A Mother's Faith

Introduction

There's a pilot light on gas stoves. You never cook a meal with it. You use it only to light a big burner that cooks the meal. Amram and Jochebed were pilot lights. As parents of a baby boy, they were used to light a big burner that has blessed the lives of men and women down through the years, and will keep on blessing throughout all time and eternity. That baby boy? Moses.

They're so infinitely important that they're listed in the Who's Who of Faith. For it's written in Hebrews 11:23, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the king's commandments."

I. Mark Faith Responding

A new king came to the throne of Egypt who didn't know about Joseph. He was a ruthless ruler, and he savagely said, "The Israelites have become much too numerous for us. We must deal shrewdly with them. "So they made slaves of them, and put brutal taskmasters over them. They made their lives bitter with hard labor. But the more they mistreated them, the more they multiplied.

Then the cruel king insanely instructed the midwives to kill all Hebrew boys as soon as they were born, but to let the girls live. But the midwives disobeyed the king. They let the boys live too, and they saved their people from extinction. God blessed the midwives, and He gave them families of their own. You never lose when you listen to the Lord!

Then the heartless king commanded. "Every boy that is born you must throw into the river, but let every girl live."

At this time there lived a pious man and wife named Amram and Jochebed. They had a daughter named Miriam and a son named Aaron. And God blessed them with another son. But they refused to obey the cruel commandment of the king and kill their boy. Did they act out in foolishness? No, faith. Hebrews 11:23 says "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents." It was a supernatural and spiritual faith that sustained and strengthened them. It kept them in perfect peace.

"But," you ask, "doesn't the Bible say, 'obey the government?'" Yes, but this holds only as the government doesn't require the Christian to disobey God. The Bible never contradicts itself.

For example, it's written in Ephesians 6:1, "Children, obey your parents in the Lord." If the children are required to do something that is against the Word of the Lord, they are not to be obeyed. I loved my father. I did everything he told me to do, except when it was against the Word of the Lord. My father commanded me not to go to the revival, not to be baptized, not to join the church, and not to train for Christian work. Had I obeyed my father I would not have been saved and would not be in the ministry.

Think of the three Hebrews. According to the third chapter of Daniel, the king commanded every one to worship the statue he had made of himself. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused, and they were thrown into the fiery furnace. But the Lord vindicated their non-compliance.

Acts 5:29 says, "We ought to obey God rather than man." And Romans 13:4 states that the leaders are as "the minister of God to thee for good." Should the authorities require that which the Bible condemns as evil, they are not to be obeyed.

And what was it that enabled the parents of Moses to act so courageously? Their faith. Faith in God overcomes the fear of man. Great is the power of a God-given faith. It transforms trials into triumphs, barriers into bridges, and despair into delight.

The book of Hebrews tells us that the baby was beautiful. But I believe that when the parents looked at their baby boy they saw not only beautiful looks, but the beauty of the Lord. And I believe that a heavenly voice whispered to her heart that her boy was especially dear to God.

No, she did not wring her hands, saying, "If he's somebody special, God will spare him. If he's to be cared for, God will care for him. There's nothing we can do." No she did not wring her hands, she worked. That is real faith.

The other day a stranger visited our beautiful video taping garden. He asked, "Do you and Audrey do any work here? God's garden is beautiful." Jokingly, I said, "You should have seen God's garden before Audrey and I did any work here." God can grow a garden anywhere, even on concrete, if He wants to. Be He doesn't. He expects us to use our God-given wisdom and the means at our disposal. He expects us to hoe, plant, water, weed and feed the plants. He can heal bodies without doctors, but He uses doctors. He can grow crops without farmers, but He uses the farmers. He  could have fed the five thousand without the lad and his lunch, but He used the lad. He could have saved the baby boy without his parents, but He used the parents. In them we see Faith Responding.

II. Mark Faith Resolving

Back of every famous man there is a fine woman. The woman is often forgotten or overlooked, and the man is remembered and revered. But when believers stand before the reward seat, these mothers will be richly rewarded. Back of Samuel was a Hannah. Back of John the Baptist was an Elizabeth. And back of Moses was a Jochebed. Well did someone write:

The greatest battle that ever was fought, Shall I tell you where and when?

On the maps of the world you will find it not: 'Twas fought by the mothers of men.

How true of the Mother of Moses. "Kill all the baby boys!" commanded Pharaoh. "I'll not kill my baby boy," resolved this mother. She and her husband were convinced that there was a greater king than Pharaoh, a more powerful ruler than he. They were guided and guarded by Almighty God!

