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Exodus
2:1-10 The Man With Two Mothers Intro: Mother’s Day is a bittersweet day. In the minds of many people
there is no one in the world like their mother. For most, mom is a very special
person. Others, however, have memories of mother that are not all that special.
Perhaps the relationship was strained for some reason or the other.
So, we have to be careful as we approach the topic of motherhood.
Not all mothers deserve to be elevated to a special of reverence and honor.
But, some do! ·
Real Mothers are special people. ·
Real mothers would like to be
able to eat a whole candy bar, all by themselves, and drink a Coke without any “floaters” in it. ·
Real Mothers know that their
kitchen utensils are probably going to end up in the sandbox. ·
Real Mothers often have sticky
floors, filthy ovens and happy kids. ·
Real Mothers know that dried play
dough doesn’t come out of shag carpets. ·
Real Mothers sometimes ask “Why me?” and get their answer when a little
voice says, “Because I love you best.” Real mothers are an integral part of our lives. We wouldn’t be who
we are without our mothers, nor would we be here at all! Some of the greatest people in history will tell you how important
their mothers were to their lives. George Washington, for example, declared: “All I am I owe to my mother”. This was also true of one of the greatest men in Old Testament
history, a man named Moses. Moses became the kind of man he was because of the
type of mother he had. In fact, who he was, was very much determined by the
type of mothers he had, because God gave Moses two mothers. Both of the women who fulfilled the maternal role in the life of
Moses made certain choices in regard to Moses
that impacted the course of his life. Their choices
made Moses the man he became. The old saying, “The hand
that rocks the cradle rules the world,” was absolutely true in
the life of Moses. I want to examine the choices
made by the mothers of Moses. Their choices
have much to teach us about love, about life and about the legacy we leave our
children. I want to preach about The Man With Two
Mothers. Allow me to point out the choices
these women made in the life of Moses. I. THEY CHOSE TO GIVE MOSES LIFE A. Consider The
Choice Of Jochebed Moses was born into a culture of death. Ill.
The context of Ex. 1:7-22. According to the decree of
Pharaoh, Moses should have been killed as soon as he was born. Imagine the pregnancy. Imagine the waiting,
the expectancy, the wondering whether the baby would be a girl or a boy. There
were no ultrasounds to discover the sex of he baby. They had to wait until the
mother gave birth. When she did, she gave birth to a “goodly”
baby boy. The word “goodly” has the idea of being
“good, pleasant, agreeable, and happy.” In
other words, he was a lovely baby boy. In his mother’s eyes, he was perfect, and she
refused to kill him, but she chose life and hid her son. His mother chose to
disobey the command of Pharaoh. She allowed her son to live. By the way, both
of Moses’ parents were involved in the decision to give him life. Heb. 11:23
says, “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid
three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's
commandment.” So, Amram, and Jochebed hid the growing baby
for as long as they could, Ex. 2:2-4. Of course others knew she was
expecting. How would she explain the fact that she was no longer pregnant? How
could she explain a pregnancy that had gone on that long? How could she keep
the existence of a growing, rambunctious baby boy from getting out? Her faith in God would not allow her to
murder her son. But, her faith in God was so great that she was willing to
trust God with the life of her son. She could not kill the baby, and she could
not secure his life either. She made a little basket of reeds; applied pitch to
it so that it would not leak, put her baby in it, and set him adrift on the
providence of God. The baby’s older sister stayed nearby to make sure nothing
happened to the child. Here was a mother who chose life for her
child. It would have been easier to take his life. Death for baby Hebrew boys
was the law of the land. She could have destroyed her young son, but she chose
to give him life instead! B. Consider The
Choice Of The Princess In verses 5-6, the daughter of Pharaoh comes
down to the river to bathe. When she sees the floating ark, she sends her
servants to investigate. They bring her the basket, and she looks inside to
find a crying baby boy. Because he is circumcised she recognizes that he is a
Hebrew baby, and immediately understands that his mother has chosen life over
death for her child. We are told that she “had
compassion on him.” The word “compassion”
means “to spare, or to have pity on.”
