Behind Every Man...There's a Great Mom

By: Tony Griffies

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Behind every man, there's a great woman. That's how we the phrase is typically stated. Usually we assume that this statement is talking about a man's wife. There's no doubt that many a man has been abundantly blessed by God because of the woman he's married to--myself included. And while it's God's design for a man and woman to leave their respective families and begin a new life together, it would be a shame if we forget where we came from, and who brought us into this world.

I'm reminded of a particular story of the love a mother had for her newborn son many, many years ago. The record of this love story is found in Exodus 2.

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

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. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

"Praise God for our Moms."

Then his sister 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." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

We know that this woman, who took incredible steps of faith for her newly born son is named Jochebed. She is mentioned by name in Exodus 6:20 and in Numbers 26:59. Jochebed is a remarkable mom! She hid her son from the Egyptians for 3 months, and then placed him in a basket and let the current of the Nile sweep him away to who-knows-where. And if that wasn't enough, she allowed her only daughter to intrude on Egyptian royalty, no matter the risks! All because she knew there was something special about her son--something in him worth protecting at any price. Oh, and she loved him. Moms are funny like that. The love they have for their children is something so incredible; it will often cause them do things they never imagined they'd do. Jochebed was certainly no exception.

Today we celebrate this, and countless other love stories that span the generations. Today we pay homage to the one who bore us in the womb, suffered pain in childbirth, made countless sacrifices for our benefit, and loved us first on this earth. Praise God for our Moms.

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