Pharaoh can call out his commands, but he cannot destroy the one who was destined to be the deliverer of God's people. No one can wipe out the will of God by issuing instructions against it.

The scorn of Goliath could not scare David. The flames of the furnace could not consume the Hebrew heroes. The mouths of the lions could not munch on Daniel. The hoods of Herod could not kill the Babe of Bethlehem. The storms of Galilee. The seal of the governor could not secure the grave of out Saviour. And the commands of Pharaoh could not kill the baby of the bulrushes.

No, the unbelief of the universe does not make untrue the Word of the Lord. And the devil with all of his demons cannot destroy the saint that trusts the Saviour. No on and nothing can hurt you until your labor for the Lord is finished.

For three months Amram and Jochebed succeeded in hiding their precious son. And the searchers for the baby boys were on their rounds again. But faith created boldness and a blueprint for the saving of the boy Moses. The courageous couple rose above adversity and attained new heights of achievement by turning their obstacle into an opportunity. They refused to be fettered by fears, defeated by dangers, or overcome by opposition.

Suffering is not an accident, but an apparatus. It is not an obstacle for a setback, but an opportunity for success. It is not a thing that is sent to destroy lives, but to develop them.

Suffering can be used or abused. An old proverb says, "When fate throws a dagger at you, there are two ways you can catch it; by the blade or the handle." Amram and Jochebed caught it by the handle and used it.

The storms break the weak tress, but strengthen the healthy ones. Sufferings can make you bitter or better. They can draw you closer to the Lord or drive you farther away. They can make you cynical or sympathetic.

When a believer is submissive to God in his suffering, he will be strengthened. When he is willing to trust, he will triumph. God has never planned a failure. He will provide a plan, and it will be prosperous. It may be strange, but it will be successful.

You and I see this in the life of the parents of Moses. Guided by God, they made a little boat from papyrus reeds, waterproofed it with tar, put the baby in it, and laid it among the reeds along the edge of the river. The baby's sister, Miriam, watched from a distance to see what would happen.

When Billy Sunday told this beautiful story, he said, "Some people wonder what angels do. Why, God had a couple of angels on special patrol that day; one to keep the crocodiles away from that baby, and the other to pinch the baby and make him cry at the right time." At any rate, the crocodiles stayed away, and the baby did cry.

III. Mark Faith Reacting

A princess, one of Pharaoh's daughters, came down to bathe in the river. Why did she want to bathe in the Nile? She had bath houses at the palace, and they were better than the Nile. But, she, too was guided by God.

As she and her maids were walking along the river bank, she spied the little boat among the reeds and sent one of the maids to bring it to her. When she opened it, the pinching angel was on the job. For the baby started crying. This touched her heart.

There is nothing unusual about a baby crying. That comes naturally. But the baby had not been crying as the cradle floated in the river, and the tears of the baby did not come until they could melt the heart of the princess.

Watching nearby was the baby's sister. That reminds me of the hymn: Brethren, see poor sinners round you

Slumb'ring on the brink of woe; Death is coming, hell is moving, Can you bear to let them go?

See our fathers and our mothers, And our children sinking down; Brethren, pray, and holy manna Will be showered all around.

Sisters, will you join and help us?

Moses' sister aided him;

Will you help the trembling mourners Who are struggling hard with sin?

Tell them all about the Saviour, Tell them that He will be found; Sisters, pray, and holy manna, Will be showered all around.

Just as the baby started crying, and the heart of the princess was touched, the baby's sister approached her. What courage. Under ordinary circumstances she would have been beaten off or chased away. But this was not an ordinary circumstance; it was extraordinary. Guided by God, Miriam, at the right time and in the right way, asked, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" "Yes, do," the princess replied.

Here we see faith acting feasibly, not foolishly. Faith is not silly, it is sound. Faith believes in God and cooperates with God. It always does the thing that is reasonable. It was Cromwell who always said, "Trust in God, and keep your powder dry."

It is amazing how little things are the hinges on which great things turn on.

One year a family left England for a vacation in Scotland. The boy found an old swimming hole, took off his clothes, and jumped in. Seized by cramps and starting to drown, he cried for help. A farm boy was working nearby, and on hearing the cries, he jumped in and saved the boy. Grateful, the boy's father asked the farm boy, "What would you like to do?" "Go to college," he answered, "and become a doctor. But we're poor, and we could never afford to pay for my education." "Make your plans," he said, "and I'll pay for the costs." And the farm boy became a doctor.

