Lesson 1: Jochebed Saves Moses from Death

Scripture to Read: Exodus 2:1-10

The name of the woman who gave birth to Moses, Israel's great deliverer,
only appears two times in the Bible. We have to go to Exodus 6:20 to
learn that her name was Jochebed, who married Amram and had three
children while Israel was still in Egypt. Moses was the youngest, after
Miriam and Aaron, and his mother knew there was something very special
about this baby.

So Jochebed defied the Pharaoh's order to kill all male Hebrew babies by
making a basket for Moses and waterproofing it with a tar-like pitch. She
then set him afloat in the Nile River and sent his sister Miriam to watch
him. God honored Jochebed's courageous act by causing Moses to be
found by Pharaoh's daughter, who hired Jochebed as his nurse! While the
Pharaoh was trying to destroy his Hebrew slaves, their deliverer was being
raised in his own palace.

Study Questions

• How did the two Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1:15-21 serve as examples for Jochebed in her determination to save Moses?
• The Hebrew word for Moses' basket is the same word used for Noah’s ark in Genesis 6. What parallel is the Bible making between these two vessels?
• During the years that Jochebed served as Moses' nurse, what lessons do you think she taught him about the God of Israel and His people?
• Pharaoh's order to kill the Hebrew babies is the first recorded attempt of Israel's enemies to destroy her—the earliest example of anti-Semitism. What lessons do the Bible and history teach about those who would attempt such a terrible crime?

Something to Think About

It has been well said that if you fear God, you do not need to fear anyone else. But it still takes courage in any generation to decide that you will stand for what is right, no matter what.

It is wise to make a decision like this before the crisis comes. Why not determine in your heart today that you will follow the right path when the time comes to choose?