In that instant, this princess had a choice. She could obey the decree of her
father and have the child killed. After all, it would have been easy. All she
would have had to do was have one of her servants tip over the ark and the
child would have drowned. Or, she could choose life. This pagan princess, born
into a culture of death, chose life for a child who should have been killed. Let’s face the facts today; we also live in a culture of death. We
live in a world where the most dangerous place for an unborn child is the place
that should be the safest: its mother’s womb. We live in a world where not
every pregnant woman wants to be a mother. We live in a culture that allows a
woman to take away the life of their child. Illustration: Consider
the following statistics about abortion. ·
In 2008 1.21 million abortions were
performed in the USA. ·
In 2009 26,123 abortions were
performed in North Carolina. Of these over 70% of those choosing abortions were
women between the ages of 15 and 30. 75% of those choosing abortion were single
women. In Caldwell County in 2009, 76 women chose to end their pregnancies
through abortion. ·
On average, women give at least 3
reasons for choosing abortion: 3/4 say that having a baby would interfere with
work, school or other responsibilities; about 3/4 say they cannot afford a
child; and 1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having
problems with their husband or partner. ·
In 2009, the average cost of a
nonhospital abortion with local anesthesia at 10 weeks of gestation was $451. ·
50% of U.S. women obtaining
abortions are younger than 25; women aged 20-24 obtain 33% of all U.S.
abortions and teenagers obtain 17%. ·
47% of women who have abortions
had at least one previous abortion. ·
There is much more to say about
abortion. The fact is, it is too easy in our world to do away with an unwanted
child. We live in a culture of death, and that cannot be denied! ·
Thank God, due to the recent
election of several conservatives on the state level, some things are beginning
to change. Just last week our governor signed unborn victim’s legislation into
law. This law says that if an expectant mother is murdered and her unborn child
also dies, the murderer will face two murder charges. Budget legislation in our
state house has been introduced that will decrease the amount of money
available for abortion in North Carolina from $1.4 million to $50,000.00. Pray
that the trend in North Carolina will continue. ·
We need to pray for our pro-life
lawmakers, and pray that God will change the hearts of those who are pro-death.
If God can providentially touch the heart of a pagan princess and make her
choose life for a Hebrew baby, He can touch the hearts of lost lawmakers and
doctors and help destroy this culture of death in which we live. Let me make two quick statements. 1. Thank God for every mother who chooses
life for her child! I applaud you and thank God for you, I praise the Lord that
my mother chose life for me. This is always God will, as every human life is
precious to the Lord. 2. If you have had an abortion, I want you
to know that God loves you and He cares about you. Your chose to end the life
of your child was a sin, but it is a sin that can be forgiven. Bring it to God
and allow Him to cleanse your heart and soothe the pain you feel over what you
have done. Death would
have been easier, but both these women chose to give Moses life. I. They Chose To Give Moses Life II. THEY CHOSE TO GIVE MOSES LOVE Both of the women God placed in the life of Moses loved him more
than they loved themselves. His birth mother risked her life to save his life.
His adoptive, Egyptian mother risked the wrath of her father, the Pharaoh to
save his life. Why would they do this? The only answer that makes sense is love.
They loved Moses more than they loved themselves. Their love for him motivated
them to action. Jochebed loved Moses because he was her son. Her body gave him
life and nourished him as he grew, verses 7-9. Her love for Moses allowed
Moses to fulfill the greatest earthly destiny ever designed for any Hebrew.
Because his mother loved so much that she risked everything to save him, he was
able to lead his people out of Egyptian slavery, destroy the armies and power
of Egypt without lifting a single sword or firing a single arrow. Her love
allowed him to fulfill his God-given destiny to be a savior of his people. The princess loved Moses because God put it into her heart. There
is no other reason that this pagan daughter of Pharaoh would adopt the son of a
Hebrew slave. Her heart was moved by the plight of a helpless child and she
took him as her own son. She named him “Moses.”