Years later Winston Churchill was awfully ill with pneumonia. Nothing was helping him. Death seemed inevitable. But his doctor asked for Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin, to be flown to attend Mr. Churchill. Fleming arrived, administered the new drug, and for the second time in Churchill's career, saved his life-for it was the boy, Winston Churchill, whom he had pulled out of the swimming hole so many years before. Yes, little things are on the hinges on which great things turn on.

A baby cried, the heart of the princess was touched, a slave girl suggested, "Shall I go and find one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?" and the Lord worked a miracle.

IV. Mark Faith Rewarded

Miriam ran home as fast as she could, no doubt praising the Lord with every step, rejoicing in His grace and goodness. Not only was the baby restored to his mother, but the mother was paid for taking care of her own son. For the princess said, "Take this child home and nurse him for me, and I will pay you well." So she took him home and nursed him.

Just look at that! The devil was defeated by his own instrument. The devil was using Pharaoh to defeat the will and work of the Lord. But the Lord used the devil's instrument to carry out His own will and work. You just cannot beat the Lord, can you?

When our moments are filled with faith, our years will not be frought with fear. When our days are undergirded by devotions, our lives will not be undermined by doubts. Let's say:

I will not doubt,

Though all my ships at sea

Come sailing home with tattered mast and sail. I will believe the hand that cannot fail,

From seeming evil worketh good for me.

And though I weep because those sails are tattered, Still I'll cry while my last hope lies shattered,

I'll trust in Thee.

I will no doubt,

Though all my prayers return unanswered From the still whit realm above.

I will believe it was an all-wise love

That had refused these things for which I yearn. And though at times I cannot keep from grieving, Still the pure ador of my fixed believing, Undimmed shall burn.

I will not doubt,

Though troubles fall like rain,

And sorrows swarm like bees around a hive, I will believe the heights for which I strive

Are only reached through anguish and through pain. And though I write and groan beneath my crosses,

I shall reap through my severest losses The greater pain.

I will not doubt,

While anchored in this faith,

Like some staunch ship my soul braves every gale. So strong its courage that it will not quail,

To meet the mighty unknown sea of death, Oh, I may cry while body parts with the spirit,

I will not doubt, so listening worlds may hear it, With my last breath.

V. Mark Faith Revealing

Hear the command of the princess again, "Take this child home and nurse him for m." Can't you hear the Lord saying that to you in regards to your own child?

Our Lord says, "Nurse him for Me!" Not for the world and wickedness, but "for Me." Not for society and self, but "for Me." Not for politics and partying, but "for Me." Not for religion and recreation, but "for Me."

One day I came home after conducting a series of evangelistic meetings, and I told my mother of the exciting experiences I enjoyed. Weeping, she said, "I wish I wasn't tied down. I wish I could go out and reach and teach others with the Word." I answered, "Mother, that's exactly what you're doing. You taught me, and you're teaching your three girls, and one other son. Soon they'll go to Bible school, college and seminary. You're teaching them now for God. And you'll be reaching millions through us, no, billions and trillions."

Many years ago, a brilliant writer married and God blessed her with a family. One day an old college friend said to her, "It's a pity you gave up writing books." "I haven't given up writing books." "I've written two." "What are their titles?" asked the friend. She answered, "Ethel and Albert, those are my two children. I'm trying to write living epistles known and read of all men that they have been with Jesus."

A mother cannot change the color of her child's eyes, but she can help give the eyes of sympathy, not scorn; kindness, not cruelty. A mother cannot change the features of her child, but she can help give the face of hopefulness, not hopelessness; helpfulness, not hurtfulness. A mother cannot change her child's comeliness, but she can help his countenance to register affection, not aggression; awareness, not anxiety.

A mother said to a friend, "We lost our first child." "Oh," came the sympathetic answer: "I didn't know she was dead." "No," said the mother. "She's not dead. I was too busy to tell her about the Lord and win her to the Lord."

Not so, Jochebed. By lip and by life, she led her children to the Lord. Moses gave up the world for the Word. Why? His mother did. Moses became a friend of God. Why? His mother was. Moses wasn't afraid at Pharaoh. Why? His mother wasn't. Moses was a man of faith. Why? His mother was a woman of faith. If you want your child to walk upright, you must walk upright yourself. For a while your children will do what you say. Then they will do what you do. So teach your child the Word of the Lord.

Then what? The Lord says, "I will pay you well." Don't be afraid. You will have hardships and heartaches, but the Lord will pay you. You will work until you are dogtired and ready to drop dead. But the Lord will pay you. The mother of Moses is still drawing pay, and she will throughout all eternity.

Will you?