Jochebed - A Mother's Influence
"And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister."
Numbers 26: 59
King James Version
EXPLORATION
"Jochebed – A Mother's Influence"
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"Blessed influence of one true loving human soul on another."
George Eliot
What person or persons in my life have had a positive influence?
In what way did this person or these persons influence me?
"We can influence others as much as God has influenced us."
Bobbie-Jean Merck
INSPIRATION
"Immortality lies not in the things you leave behind, but in the people your life has touched."
Author Unknown
Several days ago, a friend I've had since childhood called to let me know she had finished reading my book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, which is about Jesus and the 18 women in the New Testament whom He loved, encouraged and empowered.
It is especially touching when someone you know and admire tells you they like what you have written. My friend's compliments touched me deeply. And then she made this statement, "Too bad your grandma isn't alive, she would be so proud of you." I felt a few tears run down my cheeks for her remembrance of my grandma brought to mind the recollection of a devoutly spiritual woman who never missed an opportunity to share Jesus' love with others.
As I thought about my grandmother and the profound affect her life had, not only on her own family but also on every life she touched, I realized that the influence of a life well-lived does not stop when we die.
Other than Jesus, of all the individuals in the Bible, no life gives a better portrayal of this point than the life of the Apostle Paul. Remember, Paul was a traveling preacher going from church to church and town to town. And after he left a church, while journeying to his next stop or even when locked in prison, he wrote letters to his friends in the churches he visited. Paul wrote two letters to the people in Corinth and Thessalonica. He wrote letters to his friends in Rome, Ephesus, Galatia, Colosse, and Philippi. Paul also wrote personal notes of instruction and encouragement to Timothy, his "son" in Christ and to Titus and Philemon. He also wrote a special letter to all the Hebrews. When Paul wrote these notes, they were written as letters to friends. A way to keep in touch – a way to share. Yet thousands of years later, Paul's influence on Christians down through the ages is greater than at the time he was alive. I truly believe no one would be more surprised than Paul, himself, at the influence his life and his words have had.
This brings us to the influence one mother had on history – not only the history of her family, but the entire history of the children of Israel.
Jochebed lived in a critical time. I believe she recognized that the deliverance of God was at hand. As she raised her children, she implanted the seeds of hope in their hearts. But what's more, this dear mother instructed her children in the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I wonder what Jochebed thought when Moses suddenly disappeared from Egypt for 40 years to become a sheep herder in Midian. Did she give up on her long-gone son? Not Jochebed!
After 40 years we find that the same God she had introduced her children to, called upon all three of her children to enter His service and help deliver the children of Israel from bondage. When I say all three – this is exactly what happened. For Moses was the leader, Aaron and his sons were the priests and Miriam is the first person in Scripture who is called a prophet! That's right girls! God called Miriam, too. And over the next few days we're going to explore the very special "calling" given to Miriam.
What an influence Jochebed had – a mother who valued life so much she was willing to release her children to the care of her Heavenly Father, even when it meant letting go of her precious son and placing him in the arms of a foreign princess.
As we have studied, I find Jochebed's strength and courage and influence on her children to be similar to the strength and courage and influence of Mary, the mother of Jesus. These women willingly accepted heaven's duty and calling as they became life-givers and life-protectors of their children who brought redemption and release to God's people down through the ages. I call this the influence of a Godly mother.
AFFIRMATION
"Lord,
let my life be a space in which
You can work in the world.
Clear away my inner rubbish,
and fill me with Your Spirit
of healing, delight and peace,
so that everything I do
may be the fruit of Your life in me."
Angela Ashwin
Your friend,
Dorothy Valcarcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
[email protected]