The name means, “Drawn Out,” referring to the
fact that Moses was “drawn out”
of the Nile River. This name was also providential. Moses was “drawn out” so that he might one day “draw out” others. It is hard to escape the irony of this situation. Pharaoh had to
pay for the upkeep of a child he had ordered to be murdered. Again, this is the
providence of God. Just a reminder, we serve a God Who is in charge of all things. He
is controls every event in life to accomplish His purposes in the world, Psa. 115:3;
135:6; Eph. 1:11. God put love for this child into the hearts of two vastly
different women. God spared Moses from certain death because He had a plan for
this man’s life. He would use Moses in a tremendous way. There is another
reason that God spared Moses. According to Acts 7:29-20, which says, “The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil
entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end
they might not live. In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and
nourished up in his father's house three months.” The phrase “exceeding fair” literally means that he was
“fair to God.” God loved this child and
worked in the hearts and lives of others causing them to love him too. If you were born into a family where you received love, you should
rejoice! If you have been loved, you have been blessed. Illustration: Years
ago, a young mother was making her way across the hills of South Wales,
carrying her tiny baby in her arms, when she was overtaken by a blinding
blizzard. She never reached her destination and when the blizzard had subsided searchers
beneath a mound of snow found her body. But they discovered that before her
death, she had taken off all her outer clothing and wrapped it about her baby.
When they unwrapped the child, to their great surprise and joy, they found he
was alive and well. She had mounded her body over his and given her life for
her child, proving the depths of her motherly love. Years later that child,
David Lloyd George, grown to manhood, became prime minister of Great Britain,
and, without doubt, one of England’s greatest statesman. Illustration: The
mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd
have children if she had it to do over again. “Yes,”
she replied. “But not the same ones.” Illustration: A
teacher asked a boy this question: “Suppose your mother
baked a pie and there were seven of you--your parents and five children. What
part of the pie would you get?” “A sixth,”
replied the boy. “I'm
afraid you don't know your fractions,” said the teacher. “Remember, there are seven of you.” “Yes,
teacher,” said the boy, “but you don't know
my mother. Mother would say she didn't want any pie.” Illustration:
Washington Irving once said, “The love of a
mother is never exhausted. It never changes--it never tires--it endures through
all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a
mother's love still lives on.” Thank God for mothers who love their children! Illustration: Author
Max Lucado offers some intriguing insights into a mother’s love in his book “A Gentle Thunder.” With some adaptation, here
are his comments. “Moms: Why do you
love your newborn child? I know, I know; it’s a silly
question, but indulge me. Why do you? For months this baby has brought
you pain. They’ve made you break out in
pimples and waddle like a duck. Because of them you craved
sardines and crackers and threw up in the morning. They punched you in the tummy. They occupied a space that wasn’t
theirs and ate food they didn’t fix. You kept them warm. You kept them
safe. You kept them fed. But did she say thank you? Are you kidding? She’s no more out of the womb than
she starts to cry! The room is too cold, the blanket
is too rough, the nurse is too mean. And who does she want? Mom. Don’t you ever get a break? I
mean, who has been doing the work the last nine months? Why can’t Dad take over? But no,
Dad won’t do. The baby wants Mom. She didn’t even tell you she was
coming. She just came. And what a coming! She rendered you a barbarian. You
screamed. You swore. You bit bullets and tore the sheets. And now look at you. Your back
aches. Your head pounds. Your body is drenched in sweat. Every muscle strained
and stretched. You should be angry, but are you? Far from it. On your face is a
longer-than-forever love. They’ve done nothing for you; yet
you love them. They’ve brought pain to your body
and nausea to your morning, yet you treasure them. Their face is wrinkled and their
eyes are dim, yet all you can talk about are her good looks and bright future. She’s going to wake you up every
night for the next 6 weeks, but that doesn’t matter. I can see it on your face. You’re
crazy about her. Why? Why does a mother love her
newborn? Because the baby is hers? Even more. Because the baby is
her. Her blood. Her flesh. Her sinew
and spine. Her hope. Her legacy. It bothers her not that the baby
gives nothing. She knows a newborn is helpless,
weak. She knows babies don’t ask to come
into this world. And God knows we didn’t either. We are his idea. We are his. His
face. His eyes. His hands. His touch. We are Him. “ Thank God for the love of parents for their children. Genuine
parental love is a window into the very heart of God. I. They Chose To Give Moses Life II. They Chose To Give Moses Love III. THEY CHOSE
