Moses's Birth Mom

     I have been kind of obsessed, of late, with the story of Moses's mother, Jochebed. (Yo-heav-ed).  As you recall, Pharaoh had grown fearful of the growing numbers of Hebrew slaves under his evil rule so he ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all the male newborns (Exodus 1).  Thankfully, they did not (good job ladies!) which allowed the birth of Moses to Jochebed and her husband Amram (Exodus 2:2). By then, Egyptian soldiers had been ordered to cast every male infant into the Nile so for Jochebed to care for her child in public would be certain death.  She hid her sweet tiny Moses for three months and then was faced with a horrible decision: to save her son's life she had to 'give him away'.  In fact, the safest place for him was floating alone in the same river that carried the blood of every other Hebrew infant male.  Can you imagine her absolute & total heartbreak?!

     I'll skip ahead a few verses to Pharaoh's daughter finding Moses in the reeds, having compassion on him, adopting Moses KNOWING he was a Hebrew (a trans-cultural adoption!)  needing a wet nurse, and hiring...Jochebed!  In fact, little Moses stayed with his birth family until he was fully weaned, which most likely was five plus years of age (breastfeeding was WAY different back then). Now, you cannot tell me that Moses didn't know exactly who his birth mother was growing up.  Developmentally speaking the long-term memory of most children 'turn on' about age 3, which gave Jochebed (& probably Amram) 2-3 years of speaking their love, culture & God's word into their son's life. I've read that Jochebed most likely had access to Moses growing up in Pharaoh's palace. Therefore, Moses was in an open adoption!

      I find myself with an overwhelming protection of Jochebed's status in this story.  I've read that adoption was not an inherent part of Hebrew culture, so when Jochebed placed her sweet love in that basket in the river, the level of faith she had to believe that God would provide a safe home for her son was THROUGH THE ROOF, and absolutely unprecedented.  Ultimately, God blessed her faith with the opportunity to continue to raise her son (oh, and that little detail of her son bringing more than one million children of Israel into the Promise Land).  But this is what gets me...if we were to apply the terminology of today's culture, would Jochebed would be labeled a 'bad mom' who 'gave up her child'?  Of course, we have the benefit of 4,000 years of history to prove that she was not & did not, but how often have you heard the phrase in conversation about a woman contemplating adoption "I don't now how she could just give her baby away" or "did she keep the baby or give it up?"   I'm sad that American culture is not inherently supportive of adoption. Do we really know the hearts & circumstances of birth moms considering placing their child in God's hands? What if...just what if, God can work a miracle through the faith of that precious birth mother?

   As I've been getting to know Jochebed, I've challenged myself to look at adoption through her eyes and to think deeply about my son's birth mother.  She lives in a culture that does not support raising a child with special needs.  I wonder how dangerous it would have been for her to raise our Little One in her community?  Would her family have supported her?  Would she been able to work & provide for his medical needs? Did she know when she placed him 'in the river' that it would take him to the shores of the Puget Sound?  How much she must have loved Little One to entrust him in God's hands like that! I'm looking forward to the day that Little One & I are a COMPLETED family with his birth mother in Heaven! (Maybe we'll have lunch with Jochebed & Moses!)
           Happy Birth Mother's Day to my son's birth mother.  I hope you know how much I respect you. Please know, I will do everything in my power to raise Little One to honor your love for OUR son.

(artist unknown)