Jochebed, the Epitome of a Mother

 by Sherri Stewart

Most people haven’t ever heard of Jochebed, but she is one of the most amazing mothers that ever lived. She raised three early leaders of God’s chosen people. Jochebed epitomizes the significance of a great mother. Ironically, we don’t know her name until the genealogy in Exodus 6: “Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.” We find out she’s a daughter of Levi. Jochebed, whose name (Hebrew yokheved) means YHWH is glory,” is notable as the first person in the Bible to have a name with the divine element yah, a shortened form of YHWH.

Jochebed was not born at an easy time. She was born into slavery at a time when the Egyptians ruled over the Jews. They were forced into hard labor to build the cities of Ramses and Pithom. Not only that, but the pharaoh forced the midwives to kill all newborn baby boys. Thus, Jochebed lived in a world of injustice, poverty, and fear, but she lived by faith for her family. She and her husband, Amram, had three children—Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. 

She saw “perceived” that Moses was a beautiful child. Beautiful in Hebrew, can mean ‘high and noble purpose.’ So Jochebed saw her child’s destiny. In Hebrew 11:23, Moses’ parents saw that their child was ‘unusual.’ The Greek word has the connotation of not ordinary. This mother, in defiance of the Pharaoh’s order that every male Hebrew child be killed, hid her newborn son for three months and then placed him in a basket on the Nile. She would have been killed if she was caught. As in World War II, parents had to hide their children from Nazi evil, sometimes, having to put their children in danger to save their lives. 

Jochebed loved her son enough to let him go. She used what she had—pitch and tar—to make a way for her child to live. She was also strategic about where her child would end up, sending her daughter, Miriam, to keep an eye on her little brother. Don’t you think Miriam learned a lot about faith in God from watching her mother take risks and act strategically in order to save this precious child?

The pharaoh’s daughter found the child and accepted the offer of Moses’s sister, Miriam, who witnessed the rescue of her brother, to find a Hebrew woman as a wet nurse for the infant. The narrative cleverly placed Jochebed as the caregiver for her own son. Only God could orchestrate a story like this. 

Jochebed raised three great children, all of whom would give birth to a nation. Miriam would become the first prophetess. When they crossed the Red Sea, Miriam sang a song, which is recorded in Exodus 15, and she danced. Aaron was the spokesperson to Pharaoh when Moses was reluctant to do so. He later became the first chief head priest of Israel. In essence, Jochebed gave birth to Israel. 

Sherri Stewart loves a clean novel, sprinkled with romance and a strong message that challenges her faith. She spends her working hours with books—either editing others’ manuscripts or writing her own. Her passion is traveling to the settings of her books and sampling the food. She loves the Netherlands, and she’s still learning Dutch, although she doesn’t need to since everyone speaks perfect English. A recent widow, Sherri lives in Orlando with her lazy dog, Lily. She shares recipes, tidbits of the book’s locations, and pix in her newsletter. Subscribe at http://eepurl.com/gZ-mv9

Deer Eyes

Her eyes reflect fear, but looks can be deceiving.

From the moment high-school principal, Judd Trudeau, sees the fear-filled eyes of the beautiful woman in Acadia Park, he knows he must tread lightly. If he wants to get close, Judd must gain her trust. But those deer-in-the-headlights eyes remain, and his need to protect her trumps his better judgment. She’s running from something. The more he learns about Selah Brighton, the more he realizes looks can be deceiving.

Selah Brighton has reason to be wary, which is why she chose to hide in Bar Harbor, Maine. The fewer people who know her story, the less danger she’ll bring to their lives. It’s not wise to stay in any place for long, but something about Judd Trudeau makes it hard to tamp down her feelings.

 https://amzn.to/3oGaI0s