TO GIVE MOSES LEADERSHIP Both of the mothers God gave Moses invested themselves into his
life. A. His Egyptian mother gave him the best
that Egypt had to offer. Acts 7:21-22 says, “And
when he was cast out, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourished him for her
own son. And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was
mighty in words and in deeds.” This means that she gave him the
best education available. It is possible that Moses, by virtue of being adopted
by the daughter of Pharaoh, was in line for the throne. He was trained as a
prince in Egypt. He was trained for leadership, and that training would serve
him well in his later years. B. His birth mother gave him something his
adoptive mother could not give him. His real mother introduced Moses to the God
of Israel. She told him about the true and living God. She would have warned
him about the false gods and religions of Egypt. She would have told him the
stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. She would have told him about the reason
the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt. She would have told him about the
promises of God to delver His people from bondage some day. She would have
instilled within him a love and respect for the God of his fathers. Her lessons took root in heart. How do we
know? Heb.
11:24-27 says, “By faith Moses,
when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the
reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he
endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” By the time he was grown, Moses understood
that God would use him to delver the people of Israel from their slavery. Acts 7:24-29
says, “And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand
would deliver them: but they understood not. And the next day he shewed himself
unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs,
ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour
wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt
thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday? Then fled Moses at this
saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons.” C. The lessons Moses learned from his
mother set the very course of his life. Thus it is with the children we have
been given the responsibility to raise. We need to give them something that all
the universities, schools, and extracurricular activities in the world cannot
give them. We need to give them knowledge of God! If they leave your home and unable to balance
their checkbook, but with a clear understanding of Who God is and Who the Lord
Jesus Christ is they are well ahead of the smartest of their peers. If they
leave your home not knowing how to dance, play ball, conjugate a verb, solve
long division problems, or multiply fractions, but if they leave knowing that
the Bible is the Word of God, Jesus is the Friend of sinners and that God loves
them, they are far, far better off than their peers who learn nothing of God
from their parents. What I am saying is this: In the culture in
which we live, parents want their children to have more than they did. We want
them to have a better education, a better home, a better life. What we should
want more is that they have a deep, personal, abiding relationship with God.
What we should do is to do everything in our power to cultivate their love for
the Lord. We should pray with them, and pray for them. We should read the Bible
with them, and to them. We should take them to church faithfully. We should see
to it that they are involved in the programs of the church. We should see to it
that our personal walk matches our profession of faith in the Lord. We should
be real in front of our children! More than anything, we should give our
children Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected, the only hope of
salvation! Illustration: Chuck
Swindoll gives the following insight on how we raise our children.
Conc: God providentially prepared Moses for his role as the deliverer
of Israel through the two women he gave him to be his mothers. Their influence
made Moses into the man he became. ·
If you were blessed to have a
good, godly mother, you should thank Him for that today. ·
If your mother was not what she
should have been, ask the Lord to help you overcome her negative influence and
to help you be a better person than she was. ·
If your mother is lost, you
should pray for her salvation. ·
If your mother is alive, you should
confirm your love for her. ·
If you are like me, and you need
the Lord to work in areas of your life that are lacking, you should come to Him
today. ·
If you would like to come and
pray for your children’s growth, maturity and successful departure from your
home, this would be a good time. After all, “The most
important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along
without them.” ·
If you are out of God’s will, you
should come home today, so that you can be the kind of influence God wants you
to be. ·
If you are lost, you should come
to Jesus Christ right now for salvation. He will forgive your sins, save your
soul and change your life. When He changes you, He will change those around you
through you. |
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