Have you ever held onto something so tightly that you risked losing everything?
Exodus 2:1-3 “…. a Levite woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son… She hid him for three months but when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and placed it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.”
Jochebed is that Levite woman. She is the mother of a baby who will later be named Moses.
It’s fair to say that in this moment Jochebed felt completely out of control and quite possibly hopeless. She loved her son and wanted to protect him from certain death. You see, in Exodus 1:22, the Pharaoh issued an order that all baby boys were to be thrown into the river.
The thought of her brand-new baby being thrown away like a piece of drift wood was unbearable so she held on and waited.
Somehow Jochebed hid her son for three months, which we all know was no small task.
She protected, nursed, and loved him until it was time to let go of what she held so dear.
When I read, “She hid him for three months but when she could hide him no longer,” I quickly see that there’s not a period connecting what she does next, rather we see a comma.
The writer takes a breath, and then continues. The waiting period, or comma in this story, must’ve felt excruciating. Undoubtedly Jochebed wrestled with the ‘what-ifs.’ She most likely doubted her seemingly crazy plan to place him in a basket.
“What if, God? What if?”
The hopes and dreams we have for our future are often held so tightly that we strangle God out of the picture.
We are all one comma away from allowing God to finish the work He has started.
Just like this Levite woman, we hold on until the very last second.
Right after the comma we read, “…she got a papyrus basket and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed him in it…”
While there was still a comma, a question, and even some doubt, she diligently prepared and planned for the next step. She carefully built the basket and strategically planned where she’d place it in the water. Make no mistake, this act was so risky.
Nevertheless, she released him…
“…she placed the child in it [basket] and placed it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River.”
She had no guarantees that the river wouldn’t swallow him or that he wouldn’t starve to death. No guarantees that she would ever see him again.
She let go and trusted God!
Out of her obedience, God responded.
Exodus 2:5-6 “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. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him….”
Vs. 7-10 “Then his sister (Jochebed’s daughter Miriam) asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. and the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.”
Wait, what?!
This isn’t a coincidence. God is so much bigger and knows far more than we know or have planned for our own future!
Because of Jochebed’s obedience to release everything to the will of God, she was rewarded with more than she could’ve ever thought possible.
Not only would her son be educated and raised as royalty, but she would be paid to nurse, play and care for him. God gave Jochebed her son back, provided her with a job, and protected him from death. All while loving her and inviting her into the story.
We all have areas in our lives that we hold onto so tightly out of fear. We want to make sure that everything is taken care of first and obey second.
Our job, our marriage, our family, our finances, our future.
Our …???? (Fill in your own)
What are you holding onto?
What do you need to place in a basket and send down the river?
Put your hopes and dreams in the basket and see what God does with them. I am certain that Moses’ mother was terrified, sobbing and emptied of herself.
Through her obedience God was glorified and used Moses to set His people free.
Imagine what He wants to do through your obedience and willingness to let go.
Love,
Nicole
