Underneath the shadow of the pyramids was a little-known slave family who raised three children for the Lord. God would use these three children to shape the world. “If you want to change the world, go home and raise your family for God.”
In the Bible there are three arks: Noah’s ark, the ark of the covenant, and a mother’s ark. Jochebed had no idea how greatly God would use Moses, but she did know a few things about her ark.
And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. (Exodus 2:2-3)
1.) Inside the Ark
Jochebed knew that inside the ark was “a goodly child.” She knew where her child came from, “Children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Children are a gift from God. They are eternal souls that are entrusted to parents for a short time.
She knew Moses was “a goodly child,” because he was a Hebrew with a Godly heritage. Jochebed would have the opportunity to perpetuate this godly heritage.
“The lines are fallen unto me yea, I have a goodly heritage.” (Psalm 16:6)
In the Bible, there are godly mothers in Christ’s lineage that were able to change the trajectory of their family heritage from ungodly to godly; Rehab the harlot, Ruth the Moabite, and Bathsheba the adulterer. History does not have to repeat itself. You can give your children “a goodly heritage!”
2.) Out of the Ark
Outside of the Ark was the dangers of Egypt. Egypt in the Bible is a representation of the world and Pharaoh a representation of Satan. In an oppressive pagan land there were several Godly women who had more fear for God than they did for Pharaoh.
But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. (Exodus 1:17)
The Godly midwives would not abort young male babies, but out of the fear of the Lord kept them alive. The Egyptians described these Godly ladies as “lively” (Ex. 1:19). God blessed these lively women by giving them families.
Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. (Exodus 1:20-21)
The midwives along with Jochebed proved that you can raise a family for God in a godless land. Their children would esteem Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt:
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. (Hebrews 11:24-27)
3.) Above the Ark
Above the ark was God in his providence. God in his providence did not need to use extraordinary miracles to protect this Godly family. Most of the time in Scripture we see God working in “super-natural” ways. In this story we see the natural caring of a Mother preparing the ark and the natural caring of an older sister watching over the ark. We see naturalcrying. Baby Moses cried at the exact moment the princess opened up the ark and the crying touched her heart strings. We see natural cunning when Miriam asked the princess to if she could get a nurse for the child and Jochebed was paid to nurse and raise her own child. The unseen providential hand of God was getting God’s work done. The great miracles of Exodus, the ten plagues, and the crossing of the Red Sea were for Israel’s benefit, but God does not need these physical manifestations of His power to get His work done on earth. That is why we must trust in God’s unseen hand as we rear our family for the Lord: “seeing Him who is invisible!” (Hebrews 11:27)
Above the ark was God in His proving. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Moses did not see the burning bush until he was eighty years old. Most likely Jochebed and Amram had long passed on into paradise. Moses, Miriam, and Aaron were well into their adulthoods before God used them. Moses went on to become the greatest leader of the Bible beside the Lord Jesus Christ, Miriam would become a great woman of faith and lead the children of Israel in praise at the crossing the Red Sea, and Aaron would become God’s high priest. God’s Word was proved faithful in His promises regarding child rearing.