s typically glossed over in the story of Moses, but once I became a mom, I realized the depth of her courage, faith, and obedience to God. She’s Jochebed, Moses’ mother.
Jochebed chose to trust God when she, not once but TWICE, lost Moses as her son. The first time was when she put him in a raft and sent him down the Nile River because Pharaoh was killing all of the Israelite baby boys. Miraculously, Pharaoh’s daughter found him and gave him back to Jochebed for her to nurse him. But the Bible says this reunion didn’t last long. “When the child grew older, (Jochebed) took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son,” Ex. 2:10.
I cannot even imagine the pain this woman must have experienced. Her dreams of mothering her son were pulled out from under her. Her hope of living out her calling as a mother was crushed. Jochebed couldn’t “live her best life now.” She couldn’t “chase after her dreams.” She didn’t “follow her heart,” because her heart was with Moses. Instead, God called her to lay down her dreams, and she obeyed Him. And I believe in doing so, she found true life instead. She chose faith. She chose future hope.
Jochebed is just one of many unsung heroes of the faith, biblical to present day. These people typically get drowned out by the few big names, the people who seemingly have it all. In her book, “A Better Life,” author Rebecca Smith says it this way, “Public adoration is not the goal; obedience to our King is. Sometimes that obedience is played out on a stage with thousands of eyes watching us, but I think most obedience is done in secret.” Like Jochebed. She isn’t mentioned again in Moses’ story after giving him to Pharaoh’s daughter, but I imagine the faith that allowed her to lay down her dreams continued through the rest of her life until she was home with her Lord. I pray I can follow in her footsteps.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24
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